Equal Opportunity Statement of the University of Minnesota:

"The University of Minnesota is committed to the policy that all persons shall have equal access to its programs, facilities, and employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, national origin, sex, age, marital status, disability, public assistance status, veteran status, or sexual orientation."

 

Resources for Women

The Graduate Program in Neuroscience has a strong history of working to increase the number of women in science.  Over half of all graduate students in the Neuroscience Program are women and 21 of our faculty are women.  University of Minnesota has a multitude of programs in place for women, including women who are graduate students.

Office for University Women   http://www1.umn.edu/women/programs.html
--Their "Resources" link directs you to a variety of related sites. 

Women in Science and Engineering   http://www1.umn.edu/women/wise.html

Although not unique to University of Minnesota, applicants should also be aware of the Committee on Women in Neuroscience of the Society for Neuroscience...   http://web.sfn.org/content/Programs/DiversityinNeuroscience/WomeninNeuroscience/WomenInNeuroscience.htm

...and of the Association of Women in Science   http://www.awis.org/careers/edfoundation.html

Graduate Women in Science (sigma delta epsilon) http://www.gwis.org/index.html
Graduate Women in Science is a broad resource for networking and helping women be aware of job opportunities.

 

Resources for Members of Ethnic and Racial Minorities

The Graduate Program in Neuroscience encourages applications from members of racial and ethnic minorities and is working toward increasing minority representation among both its students and faculty and as of Fall 2004, 11% of students in the program were under-represented minorities, which was higher than the average among programs in biological sciences at University of Minnesota.  Many resources for ethnic and racial minority groups at University of Minnesota can be found through the Graduate School Diversity Office http://www.grad.umn.edu/outreach/, including statistical information and general information about minority communities found in the Twin Cities area (http://www.grad.umn.edu/outreach/community/).  One of the programs sponsored by the Graduate School Diversity Office  is the  Community of Scholars program http://www.grad.umn.edu/outreach/COSP/, which provides a variety of programs and services for students of color.  In addition, other resources can be found under the umbrella of the Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence   http://www.mcae.umn.edu/.    Finally, there exist student organizations for members of different groups.  These include the following.  Some of these have links to other local organizations:

Asian Student Union    http://www.tc.umn.edu/asu/

Black Student Union    http://www.tc.umn.edu/bsu/index.html

Circle of Indigenous Nations   http://www.mcae.umn.edu/circle/

La Raza Student Cultural Center    http://www.la-raza.info/home.php

Raza Resources    http://chicano.umn.edu/raza.htm

 

Resources for Disabled Students

The Graduate Program in Neuroscience encourages disabled students who want to pursue interests in neuroscience to apply for admission.  Disabled students are eligible for services and accommodations arranged through University Disability Services.

University of Minnesota Disability Services   http://ds.umn.edu/
--Registering with Disability Services is the first step toward getting access to Univesity services.  The link for registration is:  http://ds.umn.edu/Students/Enrolled/

Disabled Student Cultural Center   http://www.tc.umn.edu/~dscc/

 

Resources for Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender (GLBT) Students

The Graduate Program in Neuroscience is committed to providing equal access to our programs and support to all our students regardless of sexual orientation and we encourage applications from members of the GLBT community. 

Domestic partner benefits

The University of Minnesota offers the same benefits to same-sex domestic partners that it provides to married heterosexual couples.   Information and forms for domestic partner registration can be found at: http://www1.umn.edu/glbt/Domestic/registration.htm

GLBT resources at University of Minnesota include the following:

Queer Student Cultural Center http://www.qscc.org/   
--Click on the "links" button for links to many other GLBT resources in and around the Twin Cities. 

Queer Graduate and Professional Organization  http://qgpa.qscc.org/ (under construction)

 

Resources for Military Veterans

The Graduate Program in Neuroscience welcomes applications from military veterans interested in careers in neuroscience.  Resources for veterans at the University include the following:

University of Minnesota Veterans Transition Center http://www.tc.umn.edu/~c4c/TransitionCenter.htm  serves as a meeting place for veterans on campus and as a central resource center for information for veterans.  A representative of the Veterans Administration is scheduled to be available at the Transition Center twice a week. 

Veterans Certification (for financial aid) can be done at
http://onestop.umn.edu/onestop/Financial_Aid/Veterans_Certification.html

 

Resources for Students with Families

Students with spouses and children face particular challenges while attending graduate school.  There are a variety of resources here to help meet those challenges. 

On-Campus Housing   http://www.housing.umn.edu/student/index.shtml

Off-Campus Housing   http://www.housing.umn.edu/offcampus/

Child Care Resources   http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/familydevelopment/DE7268.html

University Child Care   http://education.umn.edu/ChildCareCenter/

 

Resources for International Students

The University of Minnesota is committed to encouraging enrollment by international students (i.e. students who are neither US citizens nor permanent residents).  http://www1.umn.edu/regents/policies/academic/InternationalEduc.pdf
The Graduate Program in Neuroscience typically accepts one or two international students per year. 

The University of Minnesota International Directory   http://www.international.umn.edu/directory/intSSV.html
--Information for prospective students. 

International Student and Scholar Services   http://www.isss.umn.edu/
--ISSS provides a variety of services for international students.

International Students Association   http://misauofm.org/default.htm

 

Links to Religious Organizations

The University of Minnesota is home to a large number of student organizations that offer opportunities for worship, community and service.  These include Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and many other organizations.  Links to such groups can be found at:  http://www.sao.umn.edu/groups/list.php?group_by=category

 

General Resources

University Counseling and Consulting Services     http://www.ucs.umn.edu/index.html

University Counseling & Consulting Services can assist with learning skills, career development and with the sometimes stressful experience of being a graduate student.  Services for students are free of charge. 

 

Other concerns?

If you're a qualified student and interested in the Graduate Program in Neuroscience, we are  interested in you.  If you have a concern that isn't addressed on these pages, please contact us at  neurosci@umn.edu.  We want to hear from you.