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For more than seven years, the Graduate School has been working closely with the Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG) and other campus partners to address graduate student financial concerns.

Earning an advanced degree is a worthy and challenging pursuit, and there’s no doubt that you’ve worked extremely hard for this outstanding academic achievement.

As the end of fall semester approaches, I would like to take this opportunity to recognize and celebrate the perseverance that you’ve shown in making it through what has been a uniquely challenging and unprecedented semester.

The Graduate School is here for you, and we continue to advocate for you in many ways – with the university leadership and beyond campus.

As you move forward with your graduate careers, I want to make sure your experience is as academically successful and personally enriching as possible.

Thank you to all who expressed your concerns about the July 6 SEVP guidance for fall 2020, which we are happy to say was rescinded on July 14.

I believe that education has always been one of the world’s great equalizers; and, as a community of scholars, artists and researchers, it is our duty to provide expanded opportunities to the Black community and other communities of color in order to build a more just and equitable society.

I want to take this opportunity to personally congratulate all of our professional, master’s and doctoral students receiving degrees.

Even though we are not together, we remain a strong community.

We understand that this situation has created a great deal of uncertainty and that questions continue to arise. I want to assure you that university leaders are working with the Graduate School to consider graduate students’ needs and concerns as we navigate these unprecedented circumstances.