ASG Graduate Student Congress Awarded 2015 NAGPS South Central Region Member of the Year

GSC Staff

Scout Johnson, ASG Graduate Student Congress speaker, receives the 2015 NAGPS South Central Region Member of the Year award on behalf of the University of Arkansas GSC.

The University of Arkansas ASG Graduate Student Congress is a member of the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students, whose mission is "to develop, sustain, and expand a member network that connects graduate and professional students across the United States to facilitate the sharing of information, resources, and best practices, empower our members to successfully serve their constituents, and amplify student's voices to campus, local, state, and federal policymakers."

The NAGPS represents over 90 member universities and colleges across the nation. Last March, the ASG Graduate Student Congress made our official debut in the organization by hosting the NAGPS South Central Regional conference on the University of Arkansas campus. The South Central Region represents members across the states of Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas.

ASG Graduate Student Congress involvement in NAGPS was quickly expanded with the election of four of our members to the South Central regional board, making the University of Arkansas the most highly represented school on the board. Graduate Student Congress Speaker Scout Johnson was elected as chair of the South Central regional board, Campus Infrastructure Committee Chair Phillip Gilley was elected as vice-chair, Treasurer Arley Ward was elected as director of Outreach, and Rep. Mohammed Abdalhadi was elected as international student concerns chair. Having several of our own members serve on the national association's regional leadership team has enabled our chapter to take an active role in the development and execution of national initiatives aimed at improving the lives of graduate students across the country.

Each year, a national conference is held to bring together the five regional sections of the organization, elect national officers, and recognize outstanding members of each region. The 29th annual NAGPS National Conference, themed 'Graduate-Professional Student Advocacy and Beyond,' was held on Oct. 30-Nov. 1, at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles.

The ASG Graduate Student Congress is honored to announce that our chapter was chosen as recipient of the 2015 NAGPS South Central Region Member of the Year award. Additionally, Speaker Scout Johnson was elected to serve on the NAGPS Executive Committee as vice-president of the national organization.

With the generous support of administrators, faculty, and staff, and the unwavering dedication of our representatives, we hope to continue to improve graduate student resources and representation at the University of Arkansas as we work towards becoming a top 50 research university.

To learn more about ASG Graduate Student Congress, visit its website or Facebook page.

The Associated Student Government at the University of Arkansas is a student-led organization that acts as an organized voice for all students and strives to effectively represent student interest.

Questions about ASG can be directed to 479-575-5205, asg@uark.edu or asg.uark.edu.