Several graduate students established the Graduate Student Association at the University of Maryland in 1972. Under the guidance of Dr. Cornial Channing, these founding students provided a forum for discussions and suggestions on matters involving graduate students, and then communicated them to the Graduate School. Since then, the GSA has grown to include a variety of services and programs that address the specific professional and social needs of the graduate students on the Baltimore campus. Over the years, the GSA has improved many aspects of students' lives. In 1997, the GSA aided in Governor Parris Glendening's declaration of a Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week in April. The year before, Graduate Student Research Day, which was established in 1977, won a national award from the National Association of Graduate and Professional Students. In 1995, the GSA effected the extension of hours at the Health Sciences and Human Services Library, allowing students more study and literature search time. The GSA also holds a variety of social events, including the annual crab feast, happy hours, and movie nights, to promote unification among graduate students from the many schools at the university. The GSA continues to grow and improve, regularly evaluating the efficiency of current programs and restructuring where necessary, creating new programs to address newly-recognized graduate student needs, and continuing its relationship with the Graduate School, in which the open exchange of ideas and information continuously improves the graduate student experience. GSA history by Carolyn Best, 1995-1996 GSA president. Archived Information: |
