Our Motto

All to learn, Learning to Serve, Serve for all

(Faciens discere, Servite doctrina, Omne enim servientes)

Mission Statement

To protect and represent the rights, privileges, interests, and concerns of the graduate students at Clarkson University

About CUGSA

Welcome to the Clarkson University Graduate Student Association (CUGSA) page! The CUGSA is led by a group of graduate students whose mission is to strengthen the Graduate Student experience across all campuses at the Clarkson University. CUGSA is officially recognized by Clarkson University since 2013. The CUGSA works with the administration on policy and projects that aim to address the needs of graduate students, as well as create social events that engage the graduate student body and promote a healthy community inside and outside of academia.

CUGSA is composed of the Executive Board and the Graduate Council. Due to geographical constraints the main campus (Potsdam Hill Campus) Executive board serves as the CUGSA Executive Board. CUGSA Graduate Council members are the graduate representatives of the different campus communities of Clarkson University. At the present, Graduate Council members hail from four different campus communities i.e Clarkson University main Campus, David D. Reh Business School of Clarkson university main campus, Health Science Department of Clarkson University downtown Potsdam campus and Capital Region Campus of Clarkson University.  Together all the Graduate Students Associations of the different campus communities of Clarkson University form the CUGSA.

The CUGSA Supreme Constitution establishes the joint platform for ideas and collaboration between different CU campuses in order to unify interests, welfare, and concerns of the graduate students across all Clarkson University Campuses. The CUGSA Financial bylaws lay out the fundamental rules and guiding principles for conducting independent, transparent and fair financial dealings for all GSAs.

CUGSA Supreme Constitution
CUGSA Financial Bylaws

Executive Board Officers

President
Tanvir Ahmed
Ph. D. Student
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering 
Vice President 
W.A Nimanthi U. Abeyrathna
Ph.D.Candidate
Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Biotechnology

Parliamentarian 
Pijush Sutradhar 
Ph.D. Candidate 
Interdisciplinary Bioscience and Biotechnology 

Treasurer
Paul Akinyemi
Ph.D. Student 
Chemical Engineering

General Secretary 
Mahender Singh Rawat 
Ph.D. Student 
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Graduate Council Representatives

Graduate Student Councilor
Wafi Aziz
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering 
M.Sc. Student
Graduate Student Councilor
Nafees Iqbal
Department of Chemistry and Biomolecular Science 
Ph.D. Student
Graduate Student Councilor
Syed Konain Abbas
Doing Ph. D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering
Graduate Student Councilor
S. H. Dinuka S de Silva
PhD candidate
Mathematics 
Graduate Student Councilor
Esma Wali
PhD Student
Computer Science
CUGSA-Health Sciences Representative
Makinley Wright,
Occupational Therapy, MS
CUGSA-Health Sciences Representative
Kayleigh Siebels
Occupational Therapy, MS
CUGSA-Health Sciences Representative
Austin Stockert
Physical Therapy DPT

CUGSA Advisors

(Dr.) Michelle Crimi
Ph.D.,
Interim-Dean, Clarkson University Graduate School

Jeffrey D. Taylor
Master of Science in College Student Development, Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Associate Vice President, Student Affairs & Global Initiatives

President Emeritus

President Emeritus
2021 – 2022
Rasool Mazruee
Mechanical Engineering,
PhD student
President Emeritus
Dec 2019 – May 2021
Sandip Purnapatra
Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, Ph.D. student
President Emeritus
Jan 2018 – Dec 2019
Jaeide Jawahill
Chemical Engineering, Ph.D. student
President Emeritus
2015 – 2018
Alan Schay
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D. student
President Emeritus
2015 – 2018
David Yambay
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D.
President Emeritus
2013 – 2014
Nichole Baldwin
Environmental Science and Engineering, M.S.
President Emeritus
2013 – 2015
Nichole Gale
Mechanical Engineering,
Ph.D.

Phalanx Award Winning members of CUGSA

Phalanx is the highest honorary society of Clarkson University. More details about phalanx can be found here.

Jaeide Jawahill
Phalanx Recipient – 2019, 2020
The Commendable Leadership Award
President Emeritus, CUGSA
Patrick Conlon,
Commendable Service Award-2020
Commendable Leadership Award-2020

Vice-President, CUGSA
Clarkson University Graduate Student Association,
Phalanx Distinguished Service Award, 2021

Constitution Authors

The Constitutions and Bylaws for CUGSA and Potsdam Minor GSA were drafted by Jaeide Jawahill (President of CUGSA, 2018-2019) and Patrick Conlon (Vice President of CUGSA, 2018-2019). The documents were ratified and brought into effect by the CUGSA Graduate Council for the year 2019-2020 on May 2020 led by the presiding president Sandip Purnapatra (2019-2021).

Jaeide Jawahill
Chemical Engineering, Ph.D. student
Patrick Conlon,
Mechanical Engineering, M.S. student
Sandip Purnapatra
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D. student

Website Developers

This website was developed and designed by Marzieh Babaeianjelodar and Priyanka Das, the CUGSA councillors of 2019-2020 for the convenience of Graduate Students community, with the support of the CUGSA PR Team (Alexia Lamb, Juby Varghese, Chethani Athukorala, Mahfuza Akter) and the presiding President Sandip Purnapatra (2019- 2021). This website was launched in May 2020 by the CUGSA Graduate Council 2019-2020.

Marzieh Babaeianjelodar Computer Science, Ph.D. student
CUGSA Councilor
2019-2020
Priyanka Das
Electrical and Computer Engineering, Ph.D. student
CUGSA Councilor
2019-2020