Chancellor Cynthia Larive has announced two new venues to help UC Santa Cruz better support graduate students.
In remarks delivered to the UC Santa Cruz Academic Senate on Feb. 19, Larive announced a new Senate-Administrative Graduate Education working group to develop a comprehensive, actionable plan for strengthening graduate education at UC Santa Cruz.
Additionally, Larive shared that she was creating the Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Graduate Education, a standing group of graduate students and faculty representatives tasked with examining and making recommendations related to graduate-student support
“Together, these two groups will help to guide our campus as we chart a new course,” Larive said during the meeting.
The working group’s core charge will be to develop a strategic plan for appropriate and sustainable support of graduate programs on campus. This group will assess the revenue sources currently used for graduate program support and evaluate the carrying capacity of programs based on experience and prospects for external funding, faculty size, professional, and career development. Appropriate levels of support for graduate students, particularly housing support and summer, will be an important consideration for the sustainable growth of graduate programs.
The new advisory committee will focus on examining and making recommendations to improve graduate student support throughout graduate school and beyond as graduate students prepare for a range of careers beyond the professoriate.
The working group and standing committee follow additional initiatives to provide graduate students with greater support. Larive announced in January new, guaranteed funding packages for Ph.D. and MFA students, as well as a new housing supplement until more affordable campus housing becomes available.
To provide immediate financial support to Ph.D. and MFA students, Interim Campus Provost/Executive Vice Chancellor Lori Kletzer announced on Monday that the new $2,500 housing supplement would be available in the current academic year for graduate students who resume their TA/GSI appointment obligations for fall, winter, and spring. The campus also removed the needs-based requirement.
