THE GRADUATE SCHOOL

October 2022 Message from Dean Mayo

Dear members of The Graduate School (TGS) community,
 
I hope you are well and having a fulfilling and productive Fall Quarter.
 
I would like to begin by acknowledging that this is an especially difficult time for members of our Iranian community, as protests for social justice and cries for reform spread across Iran in the wake of the arrest and death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who was taken into custody for improper veiling. Widespread internet outages in Iran make it hard to communicate and stay connected to friends and loved ones. To aid prospective graduate students, The Graduate School has offered a number of international fee waivers this application cycle, including to applicants from Iran, and will continue to provide flexibility and work with prospective students from Iran on a case-by-case basis. In addition, the Buffet Institute is hosting a Women, Life, Freedom: Understanding the Nationwide Demonstrations in Iran virtual panel discussion on Tuesday, October 25. I hope that you all join me in expressing our continued support for Northwestern’s Iranian community.
 
This also remains a challenging time for those whose families and friends were impacted by Hurricane Ian, which devastated communities in Puerto Rico, southern and central Florida, and all along its path to South Carolina. The strength of this storm is an indication of critical climate concerns that must be addressed, and it is my hope that the Northwestern community can be a part of the solution. Several graduate student groups have worked in support of relief efforts in response to Ian, and I applaud your caring actions in helping those impacted.
 
Our Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) continues to collaborate with identity-based graduate student organizations to host cultural heritage month celebrations for the TGS community. To conclude Latinx Heritage Month, ODI partnered with Comunidad Latinx (CLX), the Northwestern University chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (NU SACNAS), and several other Latinx organizations to host NUestra Gente: A Celebration of Our Comunidad on Thursday, October 13. This was a night of food, music, and dancing in celebration of Northwestern’s vibrant and multi-talented Latinx/e community. In celebration of Native American and Indigenous Heritage Month, ODI will collaborate with the Indigenous Graduate Student Collective (IGSC) to host Friends, Food, and Fire on Monday, November 7 at the Center for Native American and Indigenous Research (CNAIR). This gathering will be an opportunity to engage with the TGS Indigenous community through food, a bonfire, and presentations on culture and research.
 
In my recent meetings with graduate students and student groups, a consistent issue has been the rising cost of living as inflation levels continue to increase. The Graduate School recognizes the particular difficulties this creates for graduate students. For students receiving stipends to support their education, we have worked to successfully advocate for increases every year over the past decade, and our stipend and guaranteed student-aid packages are among the top in the nation. However, we recognize that more work is needed with respect to meeting current economic challenges. The Graduate School continues to diligently partner with University leadership to determine a sustainable and viable path forward.
 
I do want to point to additional support provided by The Graduate School that we invite you to explore. Examples include graduate student childcare grants, paid medical leave of absence and paid parental leave of absence for funded students, a subsidized U-Pass transit program, complimentary legal services and access to the Office of the Ombudsperson, funding for approximately 40 TGS-affiliated graduate student and postdoctoral organizations, access to English Language Program (ELP) services, more than 20 interdisciplinary graduate assistantships for students to extend their funding and obtain professional development experience, multiple competitive fellowship programs, graduate student research awards, and graduate conference travel grants. Please reach out to your graduate program, or directly to TGS, to learn more about these benefits.
 
I share these details to help highlight the breadth and depth of benefits that The Graduate School provides to graduate students and postdoctoral trainees throughout their scholarly journeys, while recognizing there are ongoing challenges and needs. We deeply value the contributions you make to Northwestern’s research and teaching missions, and we will advocate for ways to support and advance you as an important community of scholars.
 
My best wishes for a successful Fall Quarter, and my door is always open to you.

Sincerely,
Kelly
 
Kelly E. Mayo
Walter and Jennie Bayne Professor of Molecular Biosciences
Dean of The Graduate School and
Associate Provost for Graduate Education

Categories: From the Dean