Mission Statement:

Vision/Plan-Goals over the next 3-5 years (and what we can/will do to achieve them)

1-3 years:

• Work to bring Graduate Students from all disciplines together in a cohesive whole via the Graduate Student Council.
• Work to open better lines of communication between Graduate Students and administrators. Open formal and informal lines of inquiry to the Graduate School.
  • Monthly meetings are now a standard with Dean Cifuentes of the Graduate School. Any graduate students is welcome to attend, and should treat these meetings as an open forum.
• Stabilize Health Insurance changes for International Students.
  • The health insurance plan has been renewed for another year.
• Follow up on conversations about reinstating health insurance for all Graduate Students.
  • In Fall 2019, the GSC appointed two student representatives to a health insurance task force which is currently working on researching affordable plans for all graduate students.
• Ensure better year-to-year GSC executive transitions by creating comprehensive handbooks for each position.
  • Living document handbooks are currently in progress for each position.
• Re-open inquiries to budget and long-term feasibility of Graduate Funding and Graduate Assistant Tuition Remediation.
  • The Legislative Task Force, consisting of 5 GSC-appointed members, have been pushing for a definitive answer regarding tuition remission, and pressuring the University to make substantive changes regarding funding policies.
• Clarify payroll policies for Graduate Students, requirements, standards, and pay scales, as well as seasonal employment policies.
  • The Graduate School has confirmed that Graduate Assistants are state employees answerable to HR, and that published pay scales are lower limits that departments can choose to exceed. There is currently no defined summer employment policy.

3-5 years:

• Tuition waiver stipends for graduate students (on hold via Fee Review Board)
• Supporting the research mission of the university through securing more funds for graduate student research and research-related travel
  • Continue to ensure that GSO’s re-charter as a graduate organization
• Promoting formal and social networking and community amongst graduate students at NMSU
  • Continue having Gradulicious and GRAS and potentially incorporate other events

Additional Information:

• To participate as a voting member of the GSC, you must be a member of a Graduate Student Organization (GSO).
• GSC Bylaws, last updated September 2023.