Most Grad Assistants to Receive Increase in Stipends
New Presidential Fellowship Also Part of Long-Term Efforts to Support Grad Students
UMD administrators on Wednesday announced stipend increases for graduate assistants, who they said are an indispensable element of the university's operations.
Photo by Stephanie S. Cordle
Senior Vice President and Provost Jennifer Rice King and Associate Provost and Graduate School Dean Steve Fetter sent the following email to graduate students today:
Graduate assistants represent an indispensable element of our teaching and research enterprise at the University of Maryland. To continue to recruit and retain talented and diverse graduate teaching and research assistants (GAs), it is with great pleasure that we announce that effective Jan. 2, 2022, we will raise the minimum nine-month stipend to $21,000—an increase of nearly 15% over current levels.
There will be proportionate stipend increases for 9.5- and 12-month appointments, and funding to ensure that step II and step III stipends remain at least $500 and $1,000 above the step I minimum, respectively. More than 60% of GAs will receive an increase, with an average increase of nearly $1,700, or 8%. This is one step in our continuing efforts to provide graduate assistants with stipends that are competitive with top peer institutions and that take into account the high cost of living in our area. Together with previous increases, the minimum stipend will have increased by more than 37% in the last four years. Our work continues.
In addition, to further increase the diversity of our graduate student population, we are delighted to announce the creation of a new fellowship program, the Presidential Fellowship, to enhance the financial support offered by Ph.D. programs to top applicants based on their demonstrated contribution to program diversity. As Ph.D. programs train and prepare future faculty, this new fellowship will complement our existing Presidential Postdoctoral Fellowship, FAMILE program and other efforts to diversify the faculty. The Graduate School will release details of the new fellowship in time for programs to make offers for the Fall 2022 incoming class.
Together, these steps represent an increased investment of nearly $5 million per year in our graduate students, and affirm the critical role our graduate students play in the continued success of our university.
Sincerely,
Jennifer King Rice
Senior Vice President and Provost
She/Her/Hers
Steve Fetter
Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
He/Him/His
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