Contact: Maridith Geuder
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Effective with the 2006 fall semester, Mississippi State will increase the amount of financial support provided to university graduate students holding teaching, research and service assistantships.
Students earning master's and doctoral degrees may qualify for stipends for their roles in classrooms, laboratories and administrative offices. Individual departments determine duties and work schedules for the students.
"We want to communicate that we value the graduate student experience and that Mississippi State is committed to offering a competitive environment for those seeking advanced degrees," said MSU President Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong.
The stipend increases grew out of faculty recommendations at a recent roundtable discussion between administrators, including Foglesong, and faculty members.
"We are responding to a need articulated by our faculty," said Colin Scanes, vice president for research and graduate studies. "Our goal is to ensure that Mississippi State maintains a high standard of recruiting and rewarding graduate students."
With the university anticipating a record year in contracts and grants, he said a portion of research overhead--the amount of a grant applied to the university's costs such as space and equipment--is being earmarked to increase graduate student stipends.
Graduate students also will be allocated a portion of the university's state funding designated for faculty and staff raises. Anticipated increases should accommodate an additional $1,000 annually for those with nine-month assistantships, said Ray Hayes, vice president for finance and administration.
"We will re-evaluate mid-year to judge the success of the program and its potential for expansion," he said.
To qualify for assistantships, graduate students must be enrolled full-time in at least nine graduate credit hours. Teaching assistants must have earned 18 hours in their specific academic disciplines.
Curtis F. Matherne, incoming president of MSU's Graduate Student Association and a doctoral student in the College of Business and Industry, said the increase is welcomed.
"As in any walk of life, it feels good to be appreciated."
For additional information, contact Colin Scanes, Vice President for Research & Graduate Studies, at 662-325-3570.