Overview of Assembly Committees

GPSA committees allow smaller groups of students to focus on more specific concerns. There are committees that appeal to everybody’s interests, and most people involved with the GPSA have found serving on a committee to be one of the most rewarding aspects of their experience at Cornell.

The GPSA committees deal with issues of direct relevance to graduate and professional students and many of the other (university) committees have a graduate and professional student focus. University Assembly committees focus on matters that concern the entire Cornell community. The (undergraduate) Student Assembly has seats for graduate and professional students on some of its committees, as is the case with certain Faculty Senate committees.

Joining Committees

Get involved! Help us plan the next Grad Ball, distribute funding to clubs, lobby for better transportation, child care and health insurance, or sit on campus boards that deal with everything from Dining to the Code of Conduct.

Do you have a particular area you’re interested in helping us with but don’t know which position to apply for? No problem! Email us your interest at gpsa@cornell.edu and we’ll find a committee for you. All applications are reviewed by the GPSA Operations & Staffing Committee.

Committees of the Assembly

Student Advocacy Committee

The GPSA Student Advocacy Committee works to act on issues of finances, stipend levels, mental and physical health, child care and the general well being of all graduate and professional students. The Student Advocacy Committee works in consultation with other relevant student and Cornell assembly committees and interested parties.

Finance Commission

The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Finance Commission (GPSAFC) is the funding arm of the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GPSA). The GPSAFC is responsible for funding over 200 registered graduate and professional student organizations on the Cornell campus.

Appropriations Committee

The Appropriations Committee manages GPSA funds and recommends the Graduate and Professional Student Activity Fee to the GPSA. This committee also reviews the policies and procedures for setting and allocating the Activity Fee and recommends to the GPSA the funding guidelines of the GPSA Finance

Programming Board

The Events Committee organizes events for the entire graduate and professional student community. Although the committee’s primary purpose is to put together the annual Grad Ball, the committee is also dedicated to planning a large number of smaller events throughout the year. Events include monthly Grad’s Night Out, mixers, coffee hours, fundraising events, and events for graduate and professional students with families.

Communications Committee

The Communications Committee maintains the accessible flow of information from the GPSA to the graduate and professional student body and the Cornell community.

Operations and Staffing Committee

The Operations and Staffing Committee consists of three GPSA executive officers and all standing committee chairs. This committee reviews and recommends changes of the Charter to the GPSA.

Faculty Teaching, Advising, and Mentorship Award Committee

The primary purpose of the Faculty Teaching, Advising, and Mentorship Award Committee is to solicit nominations for and administer one or more annual Awards to recognize faculty who exhibit excellence in the teaching, advising, and mentorship of graduate and professional students.

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee consists of the President, Executive Vice-President, and Vice President for Operations, who manage the day-to-day operations of the GPSA. They meet regularly with the Graduate School deans, university administrators, and executives of other assemblies. The President is the chair of the Executive Committee.

Diversity and International Student Committee (DISC)

DISC strives to cater to the needs of Minority and International students, with the aim of nurturing an inclusive environment at Cornell.

Graduate School Academic Integrity Committee

The Graduate School Academic Integrity Hearing Board reviews and rules on alleged violations of academic integrity standards by graduate and professional students.

General Committee of the Graduate School

The General Committee is the administrative, legislative, and judicial board of the Graduate School.

For a full listing of campus governance committees, please visit the assemblies committees listings.