The Graduate Excellence Subcommittee spoke at the Government of Graduate and Professional Students meeting about a three-year program that will be implemented to increase enrollment and degrees awarded to graduate and professional students.

The meeting took place Monday, March 25, 2013.

Sen. John Pritchard said within three years, they would like enrollment to have increased by 40 percent and a 20 percent of doctorate degrees awarded to have increased as well.

A funding plan was shown broken into two tiers to explain how these increases will happen within three years. The most prominent tactics for the funding shown in tier one is bridge funding, first-year scholarships and Research Experiences for Undergraduates support.

Bridge funding is aimed at an increase in degrees awarded and first year scholarships is aimed to boost enrollment.

The Graduate Excellence Subcommittee is waiting on President Steven Leath and his team’s final decision and approval of the tactics.

The Graduate Excellence Subcommittee would like to begin more recruitment within the university for the graduate and professional student programs.

Paul Johnson from ISU Legal Services discussed the services available to all students.

The services are free to students and are a wide variety of services. The legal services serves 22 percent of graduate and professional students.

Services used mainly by graduate and professional students include notary services, housing issues and creation of wills. Criminal services are more popular with undergraduate students.

The legal services cannot represent students against Iowa State, other students or cases with ISU Police involvement but can lend advice for the issues. The legal service does receive referrals from courts and police to help advise students in need.

Walk-in appointments are available in the office in the Memorial Union room 0367. Summer office hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Seven bills were passed allotting changes to the Government of Graduate and Professional Students constitution. The bills will be voted on for a second time at the April meeting.

Professional Advancement Grants were discussed in providing travel assistance for graduate and professional students to attend and present at professional conferences in their field of study.

Executive council chair member Brian Tlach discussed changes in constitution.

Changes passed include grammatical clarifications and syntax errors corrections to constitution articles. The defining of Officers of the Senate and graduate student to senator ratio was changed in part due to upcoming increased enrollment numbers.

The original senator to student ratio was 50 to one and now has been changed to 100 to one. Each department is allowed four representatives.

President Cory Kleinheksel said the associate vice president of student affairs is stepping down next year [corrected from: week]. Students interested in hearing potential candidates for the position speak can attend speeches from 2 to 3 p.m. April 2 and 3. Further information is online on the Student Affairs page.

Applications for Peer Research and Teaching awards are due to Professional Advancement Grants Chair Alissa Stoehr by Friday, March 29. Summer Professional Advancement Grants applications will not be looked at until April 20 but can still be submitted, Stoehr said.

Elections for the new executive council were appointed at the meeting.