Graduate Student Senate
The Graduate Student Senate (GSS) is the branch of the Student
Government Association (SGA) that represents the interests of
all graduate and professional students at the University of
Tennessee. GSS is the official voice of graduate students and is
the organization that administrators turn to when the opinion
of the graduate student body is desired.
Each graduate and professional program of study has a
representative elected by his or her fellow students while the
GSS President and Vice President are elected in the annual SGA
elections. GSS has representatives on various university-wide
committees including the Graduate Council.
One of the most important functions of the GSS is to
disseminate graduate student travel funds for students to
attend technical workshops and international technical
meetings. The Graduate Student Senate in cooperation with the
Dean of Students and the Dean of Graduate Studies awards
funding for graduate and professional students to travel,
present work, and participate at scholarly conferences and
events. Three travel award announcements are made
throughout the year, designed to roughly coincide with the
academic term periods. These awards are based on financial
need and are given to provide partial reimbursement of certain
allowable expenses such as transportation, lodging and
registration expenses. Applications are considered by a
committee composed of graduate students, faculty members,
and university administrators. In order to be considered for a
travel award, student applications must be filled out
completely and returned to the Office of the Dean of Students
with the required supporting materials.