Graduate Student Section (GSS)

The Graduate Student Section (GSS) of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association (AAEA) was developed to provide an opportunity for graduate students to come together to foster the professional development through various activities and seminars. The specific objectives of the AAEA-GSS are:

• To promote the professional development of graduate students in agricultural economics and related graduate programs
• To increase participation and involvement of students with both academic and non-academic career goals in the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association
• To provide more opportunities for graduate student involvement at the Annual Meetings and any other related activities of the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association.

History of the GSS

Darren Hudson explains how it all started: it was a product of an idea by Blake Bennett. He believed that graduate students were not receiving ample opportunities at the national level to network, develop skills, and participate in meetings. At the time, Claudia Parliament and Vern Eidman were organizing graduate student breakfasts. Blake, April Clark, and Darren Hudson discussed the issue with Ralph Christy, the President of the AAEA, and he encouraged us to write a proposal to the AAEA to form an organization for graduate students. About the same time, the Sections idea was being tried out. Donna Dunn encouraged us to write a section proposal.

At about the same time, Jane Luzar, AAEA Foundation Board, had suggested a case study competition for graduate students. Lisa House and I began organizing the competition. We decided that it would be an excellent activity for the GSS. The rest, as they say, is history.

In short, the GSS stemmed from the original graduate student breakfasts organized by Claudia Parliament and Vern Eidman and was expanded into a full section through the work of Blake Bennet, Lisa House, and myself.

Who May Join the GSS?

Membership in the AAEA-GSS section is open to all interested members of the Association who pay dues. Two classes of members are defined as follows:

1. Regular members: students currently enrolled in an agricultural economics or related graduate programs, or
2. Associate members: other individuals interested in achieving the objectives of the section but are not currently students.

All classes of Association members shall enjoy the privileges of the GSS-AAEA.

How to Join the GSS

STEP 1: Join the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association. The registration fee to join the AAEA is $25.

Follow the link to the AAEA Membership page to join the AAEA and the GSS.

STEP 2: Indicate your desire to join the GSS by checking the GSS box under the sections portion of your registration form. The fee to join the GSS is $10 for both Regular and Associate members. The membership fee for the GSS is located on the AAEA member form and fees are paid through the AAEA.

If you are already a member of AAEA and would like to join GSS, you can do so by completing this form (PDF) or logging in to the My Account section and completing the Online Section Form.