Visiting Student Researchers - And Funding Entry

Sent to supdssworkgroup on Monday, September 26.

Colleagues,
Please see the following guidelines on entering Visiting Student Researcher funding support in GFS.

As a refresher, Stanford requires individuals to hold a doctoral degree in order to appoint them postdocs. Individuals who are yet to complete their degree requirements as documented by a letter from their home institutions may still join our labs and research centers as VSRs. This is a month-by-month status. VSRs can be switched to postdocs upon the candidate’s ability to provide a letter from the institution showing that a dissertation has been accepted and the degree is conferred. There is no disruption in this process for individuals on J1 visas.

Rania

Rania Sanford, Ed.D.
Assistant Dean
Postdoctoral Affairs
Stanford University
Email: raniasanford@stanford.edu
Web: http://postdocs.stanford.edu
Tel.: 650-725-5075
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From: gradfinsupport-bounces@lists.stanford.edu [mailto:gradfinsupport-bounces@lists.stanford.edu] On Behalf Of Ann George
Sent: Monday, September 26, 2011 10:50 AM
To: gradfinsupport@lists.stanford.edu
Cc: Susan Maher; Judith Haccou; Chris Golde
Subject: Entering financial support for Visiting Student Researchers

to: GFS Administrators

Departments who wish to provide financial support for Visiting Student Researchers (VSR) may now do so in GFS.

VSR is a category of nonmatriculated graduate student who is visiting Stanford for a period of time to participate in research here under the mentorship of a Stanford faculty member. Information about this classification is on the web at http://vpge.stanford.edu/policy/vsr.html Departments who wish to provide financial support for these students may do any of the following, using the "Stipend" tab in GFS:
- pay the monthly VSR fees
- pay the quarterly Cardinal Care premium or the Campus Health Service Fee
- provide a monthly stipend to the student.

None of the payments listed above are allowable on research grants or contracts, and must be paid from appropriate departmental or faculty sources.

There is a Job Aid attached to this message which provides instructions for entering any of these payments. In order to use GFS to support a VSR:

1. the student must have been activated by Graduate Admissions (Office of the Registrar) with a VSR Program/Plan in PS Student Records. See http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/staff/visiting-researchers for information about appointment procedures

2. the student must be Aid-Year Activated in GFS with a TAL Category of NM-VSR

3. the necessary item types must be set up for the PTA to make the specific type of payment.

The attached Job Aid will walk the GFS user through the second and third steps above, and also through the specific "Aid Entry" process for the type of payment being made. Once these payments have been entered and saved, they will be routed for the normal GFS approvals.

Please note that, if you wish to support a continuing student who was appointed as a Visiting Researcher last year, and will be continuing in this VSR role into the current year, you will need to Aid Year Activate the student with the new TAL Category of NM-VSR. You will then be able to provide financial support for the student as described on the attached Job Aid.

Thanks very much for your patience as these processes have been tested. If you have any questions about the VSR classification, please let me know.

Ann George