COLUMN: USU graduate school has a lot to offer

    With a total of 1,728 on campus and 3,454 throughout all university sites, the graduate students at Utah State University are a small but very distinguished group of individuals on campus. Unbeknownst to many, six of our very own ASUSU officers are currently pursuing graduate degrees at USU.

    Tucked away in a little corner at the top of a staircase on the third floor of the TSC, the Graduate Student Senate (or GSS for short) offers many valuable resources for grad students. Organized much like the Academic Senate of ASUSU, the GSS has a senator representative for every college on campus, an international senator, a VP of Student Affairs, a VP of Research and the GSS President, who sits on ASUSU Executive Council as the Graduate Studies VP. The GSS offers a variety of awards to graduate students to enhance their educational experience, such as the Stipend Enhancement Award, the Research and Projects Grant, various travel awards for professional conferences and presentations and a Lunch and Lecture Series throughout the school year for graduate students to attend. The GSS also has sole responsibility over the Intermountain Graduate Research Symposium (IGRS).

    The IGRS started several years ago as an opportunity for graduate students to present their on-going, completed, or published research in order to gain practice, obtain feedback, or prepare for conferences and/or defending their dissertations. It has grown from a little-attended, informal conference to a two-day, 200 participant, formal symposium that is the largest known of its kind in the West, if not the nation. This year’s IGRS is Thursday, March 31 and Friday, April 1.

    My main reason for providing all of this information isn’t for grandeur and accolades of the GSS or the Graduate School, but rather to expose these great resources to all undergraduates and graduates alike who may not have known it existed before (which, unfortunately, tends to be the overwhelming majority). Many, including myself, have often questioned whether to continue their graduate education at Utah State University and I believe there would be many to offer their sincere stamp of approval. Vice President of Research Brent Miller and Dean of the School of Graduate Studies Byron Burnham have provided invaluable leadership to this university for several years. With both of their departures at the end of this semester, we are looking forward to continued expansion and strong leadership from whomever will take their place. Although it may be different for some, Utah State University has many unique opportunities to offer up to students who commit to continuing their education through our very own School of Graduate Studies. The graduate program is also one of the oldest and largest around. It offers more than 140 degrees, 19 of which are available throughout the state or online, and one of which is the state’s only distance-delivered doctoral degree.

    For the many students on campus who may be contemplating postgraduate studies, I would strongly encourage you to visit the Graduate School’s office in Old Main or the GSS office on the third floor of the TSC. I think you’ll find that USU has more to offer than you may have previously believed.

Trevor Nelson is the ASUSU Graduate Senate president.