Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Graduate Department Representative (GDR) Position Description

Last update: 6/24/2024

The purpose of the GDR (Graduate Department Rep) is to act as a liaison between faculty and students within the department at GSAS and disseminate information between students across departments and disciplines. It provides an informal avenue for graduate students to voice concerns within their program/department and with GSAS leadership, the Graduate Council, and other university committees or task forces.

PhD GDRs will ideally serve a minimum term of 2 years; master’s GDRs will serve a minimum of 1 year. The terms run for the academic year (fall and spring semesters). Each department can select up to two GDRs, but if they want to nominate more than 2 students, they must pay the additional GDR stipend(s) out of their Graduate Tuition Remission (GTR). The process of nominating/electing a GDR is up to the individual department (an election is not required; processes could include student-run elections, faculty nominations, or a combination of both). Each summer the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs will send department administrators and director of graduate study a reminder to begin the GDR search process.

A list of current GDRs is available on our website.

Main Responsibilities of GDR

  1. Consult with the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs on GSAS-wide programming and student concerns
  2. Meet with faculty outside of faculty meetings to discuss graduate student life improvements.
  3. Share information with GSAS students about campus resources and events including GSA elections, the counseling center, University Ombuds, etc.; disseminate this information in your department (via email, Slack, or other means).
  4. Attend monthly meetings with the Assistant Dean of Student Affairs and GDRs across divisions
  5. If department faculty leadership decides to extend an offer to attend portions of departmental meetings, the GDRs will attend to discuss issues of interest and concern to graduate students.

Additional Opportunities

  1. May organize social events such as happy hours and virtual events on Zoom for graduate students.
  2. May meet with prospective students.
  3. May participate in coordinated communication efforts within the department as needed.
  4. May hold departmental town halls to discuss student concerns once a semester and work with faculty to propose solutions.
  5. May participate in or assist with department orientation events.

GDR job responsibilities should not exceed 4-5 hours a month, including departmental and GSAS meetings. GDRs will receive a small stipend at the end of each semester they serve; however, this position is not comparable to a graduate assistant or student worker position. It is also not synonymous with being a union representative or a member of the Graduate Student Senate. To be eligible to receive the stipend, GDRs must attend at least one meeting in person or virtually per semester.