Dear President Skorton, I am pleased to be able to send you our very first resolution for the GPSA 2012–2013 year. Resolution #1, passed at the August 27th GPSA meeting, calls for the creation of an ad hoc committee to formally review, evaluate, expand, and update the Graduate Community Initiative.

We intend to evaluate the progress that the University has made with regard to the Vision Statement created in 2007. We will explore topics that may not have been adequately covered under the first GCI process. We will vigilantly engage the graduate and professional student community in discussions, input, and other forums to gain a wide perspective on the range of issues. We also will reach outside of the university to identify issues that the GPSA can encourage Cornell to focus on to enhance the graduate community off campus. Lastly, we will thoughtfully write this document in a way that serves as a direction to GPSA as an organization and a useful document on the graduate and professional student community for the administration of the entire University, The Graduate School, the Professional Schools, Housing, and other related units.

I anticipate that the update of the GCI will be our feature topic are for much of the GPSA this year. My background and expertise in planning give me substantial interest in this area and I hope that I can use my skills to help the GPSA in this important endeavor.

I will be excited to keep you updated on our progress. Please don’t hesitate to contact me about this topic. I would appreciate any feedback you may have.

Best,

Mitch Paine