The Graduate Student Senate has a variety of resources at its disposal to accomplish the group's goals and better the experience for graduate students at Case.

[edit] Environmental Context

In acknowledgement and support of the stated mission and vision set forth by Case Western Reserve University (Case), the Graduate Student Senate (GSS) strives to uphold the ideals described therein, particularly that of “…diversity, … partnership and social responsibility, … and continuous personal and institutional improvement.” As the GSS represents a graduate community comprised of a diverse group of individuals, it is important to understand where the organization’s energy should be focused over the next five years in order to maximize the outcome of its efforts.

On average, over the last 10 years, School of Graduate Study (SGS) data show that approximately 65% of the graduate students at Case are pursuing Ph.D.s, while the rest are working towards Master’s degrees. Historically, the citizenship of the Case graduate student population has been 70% domestic and 30% international. With regard to academic discipline, the former tend to be concentrated in the Biomedical Sciences, Engineering, and the Humanities and Social Sciences, while the latter are most consistently represented in Engineering with an increasing trend in the Biomedical Sciences. (Should we assess course load, gender, and ethnicity too? We could then address issues concerning non-traditional student needs as well as those more specific to the latter two.) As such, the initiatives set forth by the GSS will initially be directed toward the most largely represented groups, ultimately transitioning to attend to the needs of all.

As stated previously, the GSS is committed to helping maintain Case as a premier private university within the state of Ohio and the nation overall. It is held that both the members of the GSS and the university would benefit greatly from efforts to increase graduate student employability. In 2002, Case graduated 71% of the Ph.D.s granted in Ohio, 3% of the Master’s degrees. In contrast, between the years of 1999 and 2003, it was found that retention of those awarded Master’s degrees in the state of Ohio was higher than that of those earning Ph.D.s—approximately 80% of the former versus 60% of the latter. Related to this, the per capita income in Ohio continues to lag behind that of the nation, with Cuyahoga County faring slightly better than that of the state.

The GSS is intended to play a unique role in university affairs. It serves as a vehicle through which graduate students are able to meet and discuss issues relevant to them. This is done in the context of GSS sponsored meetings as well as those called by the Faculty Senate and other University wide groups in which the GSS has student representation. As suggested by the latter, the GSS, then, not only extends the mission and vision of the University, but other units such as the Faculty Senate and the SGS.

[edit] Resource Analysis

Only through the dedication of graduate students at Case will GSS accomplish its organizational goals. At the core of GSS are the Executive committee and Senators, who perform the routine, everyday, tasks of the group, though a dynamic and ongoing relationship with the entire graduate population continues to be an integral lifeline of the GSS.

GSS has the ability to coordinate with other organizations and units across campus in order to expand the reach of the organization and maintain beneficial relationships with other groups that serve Case's graduate population. These units include Career Services, Alumni Relations, and departmental-level graduate student organizations, amongst others. The GSS also has direct lines of contact to all relevant University administration offices. Within the University, GSS members sit on a number of committees, both for the Faculty Senate and University-wide committees.

In both the fall and spring semesters, graduate students must pay a $5 activities fee that directly funds the GSS budget. At present, the annual revenue stemming from this fee totals nearly $20,000, which goes toward the variety of initiatives that the GSS pursues.

Additionally, GSS invests a large portion of its yearly budget in the Verhosek Fund endowment, which has been growing since GSS' conception. While the V-Fund awards currently granted to graduate students come directly out of the annual budget, by continuing to contribute to the endowment, the GSS will ultimately make the V-Fund endowment self-sustaining.

GSS is a member of the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students (NAGPS), through which the organization can learn valuable information from similar groups at other institutions.