The Annual Cycle

While no two years are identical, the rhythm is remarkably consistent. Click any month below to see what the DGS workload looks like, or scroll down for the full narrative. July
The fiscal year begins July 1, and with it comes the College's annual DTS and ATS allocation announcement—typically $27K to $35K. I began thinking about how to split that between fall and spring. The TA unit preliminary plan was due to the Associate Dean by June 1 (unit counts, no names), and any loose ends carry into July. GRA offer letters need drafting for fall arrivals. International students are being tracked: the DGS monitors visa processing timelines for admitted students from countries with slow embassy processing and prepares for the deferral decisions coming in August. This is the quietest month. I used it. The handbook and website need reviewing for policy changes. The fall TA roster gets confirmed with the Chair. I began thinking about the fall DTS list—which faculty have RAs on small grants who will need tuition coverage? One should catch a breath, because August is coming. August
August is the busiest and most stressful month of the year. Everything converges in a two-to-three-week window, and the DGS needs to be available and responsive throughout. The first week brings the final TA unit plan with names (due ~August 8), ITA language screenings (~2 weeks before classes), and mandatory TA orientation (~August 9). If TAs have not registered for orientation, the DGS sends compliance notifications immediately. The second week is when financial processing peaks. The DTS spreadsheet is due to the College (~August 14–15)—by now the DGS should have solicited faculty nominations, verified eligibility, rank-ordered students, confirmed registration, and verified RCR compliance. Simultaneously, fall GSAS contracts must be entered by the Graduate School deadline (~August 21–22). The DGS oversees accuracy of TA/RA classifications and chases down students and advisors who have not accepted their contracts. The Provost monitors GSAS acceptance with hard deadlines, and unaccepted funds count against the department's allocation. Throughout August, I was also processing new student hiring (I-9 forms, which must be completed in person), issuing late-arrival letters for visa-delayed students, submitting GSAS exception forms for post-start-date arrivals, making deferral decisions, coordinating DS-2019 documents for Fulbright scholars, and responding to embassy requests for updated SEVIS records. Course registration emergencies peak: post-qualifying students must be in EE 767 (not EE 749) before tuition subsidy deadlines, incoming students need courses selected for them, and F-1 students need enrollment verified to maintain immigration status. The DGS may need to authorize remote attendance for students attending from abroad until visas clear. I managed all of this simultaneously while fielding questions from anxious incoming students, their faculty advisors, and the business office. September
The first two weeks are the tail end of the August surge. Late-arriving international students trickle in and must immediately report to ISSS and the department office. The DGS processes GSAS exception forms for late RAs. Students who cannot arrive by the late-arrival deadline (~September 17) are deferred to spring, requiring coordination of class withdrawals, SEVIS updates, and new I-20 issuance. This is the dominant month for new doctoral advisory committee formations. I found a wave of "RESPONSE REQUIRED" notifications from the Graduate School arriving steadily. Committee rejections peak—missing outside-department members, incorrect chair designations, departed faculty still listed—and each rejection triggers a correction cycle. The DGS conducts post-qualifying EE 767 enrollment compliance checks, reviews late add/drop requests, processes fall defense notifications, and distributes qualifying exam waiver requests to the graduate committee for voting. October
Defense scheduling peaks. The DGS reconciles DTS/ATS expenditures with the College at the fall midpoint tuition assessment. PhD Notification of Intent filings and scheduling approvals dominate the inbox. Committee formations continue for students who missed September. MS thesis defense scheduling begins. The degree application deadline for December graduation falls around October 1—reminders should be sent. The transition from fall operations to spring planning begins. Faculty start identifying spring TA needs, and the DGS compiles updated slot counts. Spring RA/TA offer letters are being prepared—timing matters for international students because these letters serve as I-20 funding documentation. I-20 extension requests may arrive. November
Spring planning and offer letter preparation dominate. The DGS and the Chair determine TA slot counts—how many full positions, how many half—and direct the business officer to cross-check current students against fall offers and draft spring letters. FYE TA renewals are confirmed. Spring registration opens, and AMP/USP policy conflicts may surface as students attempt to pre-register for courses that no longer count under recently changed rules. Late fall defenses take place. The Graduate School distributes the preliminary Degree Candidate Report with a roughly three-day turnaround for DGS verification before Senate Council approval. I found that reviewing the list carefully pays off—discrepancies at this stage are much easier to fix than after approval. December
The College sends its mid-year DTS request, typically with a two-to-five-day turnaround. The DGS cross-checks the College's reconciliation of fall DTS/ATS/TA expenditures against the GSAS portal and departmental records to determine the correct spring balance. TAs are separated or transitioned between semesters. Spring RA offer letters are finalized. I collected fall TA evaluations, EE 790 final assignments (qualifying exam proposal drafts), and processed CPT applications for spring internships. Part-time PhD students whose employers have year-end tuition reimbursement cutoffs may press for early grade submission. The DGS should start preparing for the January sprint: confirm the spring DTS list, ensure all spring TAs have offer letters, and identify students not yet registered for spring. January
January is the second-busiest month—a compressed version of August's chaos. The finalized DTS/ATS spreadsheet is due to the College in the first week (~January 3–4). GSAS forms must be entered by the Graduate School deadline (~January 8–13). Any DTS-listed students who are not yet registered must be chased down immediately—the form requires all students to be registered at the time of submission. In the first two weeks, spring enrollment emergencies erupt for F-1 students. ISSS sends "No Enrollment" and "Under-Enrolled" notifications, and the DGS resolves registration errors, processes Reduced Course Load requests via iCAT, and handles add/drop adjustments. The last day to add a class falls in this window, creating urgent deadlines for students who have not registered. I verified spring TA orientation compliance, scheduled ITA language screenings for new TAs (~mid-January), and sent the spring deadline broadcast—one of the most important communications of the year. February
Multiple high-priority deadlines converge. Fellowship nominations are due around mid-February—the DGS solicits faculty nominations for college-wide fellowships, collects application materials, determines eligibility, and writes DGS nomination letters. Letters of non-appointment go to discontinuing TAs around February 20, after cross-referencing TA/RA rosters against anticipated graduation lists. The PhD Notification of Intent deadline (~February 20) drives committee modifications as students finalize their defense committees. EE 790 Title IV engagement verification happens in the first ten days. The SACS TA Credentials Database audit arrives from the Graduate School with a roughly ten-day deadline for resolving all warnings. Written qualifying exam questions are solicited from faculty (~6 weeks before the exam). Committee formations continue for second- and third-year students. GSAS acceptance chasing continues for any spring holdouts. March
Defense season begins in earnest. This is the peak month for MS thesis defense approvals, and PhD defense scheduling intensifies as the April 18 deadline approaches. The DGS reconciles tuition at the spring midpoint assessment. The College may request urgent data on applications, admissions, and funding. I sent a department-wide message asking students to confirm anticipated graduation dates. Written qualifying exam questions are due from faculty (typically late March). The DGS finalizes exam logistics—the exam is usually scheduled for late March or early April. College-level award nominations for best PhD, MS, and TA students may be due, and I drew on symposium results and TA evaluations to identify candidates. Global visa wait times for fall arrivals are being monitored. April
This is the most intense month for committee activity. MS defenses, PhD defenses, qualifying exams, and committee formations all converge against the graduation deadline. April 1 is the degree application deadline for May and August degrees—the most commonly missed deadline in the department. I found that pushing students since March was essential. The written qualifying exam is administered (late March or early April): the DGS proctors or arranges proctoring, distributes exams to faculty graders with scoring guides and a ten-day grading timeline, and communicates results. Students who fail a second attempt require program separation or track-switch discussions. The Research Symposium is held in the third or fourth week. I had been planning since January: confirming the date to avoid Senior Design Day, reserving the venue, borrowing poster boards, compiling participants, creating the judging matrix, and producing scoring sheets. On the day, the DGS manages logistics, collects scores, determines winners, and announces awards. Defense deadlines cascade: last day to request final exam scheduling (~April 4), last day to sit for final exam (~April 18), last day for ETD submission (~April 26). Post-defense paperwork flows through the DGS. OPT coordination for graduating international students intensifies. Fall RA/TA offer letters go out, though acceptance cannot be required before April 15. May
ETD acceptance deadline and Commencement fall in the first week. I followed up with students who defended but had not submitted their thesis or dissertation. The post-symposium debrief takes place, and the DGS assigns EE 790 grades based on symposium presentations and proposal drafts. College-level award nominations are submitted. ITA language screening results arrive from spring—students with "Conditional Approval" are directed to ESL summer remediation with August re-screening dates confirmed. I collected spring TA evaluations, reviewed degree applicant lists, and confirmed FYE TA placements for fall. Notification of Intent filings begin for summer defenses. June
The quietest month, but not idle. The TA unit preliminary plan is due to the Associate Dean by June 1. Fellowship strategy discussions with the Chair look ahead to next year. I-20 issuance for newly admitted fall students is underway, with iCAT eligibility e-forms triggering processing. CPT course registration for summer internships continues. Doctoral-specific notification deadlines for summer degrees fall around June 2—a date distinct from the April 1 general deadline, which causes confusion among MS students. Summer defenses proceed at lower volume but can be more complex, often involving international students with visa and OPT timing pressures. Faculty summer schedules complicate physical exam card logistics. TA/RA reassignment negotiations occur as students swap funding sources. This is the best opportunity to step back, reflect, and prepare for the August surge: review the fall TA roster, confirm visa status for incoming international students, and ensure all offer letters and GSAS preparations are on track before the cycle begins again on July 1.