How to Create A GradSWE Group

GradSWE at Illinois at #WE19

General notes on creating a GradSWE group includes:

• Find 4-6 devoted people to jumpstart your GradSWE section. 
• Work with other graduate groups and Women-In-STEM groups to get the word out.
• Draw on existing university resources such as Student Affairs. Build partnerships with them for financial resources and recruiting.
• Find a common ground for all of your members whether that be hosting academic speakers or attending industry tours.

Suggestions geared for Collegiate Graduate Students

The following suggestions are best suited for GradSWE members who are full-time graduate students.

Step 1: Making Contact with Graduate Students

• Reach out to membership to ask how you can meet their graduate student needs. 
• Provide programming that are valuable to professional development. This can include tips for grant-writing, earning a postdoc position, or negotiating salary.
• Host brown-bag lunches, happy hours, or social gatherings as low cost, informal options to socialize with your GradSWE membership.
• Coordinate with campus recruiters or career planning officials. Keep mind to host companies that would also sponsor international graduate students.

Step 2: Getting Graduate Students Involved in Leadership

• Graduate students can be their own committee or act as Graduate Liaisons within the collegiate SWE section. They can ensure events also meet the needs of the section's graduate students.
• Each year, the Society hosts the Collegiate Leadership Institute (CLI) provides student-specific sessions on career and leadership skills. More on the CLI can be found here. 

Step 3: Establishing Graduate Group Structure

• There are several different approaches for graduate student community in SWE sections. A few of these integrated approaches are presented below.  
  • Integrated Graduate Student Officers: Graduate students are active in the university SWE sections and hold various positions. Illinois Institute of Technology has integrated this approach in their collegiate section.
  • Designated Graduate Student Officers: Graduate students are given specific officer positions in which graduate programming can be offered within SWE sections. Carnegie Mellon University has integrated this approach in their collegiate section.
  • Integrated Graduate Committees: Graduate students serve as specific officers and host committees for graduate programming. University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and University of Texas at Austin both have integrated this approach in their collegiate sections.
  • Separate Registered Student Orgs w/ Liaison: Graduate SWE groups are separated registered student organizations;   however, these groups are active as sub-committees of SWE sections. University of Michigan has integrated this approach in their collegiate section.​

​Suggestions geared for Professional Graduate Students
​
The following suggestions are best suited for GradSWE members who are full-time engineering professionals students and are taking graduate-level coursework. Additionally, any graduate student can be a professional member of SWE if a collegiate section is not accessible.  

• Contact us (grad-coordinator@swe.org) and we can connect you with any graduate students in your area.
• If you are a professional member and have chosen to go back to school, you can earn a discounted SWE membership.
• Reach out to collegiate sections to offer advice and mentorship. As a professional, you offer unbelievable insight into what industry is seeking in their future engineers. Ask to host a Skype session with a section or be a keynote at a general meeting.

For more information on creating or locating a Graduate Group in your community, feel free to reach out to the GMC at grad-coordinator@swe.org.