Connecting Whitman grad students: WGSO

The Whitman Graduate Student Organization (WGSO) is the student body of Whitman that represents all graduate students studying and working under the school’s umbrella. Elected by their cohort at the end of their first year, five second-year MBA candidates comprise the main makeup of the body along with one representative from each of the MS programs, as they are only one-year programs.

The president of the WGSO is the face of the student body during all interactions between Whitman and the University’s Graduate Student Organization (GSO). They are expected to weigh in on decisions that impact graduate students across the campus and the school of management. On the executive board, the vice president of academic affairs stands as an interface between graduate students and the faculty and staff. They are responsible to convey graduate students’ concerns, opinions and suggestions regarding various facets of the school to the school management, the administrative staff at the graduate programs office and the necessary faculty. They are also at the helm of organizing case competitions and other events that contribute to the growth of students’ trade and academic skills.

The vice president of alumni affairs works with the staff at the Career Center and the Graduate Programs Office to create and strengthen bonds with the Whitman alumni. They also work with the alumni relations staff of the school to develop programs to engage the alums within the graduate programs. The vice president of community service and fundraising develops programs with individuals and organizations of the Syracuse community to drive student engagement in social and volunteering endeavors outside of the school and the University. These are opportunities where students, especially those from out of the immediate area, get to explore the society they live cocooned within.

The vice president of social activities is responsible for driving student engagement within the Whitman community. From the International Week that celebrates the diversity of Whitman’s makeup to the End-of-Year Banquet that toasts the success of a yet another year in graduate school—everything is led by this officer. The representatives of the MS programs ensure that their voices are heard in all the aforementioned roles and the events organized therein. The journey of the WGSO board is almost a training before they take on roles as managers in their future careers. It is a journey of taking up responsibility and being answerable to people other than themselves but it is exhilarating and exciting nonetheless.