Students and Alumni

Graduate Student Governance

Graduate Student Assembly-Organized in 1978 as the governance organization for the graduate and professional community of the university. The person heading the GSA was called the speaker until 1994, when the title was changed to president.

Graduate Student Assembly Speakers/Presidents

Graduate Student Awards

Graduate Teaching Assistant Excellence and Graduate Service Excellence Awards-The Graduate Student Relations Committee of the Commission on Graduate Studies selects two students for recognition for contributions in teaching and in service. The awards were first presented at Founders Day on April 24, 1987.

Graduate Teaching Assistant Excellence Award

Graduate Student Service Excellence Award

Graduate Woman and Graduate Man of the Year Awards—Established by the Graduate Student Assembly in 2004 and first awarded in 2005, a Graduate Woman of the Year and a Graduate Man of the Year are selected from the graduate student body based on involvement in professional organizations, campus activities, and the graduate community; contributions to new knowledge; contributions to the graduate community; and commitment to diversity. Winners receive a plaque and $500. The selections include the following, with female winners listed first for each year:

Outstanding College Graduate Students-The Graduate School initiated the Outstanding College Student Awards in 2001. In 2007 a change was made to recognize an outstanding master’s student and an outstanding doctoral student in each college. Following are the Outstanding College Student Award winners:

Outstanding Dissertation Award

In 2001 the Graduate School initiated the Outstanding Dissertation Award to recognize the most outstanding dissertation or dissertations completed during the academic year. Later, the award was divided into two categories: outstanding dissertation in mathematics, sciences, or engineering and outstanding dissertation in humanities, business, or social sciences. A dissertation committee reviews nominations and recommends winners to the Graduate School. Award winners receive an honorarium of $1,000 and a certificate of outstanding merit.  Winners:

William Preston Society – Conference of Southern Graduate Schools Thesis Awards

In 1999 the Graduate School began recognizing a graduate student whose master’s thesis presents the best original research with the potential to benefit all people. Currently, two categories of award disciplines are recognized, with the disciplines alternating from year to year: humanities and fine arts and mathematics, physical sciences, and engineering one year and the life sciences and social sciences, business, and education The winning theses become the university’s nominations for the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools thesis awards. In 2009 a third thesis was submitted to CSGS in an Innovation Applications category. Winners:

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