Graduate School - A Year in Review

The Graduate School had a busy 2023 school year! Highlights include:

• Welcome Back and End of the Year Ice Cream Socials for all graduate students celebrating new and returning students and those who graduated.
• 30 students completed the Professional Development Program (PDP) which enhances both personal and professional skills.
  • The PDP received an overhaul during the summer and was rebranded the Graduate Professionalism Academy
• Completed 3 fundraising initiatives raising a total of $6961 to provide funding for graduate student awards, scholarships and travel awards to be used during the next academic year.
  • One Day for State
  • Giving Tuesday
  • 30-day Spring fundraising campaign
• Due to the generous donations we received, we were able to offer:
  • A new graduate student award, the Distinguished Innovation and Creative Work award, to showcase the outstanding contributions of a graduate student not completing a thesis or dissertation.
  • 2 Graduate Student Access Scholarships for those who do not have other sources of funding (assistantships, fellowships, etc.).
  • Supported 7 student travel awards to defray the cost of conference or event travel and participation.
• Hosted 6 hybrid “What’s the Tea” events to provide students more information and access to the Graduate School staff.
• Held the 7th annual Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition. Our winner, Maryam Wahab, Ph.D. candidate in Biological Sciences – Food Science, later represented SDSU at the regional Midwestern Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS) competition.
• Shelby Meeker (Duncan), M.S. Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering graduate and winner of our local Distinguished Master's Thesis Award was nominated and won the Regional Distinguished Master's Thesis Award.
• Organized, in collaboration with the SDSU graduate programs, a virtual graduate fair and 6 graduate student forums providing key information to prospective graduate students
• Celebrated our deserving students during Graduate Student Appreciation Week (April 3-7).
• Hosted the inaugural Graduate Research, Scholarship and Creative Activity Day (GRSCAD), boasting 34 poster presenters.