Campus & Community
Dear students, lecturers and employees:
This past semester, our community began our collective work to rethink and redefine what academic excellence means at Syracuse University. Many of you have participated in the academic strategic planning process and provided important feedback and ideas on how to get where we want to be. This included robust conversations about the PhD students’ experiences.
As we continue to advance the next iteration of the Academic Roadmap this semester, We will now take steps to improve how our graduate students experience Syracuse University. Therefore, together with the Dean of the Graduate School, Peter Vanable, we will implement the following measures:
- Increase scholarship level: As announced in December, beginning in the 2023-24 academic year, the minimum stipends will increase from $16,980 to $20,000 for master’s students with 20-hour assistantships during the academic year and from $16,980 to $22,000 for Ph.D. Students. In addition, I am pleased to announce that all schools and colleges will increase assistantship scholarships by an average of at least 5%, including increases to the minimum for the 2023-24 academic year.
- Guarantee for four years funding: Beginning in the 2023-24 academic year, Syracuse University will provide at least four years of academic year funding for Ph.D. students through teaching assistants, scholarships and, where appropriate, research assistant support through faculty-funded scholarships. This support, along with an ongoing focus on the growth of assistantship grants and summer funding opportunities, will help our Ph.D. Programs continue to attract outstanding students.
- Almost double summer funding: The University will provide permanent core funding to the Graduate School to support 40 additional pre-dissertation grants. The total commitment thus amounts to 70 summer scholarship places, including the summer scholarship program for dissertations that has existed for several years.
- Increase Summer Fellowship Scholarships: The university is providing core funding to the graduate school to increase the summer stipend from $4,000 to $4,500, a 13% increase in summer stipends.
These improvements build on changes made over the past few years and months. Together with the Graduate Student Organization (GSO) and with the support of many faculty members, we have made great strides in improving graduate student support, including:
- Premium Health Care Plan for Graduate Assistants and Fellows: Graduates have stronger and more affordable health care services than ever before. The Platinum level plan is heavily subsidized by the university, reducing annual award costs for graduate assistants and fellows by nearly $1,800. In addition, all full-time graduate and law students have access to affordable vision and dental services.
- Increased childcare allowances: To meet the needs of graduate students who either have children or want to become parents, the university doubled the grant for qualifying graduate students from $500 per child to $1,000 per child under age 6 and increased the maximum grant per family to $2,000. Later this semester, we will also announce a new placement policy for parents to give graduate students who become parents time to bond with their child.
- Prioritizing the entire experience: Working with the GSO and faculty, the university has taken several steps to prioritize and improve the overall student experience. This includes increasing our focus and resources on wellness and student life; Establishment of the Office of Professional and Career Development to promote career readiness in both academia and industry; Setting up a digital platform to provide support when looking for accommodation off campus; and establishment of the Graduate Faculty Council to enable faculty to provide guidance and advice on important issues related to graduate student success.
Our graduates play an important role in our community. Not only are you educating the next generation of educators, scholars, researchers and administrators, but you also help educate and support our undergraduate students. It is my hope that these new measures, combined with advances made previously, will provide our PhD students with an even stronger environment in which to thrive, excel and thrive.
We will continue to work closely with the GSO and other PhD students to ensure this feel and are supported, valued and strengthened.
sincerely,
Gretchen Knight
Vice Chancellor, Provost and Chief Academic Officer
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