As we begin another semester, I want to offer a message of support from the Graduate School. Brown offers a multitude of resources, many of which are available virtually, and I hope you will take advantage of them. I will continue to host open office hours each week via Zoom. You can schedule a meeting with me by emailing graduate_school@brown.edu. All of the Graduate School leadership and staff are also available to meet; please feel free to reach out to any one of us. 

The following information and updates may be helpful as we begin the spring semester.

COVID-19 Testing
COVID-19 testing is an essential component of the University’s effort to promote public health and wellness. Participation in the testing program is determined by the level of in-person activities on campus. As a reminder, all graduate students should log into the MyBrown platform to update their location of study and contact level (high, medium, low or remote) during the spring semester. Information on Brown’s COVID-19 vaccination preparation can be found on the Healthy Brown website. 

Teaching & Courses
All students are given the option to enroll in their courses remotely, whether they are on campus or not. Faculty and graduate students teaching courses will continue to have the option to teach, mentor and advise in-person or remotely in the spring. 

Classes began remotely on January 20 and those with instructors who opt to teach in person will proceed with hybrid instruction for classes of 19 or fewer students beginning Wednesday, January 27, following the academic policies in place in the spring semester.

A variety of resources for teaching and research are available from CIS, Digital Learning and Design (DLD) and the University Library. Select rooms on campus in Page-Robinson Hall or Vartan Gregorian Quad are available for reservation for teaching or teaching preparation. CIS offers an equipment loaning program, and DLD may be able to purchase equipment for graduate student instruction. For more details, please see the Graduate School FAQ webpage.

FNIS
All international students should enter their information into FNIS as soon as possible after arrival in Providence or the U.S. and should update it every time they travel.

FAQs
Check out our FAQs specifically for graduate students and FAQs for international students from the Global Brown Center. Topics include safety and health, research, travel, University services, academic concerns and more. The Healthy Brown website is also a great resource for additional topics related to Brown’s response to COVID-19. Both sites are updated frequently as the public health situation at Brown and in Rhode Island continues to evolve.

Commencement
Students who expect to complete their graduate studies this spring must complete the Application to Graduate via Banner by April 1. All dissertation and thesis submissions must also be completed by April 1. Please note, there will be no extensions allowed this year. Additional information on May 2021 Commencement participation will be forthcoming. For additional information, please see the Graduate School Commencement webpage. 

I wish you all the best.

Sincerely,

Andrew G. Campbell
Dean of the Graduate School