My fellow graduate students, let me say that I am honored to serve as your graduate president for the upcoming academic year. Throughout the course of next year, I have a number of ideas on things that the executive branch and legislative branch of Graduate SGA will tackle. One of the greatest issues that must be addressed is general communication across campus. There are definitely gaps in the way information is conveyed to the graduate student body for significant campus issues and events.
These issues stretch further than the boundaries of Tech and I have a plan to address this key issue. One of my ideas is the creation of the Board of Governors, which is composed of organizational representatives from graduate only organizations. Through this body, communication can be facilitated and our process can achieve transparency providing a more comprehensive view of the graduate activities at Tech.
To help address communication at the state level, I propose the creation of a Board of Regents Graduate Student Committee including all the graduate student presidents from Ga. universities and colleges that will provide a platform for graduate concerns to be voiced to the Board of Reagents. The dissemination of information across the campus will prove invaluable as we progress through the upcoming year.
Another initiative I plan to address is graduate student professional development. This is one of the greatest concerns facing graduate students today. As we continue our tenure at Tech and venture onto our next endeavors, it will become increasing important that we as graduate students take with us the skills necessary to be competitive in today’s challenging job market.
Teaming with the Provost’s Office, one of Graduate SGA’s greatest events has become gtRIC. This year’s conference was truly an accomplishment that showcased some of the best research and efforts of graduate students at Tech. As we continue to develop this program, we in SGA will take the feedback received from the participants and continue to develop gtRIC for this academic year.
Another issue dear to graduate student’s hearts is the student health insurance. Next year will be a significant year for the student health insurance in that Tech will be able to select an insurance provider for the coming years. It will be a significant task and of the utmost importance for the graduate SGA next year to explore all aspects and concerns of this decision and to have a transparent process.
These represent some of the main points that I hope to address during the upcoming academic year. As with anything, there will be things that are unforeseen, but I have recruited a superior executive team to tackle these issues of great importance. I want all graduate students to know that my executive team and I are here to represent them. In closing, I look forward to the coming year and working with undergraduate SGA to continue in the tradition of making Tech a great place to be.