The Graduate Student Senate is the official voice of graduate and professional students across a wide range of disciplines at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. We serve over 6000 students that have chosen to continue their education for the purpose of extending the boundaries of human knowledge and improving the lives of people in the state of Tennessee, the nation, and the world. This body consists of student representatives from each academic department of the University that offers graduate or advanced professional degrees or graduate certificates.
The senator’s duties are to voice concerns and propose ideas to improve the graduate student experience. Our role in GSS is to advocate for all graduate/professional students and convey their views/priorities to the UT administration.
Serving in the Graduate Student Senate is both an amazing opportunity and a serious responsibility. We are obligated to represent our fellow constituents. It is our duty to serve as a liaison between the UT administration and the graduate student body. We hope to strategize with our fellow graduate student senators to identify common goals and implement plans to make our shared goals a reality.
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We are excited to announce the opening of the nominations for this year’s GSS Awards! This year, all members of the UTK campus community are invited to nominate graduate students, faculty, staff, and graduate student organizations for eight unique awards.
- Award for Excellence in Graduate Research
- Award for Excellence in Graduate Student Teaching
- Award for Excellence in Service
- Award for Excellence in Community Engagement
- Outstanding Graduate Student Organization Award
- Outstanding Graduate Student Support Award
- Outstanding Graduate Professor Award
- Outstanding Graduate Research Mentor Award
Nominations are now open and will close at 5:00 PM on February 23, 2023. Nominators will fill out the following form and include a brief statement explaining their nomination, as well as the resume/CV of the person/organization they are nominating.
A selection panel of graduate students, faculty, and staff who work closely with graduate students will evaluate the nominations and select the top 3 nominations from each category. These top 3 nominees will be invited to the invite-only Awards Banquet that will be held during Graduate and Professional Student Appreciation Week (GPSAW) at 6 PM on Monday March 27, 2023. At that banquet, the winner of each award will be announced.
Nominate a graduate student, faculty member, or graduate student organization online today!
Submit a Nomination!