Amplifying Graduate Student Voices: Student Leaders at the Table

Graduate students are at the heart of the RIT Graduate School’s mission. Student perspectives, experiences, and ideas shape programming and initiatives across campus. This semester, the Graduate School is taking an important step to strengthen that partnership by revitalizing the Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) as a formal structure for ongoing, collaborative dialogue with graduate students.

While the Graduate School regularly consults with students, both formally and informally, we recognize the value of establishing a more consistent, student‑driven framework for engagement. Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School, Diane Slusarski has been a catalyst in bringing this effort forward, emphasizing that a dedicated advisory council will help ensure graduate students are active contributors, not just recipients, when it comes to Graduate School programming and decisions that impact their graduate experience.

To begin shaping GSAC, the Graduate School convened a focus group earlier this month with graduate student leaders from across the university, including Graduate Senator Shazeeb Jadoon, Doctoral Student Association (DSA) President Daniel Hobbs, Women in Graduate School (WIGS) Vice President Valeria Marin-Montealegre, American Physical Society (APS) Chapter President Taylor Paul, and International Student Services Peer Advisor Leaders (PALs) Priya Chiriyankandath and Medha Khatri.

The group brought remarkable energy and commitment to strengthening the graduate student experience. Their insights affirmed that this is the right moment to move GSAC forward in a meaningful, student-centered way. Conversations with this focus group will continue throughout the term as GSAC’s purpose and structure take shape.

Looking ahead, GSAC is envisioned as both a bridge and a voice, connecting graduate students and Graduate School leadership in a two-way exchange. The council would serve as a forum where student perspectives, concerns, and ideas can inform Graduate School priorities, while also helping to share information with the broader graduate community about resources, opportunities, and processes. By creating a consistent structure for dialogue, the aim is to ensure that graduate students are active thought partners in shaping the graduate student experience.

In its first year, success for GSAC will mean establishing a clear structure, building representative membership across the range of RIT graduate degree type, disciplines and identities, and articulating a focused set of priorities that matter most to students. Over time, the Graduate School hopes GSAC will strengthen communication, elevate student voice, and help ensure that initiatives remain responsive, equitable, and grounded in the lived experiences of graduate students.

Students interested in helping shape or participate in GSAC are encouraged to contact Christie Leone at chleme@rit.edu.

Graduate students can also play an important role in student advocacy by running for the Student Government Graduate Senator position, which provides another pathway to represent graduate student perspectives.

At the heart of this effort is a simple belief - graduate student voices matter. Many of the Graduate School’s recent initiatives, from professional development programming to orientation enhancements, have been shaped by student feedback. Forming GSAC is about creating a sustained structure to listen, learn, and act together, so that graduate students remain central partners in shaping the future of graduate education at RIT.