Purpose:

The purpose of the Committee is to consider issues that affect graduate students in general (i.e. issues that are not specific to a given school, degree, or discipline) and in the Spring semester, to facilitate the selection of the two graduate student representatives to the Washington University Board of Trustees. 

Structure:

ProGradS Committee is composed of 2 representatives from each of the 8 Schools: 1 Faculty/Administrator appointed by Dean of the School and 1 Graduate/Professional Student named by Graduate-Professional Council in cooperation with the Graduate Student Association of each School.  Ex officio members include 2 graduate student representatives to the Washington University Board of Trustees, GPC President, the assistant vice chancellor for students, and the Associate Dean of Graduate School of Arts & Sciences. 

History:

• Spring 1994: Chancellor William Danforth called for the constitution of the Graduate Student Nominating Committee as the mechanism for the annual nomination of one graduate student representative to the Washington University Board of Trustees (BOT approved the graduate student representative position in September 1993). Robert E. Thach, Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, was asked to serve as chair of the Committee. In April 1994 the BOT Executive Committee approved the Graduate Student Nominating Committee as mechanism to nominate the graduate student representative.

• Spring 1996: Chancellor Mark Wrighton constituted the Graduate Student Nominating Committee as an university-wide standing committee and expanded its role to consider more broadly issues that affect graduate students in general (i.e. issues that are not specific to a given School, degree or discipline).  The name was changed to Professional and Graduate Student Coordinating Committee (ProGradS). Dean Thach was asked to continue as Committee Chair.

Prior Initiatives:

• Addition of a second graduate student representative to Washington University Board (October 1996)
• Development of a master email for graduate & professional students university-wide (April 1997)
• University-wide access to web version of IRIS Grants Database and Graduate Student Housing Report Update (May 1996)
• Process established for registration of university-wide graduate student interest groups