Committees
Academic and Professional Development
Chair: Kevin Richards (karichar@purdue.edu)
Our committee is concerned with a broad range of topics that involves enhancing career, academic, and personal growth of graduate students – both in and out of the classroom. In addition, our committee finds ways of broadening our knowledge and skills, together with the development of personal qualities for graduate students.
Some ways we help meet the needs of graduate students are through the organization of a series of seminars and workshops where professionals offer their expertise. These include proposal writing workshops, resume workshops, networking, and entrepreneurial workshops.
Other interests of the committee include working with university resources such as the Center for Career Opportunities (CCO) to better meet the needs of graduate students in the areas of career development, networking, and developing professional skills, and working with the Center for Instructional Excellence (CIE) to better foster the graduate students in terms of teaching and learning.
If you have any questions or concerns about the committee, please free to contact us. Any ideas, suggestions or feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Advancement
Chair: Hana Lee (lee1003@purdue.edu)
The Advancement Committee is responsible for community outreach, public relations, and fund-raising. Principally, the committee seeks to build bridges between PGSG and the campus and larger Lafayette communities. These connections increase PGSG’s exposure and help raise money for projects and events.
Career Fair
Chair: Yuriy Bots (ybots@purdue.edu)
The career fair committee is a branch from our Academic and Professional Development committee. The number one goal for our committee is to provide graduate students the opportunity to network with potential employers to help them obtain careers after Purdue. We organize two career fairs each year, one in the fall and one in the spring. This includes planning as well as calling and contacting various companies to invite to the fair.
If you would like to help invite companies and plan our Career Fair’s please email the committee at gradjobfair@purdue.edu
Legislative and Strategic Planning
Chair: Eric Robinson (edrobins@purdue.edu)
This committee is full of enthusiastic people who have worked hard to bring you the PGSG constitution. The PGSG Legislative and Strategic Planning Committee enforces and reviews the constitution and shall make recommendations to the senate for improvements when necessary. All bills pertaining to changes in constitution, addition of by-laws etc, that appear on the senate floor, are referred to this committee.
This committee is also charged with drafting a strategic plan for the Graduate Student Senate. The strategic plan defines the PGSS goals and objectives, provides a framework to benchmark the performance of our PGSS with that of our colleagues in peer institutions, and identifies issues that PGSS should be discussing.
Any graduate student is more than welcome to join the Legislative and Strategic Planning Committee. Feel free to e-mail for further information.
Promotions
The PGSG Promotions Committee handles publicity for PGSG workshops, info sessions, callouts, and the annual Fall Picnic and Spring Gala. We advertise through email, flyers, our website’s event calendar, and Facebook. Our goals for the 2007-2008 school year include increasing PGSG publicity through more multimedia methods, and aiding in the overall efforts of PGSG to increase departmental representation throughout the Purdue campuses. Would you like to help PGSG promotions in getting the word out on PGSG? Contact the Committee chair, or talk to your department senators about your comments or suggestions. We’d love to hear from you!
Public Information Committee
Chair: Swen Marcus Ervin (servin@purdue.edu)
The primary purpose of the Public Information Committee is to be the voice for PGSG and graduate students at large. Growing and maintaining a presence for the more than 8,000 graduate students at Purdue is crucial for ensuring that the University administration and local communities wherein we learn, work, and live recognize our issues.
We complete our mission through the use of Facebook, email and Twitter (@PGSGinfo), special events, and through projects that support other officers and committees of PGSG.
If you are a graduate student with interests in writing, graphic design, public relations, event planning or social media, the Public information Committee can use your talents. Just email for more info!
Social
Chair: Brittney Northcutt (bnorthc@purdue.edu)
The social committee is responsible for fostering the communication between Purdue University graduate students. The committee strives to achieve this goal by hosting monthly social events to cater to graduate students from all walks of life. The planned social events throughout the year attempt to bring graduate students and families together to create an atmosphere for socialization and to embrace cultural differences. The social committee has planned past activities including a fall picnic and spring Gala.
Student Affairs
Co-Chair: Steve Kimble (skimble@purdue.edu)
Co-Chair: Meghan Robinson (mefloyd@purdue.edu)
We are committed to improving the quality of graduate life. Currently we are focusing on improving graduate parking issues, creating consistent across-campus library hours, and increased transparency in graduate student fees. This committee spearheaded the addition of optional vision and dental insurance for graduate students in 2003.
Another project is the taxation exempt initiative in which we are part of the effort lead by the National Association of Graduate and Professional Students. In February of 2003, PGSG senator Shannon Knapp visited Washington, D.C. to express our interest. NAGPS is currently working on the sponsorship of a bill in the U.S. senate that allows graduate salary and fellowships to be tax exempt. We will be sending another representative again this year to lobby in our behalf.
Travel Grants
Chair: Sam Peterson (smpeters@purdue.edu)
The aim of the Purdue Graduate Student Government (PGSG) Travel Grant is to assist Purdue University graduate students in attending technical conferences which in turn will help to develop graduate students professionally and augment the overall quality of research at Purdue. Grants are distributed among graduate students on a competitive basis.
This committee is largely responsible for the administration of the program. Duties will be divided among committee members and will include checking applications for eligibility, recruiting and training
reviewers, updating directions and application forms, data entry, generating a final report, advertising the program, and other assorted duties that may arise. Please note that members of the travel grant committee are not eligible to apply for a travel grant for the semesters they serve.
You may also wish to get involved as a Travel Grant Reviewer.
