Dear IU Bloomington Faculty, Staff and Student Academic Appointees,
Following last week’s announced actions to support recommendations from the Task Force on Graduate Education, I write to you today to share further progress and pending actions.
Thus far, we have taken substantive and permanent action on stipends, graduate student fees, grievance processes, health and wellness, and more, and we will continue to do so based on the guidance from the Task Force and its working groups.
First, I hope you saw yesterday’s announcement about IU 2030, our new university-wide strategic planning process. This exciting new effort will help us create a more distinctive and meaningful experience for all IU students. On the Bloomington campus, our IUB 2030 planning process will involve wide participation from faculty, students, staff, alumni, community partners, and other key constituencies. You are invited to email vpsi@indiana.edu to nominate yourself or others to serve, and I encourage you to get involved and help shape our future together. The ongoing work of the Task Force on Graduate Education will be included in this effort.
Second, the Task Force on Graduate Education working group on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion has met numerous times in recent weeks. Their focus has centered on creating a stronger sense of student belonging, recruitment, and ensuring equity across programs and experiences. We anticipate receiving initial recommendations from this group in the coming weeks. Existing working groups on Health and Wellness and Financial Support are also continuing to make progress. The working group on Curriculum and Academics has also been established and will begin to meet this week.
Third, the Bloomington Faculty Council will formally consider the proposal to reestablish the SAA Affairs Committee of BFC at its October 4 meeting. I view this as a crucial means for ensuring regular engagement from faculty and administrative leadership, through shared governance, about issues of the greatest importance to our SAAs and our approach to graduate education. I fully support the BFC on its efforts to reestablish this committee.
Fourth, I remain encouraged by various actions underway to elevate the graduate student voice in a regular and permanent fashion. The newly announced Graduate Student Advisory Committee will be an important standing body to consult with me and other academic leaders. We are working now to identify and invite student leaders to join this new committee.
I am grateful to those across campus who have engaged in various ways as we seek to further improve graduate education at IU. I remain particularly thankful for the members of the Task Force on Graduate Education for their continued leadership and dedication to developing thoughtful recommendations and to those across the university who have equipped us to act on many of them.
Sincerely,
Rahul Shrivastav
Provost
Indiana University Bloomington