I hope you had a good break and enjoyed time with family and friends. I’d like to welcome you back for the spring term and share a few updates.
CARE Counselor
The Graduate School is excited to welcome Laura Sandoval-Sweeney, the new counselor devoted to graduate students in the Counselors in Academic Residence (CARE) program. As a program of the university’s Counseling and Mental Health Center, CARE provides mental health services in academic offices to facilitate student academic and life goals.
As your CARE counselor, Laura is a licensed mental health professional who can help assess your needs and offer appropriate services. Laura specializes in issues facing graduate students at the university. She is also fluent in Spanish and can provide bilingual services to students who may feel more comfortable speaking in Spanish.
Laura holds office hours in FAC 2.264 on Mondays 11 a.m. – noon and Tuesdays 2:30 – 3:30 p.m., or you can call (512) 475-6151.
Graduate School Leadership
As previously announced, I will be retiring as dean of the Graduate School this coming fall, and the university is currently conducting a national search for a new dean and senior vice provost. Additionally, Professor Maria Juenger, associate dean for graduate education transformation, will be returning to her faculty position in the Cockrell School of Engineering starting this spring term. In her role as associate dean, Professor Juenger was instrumental in helping us implement the recommendations from the Graduate Education Task Force, a group convened in 2019 to examine key issues facing graduate education and provide recommendations to enhance the experience and outcomes for all graduate students.
Thanks to Professor Juenger’s leadership, we were able to provide an additional $10.9 million in recurring funds to support graduate students; eliminate the shortfall of the Tuition Reduction Benefit (TRB) to cover the full cost of tuition; and expand health care coverage (including free dental and vision plans), which reduced costs for most students and ensured greater continuity of coverage.
I would like to thank her for her service and dedication to graduate students and the university. Full details on recommendations from the task force are available on the Graduate Education Transformation Tracker website.
Housing Complex
Construction is underway on the new graduate student housing complex in UT Austin’s East Campus area between Comal Street, East 21st Street and Leona Street, south of Manor Road. The university plans to add approximately 780 beds in this area, and the project is targeted for completion in 2024.
The new housing options will help address affordability for students navigating Austin’s competitive real estate market and make it possible for more students to live close to campus. Additionally, the complex will be adjacent to two of UT’s childcare facilities.
GradSERU Survey
The university will be administering the Student Experience in the Research University (gradSERU) survey to all eligible graduate students beginning in late February. The survey gathers information on topics such as research activity, mentoring, health and well-being and climate.
Results from previous surveys have driven campus strategies to better support graduate students, and we greatly encourage your participation during the spring semester. More details on the survey will be provided in the coming weeks.
I wish you an exciting, productive semester and encourage you to stay up to date on graduate student events and resources by following the Graduate School on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Sincerely,
MARK J. T. SMITH Dean of the Graduate School Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs The University of Texas at Austin
This communication is from Graduate Students – Official. View this email online.
