Get Involved
Interested in being a part of the process? Come volunteer! We want grad students to be a part of making things happen for grad students at UW-Madison, whether that means getting funding, honoring grad students' community contributions, putting on a successful beginning-of-year orientation, or otherwise making grad student life better for all of us.
Questions or interested? Email gsc@grad.wisc.edu or call (608) 262-0201. We look forward to hearing from you!
GSC Volunteer Opportunities
Available every year unless otherwise noted.
New Graduate Student Welcome Week
When: late August
What: Panelists & Volunteers
Time commitment: your choice of 1-9 hours
Share your wisdom with incoming graduate students on academic life! We look for 16 to 20 grad student panelists from diverse programs every year to participate in discussions grouped by the four academic divisions: arts and humanities, biological sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences. We also look for 20 to 25 grad students to serve as guides around the Union, staffers at the GSC resource fair booth, and "professional minglers" at the GSC reception and social.
Vilas Research Travel Grant
When: November and TBD month in spring
What: Review Committee
Time commitment (approx.): 2-3 hours per semester
Grad students help select the winners of the competitive Vilas Research Travel Grant! Serving on the Review Committee provides a unique opportunity for professional development and valuable insight into the grant review process. You are eligible to serve on the Committee as long as you are a graduate student and are not applying for a Vilas Research Travel Grant yourself in the same year. You can choose to volunteer in the fall, spring, or both.
Spring New Graduate Student Welcome
When: mid-January
What: Panelists
Time commitment: 1-2 hours
Share your wisdom with incoming graduate students on academic life! We look for 3 to 4 grad student panelists from diverse programs every year to participate in an informal panel on UW academics and life in Madison. The panel takes place during the Graduate School's official orientation for new spring-admission students.
Graduate Commencement Student Speaker Search
When: February-March
What: Review Committee
Time commitment: 5-7 hours
How would you like to be represented at your graduation? What message would inspire you most as you leave graduate school behind? Join the Review Committee for the Graduate Commencement Student Speaker Search and you can help choose! The Review Committee consists of one Associate Dean of the Graduate School and 2 or 4 graduate students from a variety of academic divisions and programs. The work for the Review Committee is split over a week in late February and a week in late March. In February, Committee members read, evaluate, and rank all the electronic applications submitted. In March, Committee members show up in person to see the top 5 applicants perform their full speech. The Committee will then make their final selection for Student Speaker. For more details on the review process, see the application instructions linked to from the Graduate Commencement Student Speaker page.
Important: You must be in the graduating class or advanced stages of a doctoral or professional degree to be eligible to volunteer for this Review Committee.
Graduate Student Peer Mentor Awards
When: late March
What: Review Committee
Time commitment: TBD
Who else could be better qualified to select the winners of this award? As long as you're a grad student and not yourself a nominator or nominee for this year's Peer Mentor Awards, you're eligible to be a member of the Review Committee. Come read inspiring testimonials of what students have done to support each other through grad school and help decide who we should honor
Guide to Graduate Student Life
When: January-May (every other year, next opportunity Spring 2013)
What: Writers, Assistant Editors, Photographers
Time commitment: your choice
If there's one thing we do that grad students rave about every year, it's the Guide to Graduate Student Life. Want to contribute? Let us know! Revising the Guide is a team effort we coordinate every two years with the volunteer help of grad student writers, assistant editors, and photographers. The new version hits the press in June and is distributed in August. Come share your inside knowledge of Madison and the UW with future generations of grad students and see your name in print