Student Advisory Group improves graduate student experience at ASU

The Graduate College Student Advisory Group, established in the fall of 2020, is a 12-student committee that is tasked with addressing the graduate climate at ASU. This group incorporates the experiences and perspectives of graduate students into the equitable planning and implementation of graduate student policies, events, training and non-credit offerings. 

“I’ve been really impressed by the energy, insight and perspective these students have brought to the work over the past couple of years,” said Associate Dean for Professional Development and Engagement Tamara Underiner. “They’ve made real and significant contributions to the future of the graduate student experience here at ASU.”  

Currently, the Student Advisory Group consists of graduate students from six colleges and includes students from diverse backgrounds and experiences, including online students. 

“We are all from different programs and experience different levels of support. So it is important for us to exchange experiences — good and bad — so that the Graduate College can take this and apply it across the board,” said Kelly Rutt, a second year PhD student studying Community Resources and Development, with a focus in nonprofit management, who serves on the committee. 

The Student Advisory Group works on a variety of projects, each with the goal of improving the graduate student experience. Last school year, the group developed best practices for making program handbooks more inclusive and reviewed offer letters for new TAs and RAs. The latter is an ongoing project that also assesses the average offers made by other R1 research institutions and compares them to ASU. 

Graduate students serve on this committee to “help provide some input on the inner workings of graduate school and hopefully help improve other students’ experiences at ASU,” said Aditya Khuller, a third year PhD student studying planetary science who serves on the advisory group.

Students that serve on the advisory group have diverse backgrounds and experiences, bringing with them unique perspectives on the graduate student experience at ASU. 

“As a student mother who has found through my years being in academia, very few support systems are there for student parents so I appreciated the opportunity to be able to provide my input,” said Mara Lopez, a recent graduate of the Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation program in the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and former advisory group member.

Rutt wanted to serve on this committee to add her perspective as a returning student and working professional with over 20 years of experience as a nonprofit professional to the group. Mohammed Iddrisu, a third year PhD student studying English and member of the student advisory group, is an international student from Ghana whose research focuses on social justice and wants to bring this knowledge to the committee and to decision-making processes.

Members of the Student Advisory Group are appointed for two years with optional one-year renewal appointments thereafter.

The Graduate College will be seeking applicants for the Student Advisory Group this summer.