AAAS Graduate Student Ambassador
In light of the fact that some new students experience nervousness and anxiety into the next phase of their academic careers, the goal of the Graduate Student Ambassadors (GSA) is to help provide a comfortable transition into a new school, program, and/or city and state by addressing concerns and/or questions.
Graduate Student Ambassadors will serve as representatives/mentors of the Department’s (AAAS) Graduate Program by informing new graduate students about academic life at KU as well as responding to inquiries about the City of Lawrence. Prior to each new student’s arrival, information will be shared via email pertaining to a variety of activities including, but not limited to, city service resources, campus and library tours, on/off campus social activities, and the faculty/staff/student meet-and-greet event. Students will be supplied with a welcoming package, which consists of KU pens, pencils, highlighters, and a campus map.
A designated GSA will establish and facilitate a blog webpage to enable all AAAS graduate students to participate in an online forum.
In subsequent years, the GSA can serve as a positive image and an informed representative of AAAS to prospective graduate students at various recruitment events.
An outline of some GSA duties:
- Presenting a list of city service resources such as local internet, cable, airport shuttle/taxi, and telephone providers.
- Arranging a library tour each fall semester in correspondence with a librarian to serve the incoming students' interests and highlight specialty librarians to accommodate graduate studies research.
- Organizing a campus tour of the writing center(s), Bailey Hall (graduate lounge/research room), Kansas Union, Burge Union, and libraries: Watson, Anschutz, and Spencer Research Library.
- Facilitating a student/faculty/staff meet-and-greet event each fall semester
- Liaising with the AAAS Department chair, faculty, and staff.
- Representing the interests of graduate students in departmental meetings and/or activities as necessary.
Contact the department for more information at afs@ku.edu.
Graduate Student Ambassadors for 2023-24 are: