If you are interested in serving in any of the below appointments which are currently vacant, please apply by filling out the GSA Committee Application Form for GSA Committees or the University Committee Application Form for University Committees. The VP of Student Advocacy will then be in contact with you.
Volunteers are always welcome so feel free to contact the committee chair to join or get onto the email list!
GSA Standing Committees
Each of the following committees is supervised by the relevant GSA Director(s). Membership is open year-round to any graduate student interested in contributing to the committee’s goals and initiatives.
Programming and Community Outreach Committee
This committee provides graduate students with a variety of enriching experiences throughout the year by organizing cultural events, arts/theater outings, music performances, volunteer opportunities, and social gatherings such as GSA Picnics. By combining both community-focused initiatives and campus-wide programming, the committee aims to foster greater engagement, inclusion, and connection among the graduate student body, as well as strengthen partnerships with organizations both on and off campus.
Equity & Inclusion Programming Committee
This committee is dedicated to fostering an inclusive and equitable community for all graduate students at Rice. Members will collaborate to generate impactful ideas for programming and events that celebrate diversity, promote equity, and build a sense of belonging. Members will work closely with the VP of Equity & Inclusion, Affinity Club Director, and International Student Outreach Director to plan and execute signature campus-wide events such as Culture Night and the International Education Week Coffee Break. Members may also contribute to the development of new initiatives that address the evolving needs of Rice's diverse graduate community.
Professional Development Committee
This committee is dedicated to fostering graduate students’ comprehensive career and teaching development. By organizing workshops and seminars on essential professional skills—such as résumé-building, interviewing, leadership, entrepreneurship, and networking—it provides a wide-ranging set of resources for future success. The committee also partners with the Center for Career Development, the Center for Teaching Excellence, faculty from various schools and departments, and alumni networks to offer teaching-focused programming, mentorship, and best-practice sharing. Through these collaborations, graduate students gain hands-on teaching experience, individualized support, and diverse professional perspectives, ensuring they are well-prepared for both academic and non-academic career paths.
Advocacy Committee
The Advocacy Committee envisions a dynamic, inclusive environment at Rice University where every graduate student’s needs, perspectives, and aspirations are championed so they may thrive academically, professionally, and personally. To achieve this, the committee identifies, researches, and addresses the diverse needs of graduate students, collaborating closely with university administration and the broader campus community to advocate for policies and resources that enrich academic, financial, and personal well-being. Through sustained engagement and a commitment to transparent dialogue, the Advocacy Committee ensures that graduate students’ voices are heard and that they have the support necessary to succeed throughout their graduate journey.
Sustainability
The Sustainability Committee oversees the planning of Sustainability Month, works to ensure that events are carried out in an environmentally-responsible manner, promotes environmental stewardship across campus, and advocates for graduate student needs that relate to sustainability.
Wellbeing
The Wellbeing Committee will work with the Graduate Wellbeing Peers and the Wellbeing and Counseling Center to expand the wellbeing services provided to graduate students as well as improve the visibility and accessibility of these services. As a committee, this group will have creative freedom to establish new campus events and services as well as explore how graduate student wellbeing can be integrated into current GSA programming.
University Committees
Graduate Students can serve as graduate representative on University-level committees to ensure the graduate student voice is heard at higher administrative levels.
Athletics
The Athletics Committee meets once a month to discuss support of athletes on campus and their experience at Rice. Each representative serves on a sub-committee and makes a report at one meeting per year and there is always lunch at the meeting.
View the official charges of the Athletics Committee.
Center for Teaching Excellence Liason
The Center for Teaching Excellence at Rice University seeks to transform teaching through mentoring, innovative practices, collaboration, scholarship, and advocacy. The CTE actively engages faculty, staff, students, and community partners, and brings them into conversation to achieve excellence in teaching and learning. This committee is a great fit for students who want to become future professors, or anyone who wants to learn more about effective teaching methods and mentoring.
Visit their official site for more information.
Council on Diversity and Inclusion (CODI)
The Council on Diversity and Inclusion aims to create and sustain an open and inclusive environment for all members of the Rice community and students. The Council work on various objectives throughout the year, which includes topics on (but is not limited to) multicultural and multiethnic graduate life, gender and sexuality inclusivity, and disability services.
View their official site for more information.
Commencement Speaker
Both undergraduates and graduate students sit on the Commence Speaker Committee to recommend potential speakers for the upcoming commencement. These recommendations are given to the university president.
Graduate Council
Graduate Council is an advisory committee to the faculty senate on academic affairs. Issues related to graduate curriculum are discussed by the Graduate Council. Matters ranging from the academic policy on dismissal of student and approval of new departmental majors, to deciding recipients of the coveted graduate student endowed fellowships each year. Graduate Council meets 4-6 times a year with timings generally being fairly flexible.
View the official charges of the Graduate Council.
Honor Council
IT Council (ITC)
The Information Technology Council (ITC) facilitates the continuous communication required to anticipate, introduce, and maintain teaching and research technologies on the Rice campus. Faculty, staff, and student representatives provide advice on technology priorities for academic, administrative, and research computing as well as facilitating communication across the Rice community.
View their official site for more information.
Laboratory Safety
View their official site for more information.
Library
The Fondren Library Committee meets once or twice a semester to determine library procedures and evaluate the needs of students and staff for acquisitions, storage, and electronic resources. The graduate student representative on this committee will represent graduate interests for ALL the disciplines and departments as the graduate representative on this committee.
View their official site for more information.
Parking
The Parking Committee handles matters related to parking policies on campus and at the BRC. This includes matters concerning parking spaces and rates as well as distribution of relevant information to graduate students.
View their official site for more information.
Passport to Houston Representative
Passport to Houston is a program designed to engage the Rice community with the city of Houston in order to encourage students to be more community-oriented, socially-engaged, and culturally-aware. The Passport to Houston Committee identifies and builds relationships with regional institutions that offer students educational and cultural opportunities for intellectual, social, and professional growth. The Passport program promotes and highlights these organizations by providing free or discounted admission.
View their official site for more information.
Rice Women's Resource Center Liaison
The Rice Women's Resource Center’s vision is to increase awareness of and sensitivity to gender issues in order to build a more supportive, dynamic atmosphere on campus. Through a series of educational and social events and programs, they strive to actively engage with diverse identities and facilitate critical discussion of gender issues. The center also serves as an innovative platform and safe space for expression and development of philosophies and ideologies.
View their official site for more information.
Student Activities and President's Programming Fund Allocation (SAPP)
The committee reviews grant applications received for the Student Activities and President's Programming Fund. Each year, the Office of Student Activities gives out more than $40,000 in grants to various clubs and organizations to be used for activities and events benefiting students on campus. The SAPP committee meets 4 times each semester, in 1 hour long meetings over dinner to discuss applications and allocate grant money.
View their official site for more information.
Student Health Insurance
The Health Insurance Committee works to choose a student health insurance plan. Although students have no vote on the final plan that is selected, graduate student opinions and needs are voiced though this committee. Committee members are also expected to help produce an annual report on how the health plan is performing and serving Rice students, which is to be given to the president and published publicly. Other duties may include improving informational materials (websites, brochures) and helping to answer questions during graduate orientation - health insurance panel. The committee meets roughly once every 2 months for 1-2 hours. It is preferable for this position to be considered a multi-year commitment, as it takes some time to become familiar with the subject.
View their official site for more information.
Teaching
Teaching Committee meets 2-3 times per semester. In the Fall semester, the committee reviews teaching evaluations for faculty up for promotion and tenure, and summarizing their performance in a few paragraphs. In the Spring semester, the committee reviews applications for teaching grants offered by the university.
Official charges for the Committee on Teaching can be viewed here.
University Committee on Research
The University Committee on Research serves to inform the administration of any problems and opportunities that relate to University research policies, the ability of the faculty and students to engage in research, and the ability of faculty and student to engage in other scholarly activities. This can include, but is not limited to, Lab Safety, IACUC policies, and policies regarding graduate research.
View their official site for more information.
Bookstore Committee
Meet once a semester with the administration and the bookstore representative to provide valuable input from graduate students' perspective on how the bookstore could serve us better.
IM Sports Liaison
Mobility Safety
For any other questions, contact GSA VP of Student Advocacy, at gsaadvocacy@rice.edu