For release: March 30, 2011
For press information, contact Curt Guenther, 901-678-2843

Dr. Weddle-West

The Council of Graduate Schools’ membership encompasses 500 universities in the United States and Canada and 16 universities outside North America.  CGS institutions award more than 95 percent of all doctorates in the United States and 78 percent of all master’s degrees in this country.

Her role on the board is multifaceted.  She serves on the Research Committee and the Finance Committee.  The latter decides matters related to the GRE budget, while the former oversees all aspects of research in which the board is involved, including long-range planning strategies, proposals for new research, monitoring the progress of all research projects, and allocating Board funds for research projects.

One of the GRE Board’s primary missions is to make sure the graduate record examination meets the needs of graduate schools and students.  “I have had the opportunity to provide significant input regarding revisions to that test,” Weddle-West said.  “The Revised GRE General test will be launched in August 2011.  The test is now better because it assesses skills that graduate school faculty members and employers said they look for in successful students and professionals.

“Another feature of the revised test is its Personal Potential Index (PPI), a web-based assessment completed by faculty members or other professionals who have taught or worked with prospective students.  The PPI targets personal attributes such as resilience, integrity, and teamwork, personal characteristics that many faculty and professionals consider as important as the mastery of content in a discipline.”

As part of the University’s observance of Graduate Education Week, Dr. Weddle-West will present an information session about the Revised GRE General test to the University community.  She will explain the revisions and the new score scale, and she will tell how future GRE-takers can get a 50 percent discount on the fee and free test preparation.  Her presentation will be in the University Center Bluff Room from 10 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, April 8.

The schedule of all Graduate Education Week events at the University of Memphis and in Nashville and in Washington, D.C., includes:

Monday, April 4
10 a.m. -1:30 p.m.,  UC Ballroom
23rd Annual Student Research Forum
Poster presentations and awards

Approximately 135 graduate and undergraduate students will present their research to a panel of experts in their respective disciplines. Cash awards will be presented to those whose research is judged the best. Invited Graduate Scholar Speaker, Orges Furxhi, will talk about his patent-pending device designed to help in the fight against terrorism and improve airport security.

12:30-1:30 p.m.  Luncheon

Tuesday, April 5
Council of Graduate Schools Legislative Forum, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

Vice Provost for Graduate Programs Karen Weddle-West, as a member of the Minority Advisory Board for the National Council of Graduate Schools, will be one of a select group of graduate school administrators invited to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., for a briefing on “Steps Taken on the Path Forward: The Future of Graduate Education in the United States.”  Initiatives and “best practices” to ensure that America does not fall behind in the global competition for human talent will be highlighted at that meeting.

Wednesday, April 6
Graduate Education Week at Legislative Plaza, Nashville, Tenn.
Poster presentations

 Felynncia Rainey, a Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering and recipient of a Graduate School Fellowship, will represent the University of Memphis.  Her research on the “Automated Flow Analytical System for Analysis of Microliter Volumes” is aimed at the development of an automated system for the point-of-care detection of chemical markers of heart attacks.

Thursday, April 7
11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.  UC River Room
Town Hall Meeting Sponsored by the Graduate Student Association
Refreshments will be served.

Graduate students will discuss the future of education in the United States, and issues and strategies to enhance graduate education at the U of M.

Friday, April 8
10 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.  UC Bluff Room
The Revised GRE:  Test Preparation and Information Session
Presented by Karen Weddle-West, Ph.D.

Get the scoop on what the new GRE is all about from the University’s Vice Provost for Graduate Programs, Dr. Karen Weddle-West. As a member of the GRE Board, Karen served on the Research & Finance committees during the revisions. She will provide an overview of the revisions and the new score scale.

STUDENTS:  COME AND FIND OUT HOW TO GET A 50% DISCOUNT AND FREE TEST PREP!

For more information contact the Graduate School at 901-678-4212