Graduate Education Working Groups and Committees

 
In April 2019, the Committee on Graduate Education released its report with detailed recommendations on how to strengthen PhD education at the University of Chicago. Certain recommendations called for further evaluation, and the Provost established committees and working groups to analyze specific issues and make recommendations to University leadership. 
 
Graduate Student Space
The Graduate Student Space Working Group was charged with conducting a programming study to create a shared vision of a dedicated graduate student space and to determine a suitable on-campus location and configuration. Thanks to the vision of this working group, a new graduate student lounge opened in 2021 on the fourth floor of the University bookstore building above UChicagoGRAD’s third-floor offices.
 
Grievance Policies and Procedures
The Grievance Policies and Procedures Committee was charged with reviewing existing grievance policies at UChicago and making recommendations for divisional and school practices as well as a University-wide review process. Based on the recommendations of the committee, UChicagoGRAD hired an Associate Director of Graduate Student Affairs to focus on graduate student grievance policies, education and trainings, and grievance reporting.
 
Housing and Transportation Committee
The Housing and Transportation Committee was charged with conducting a thorough assessment of the current housing and transportation landscape near the University of Chicago campus as it affects graduate students. Transportation improvements based on the committee’s recommendations include increased connectivity between campus and the Red and Green Line “L” trains and the Lyft Ride Smart at UChicago program. UChicagoGRAD also expanded graduate housing resources based on the recommendations of the committee. For housing-related information, contact gradhousing@uchicago.edu.
 
Graduate Course Feedback
The Graduate Course Evaluation Committee was charged with considering the use of standard graduate course feedback forms. It reviewed the College survey and graduate departmental surveys and proposed a path forward for graduate-level feedback forms that were launched in Spring Quarter 2020. Quantitative and qualitative feedback provided by students enrolled in graduate courses is available online.
 
Building on the successes of the Committee on Graduate Education and these subsequent committees and working groups, University leadership continues to engage graduate students in decisions that affect them. Other ways graduate students are involved and ensuring that their perspectives shape the University decision-making include:
 
  • Council on UChicago/Community Relations: Historical, Contemporary, and Future

The Council on UChicago/Community Relations: Historical, Contemporary, and Future aims to illuminate the history and relationship between the University and the city’s South Side neighborhoods. The Council includes University faculty, staff, and students, along with community members.​

 

  • Graduate Council

As the representative student government for the University of Chicago’s graduate students, Graduate Council meets regularly with University leadership and is consulted on a variety of institutional decisions affecting graduate students. The group’s mission is to create a University-wide identity and culture by building a welcoming graduate community, empowering interdisciplinary collaboration, and opening lines of communication across campus.

 

  • Diversity Advisory Board

The Diversity Advisory Board (DAB) is comprised of graduate students from across the University who advise UChicagoGRAD and other administrative leaders in developing diversity-focused programs and resources for graduate students. DAB also serves to connect campus-wide graduate student groups with each other and with University leadership.

 

  • International Graduate Student Advisory Board

In partnership with Graduate Council, the Office of International Affairs, and UChicagoGRAD, the International Graduate Student Advisory Board provides support and resources for international graduate students. This advisory group aims to help international students adapt and transition successfully to life in the US and at the University of Chicago, enriching the academic, personal, and professional experiences of the University’s international graduate students.

 

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