Annual Student Survey

The Quinney Graduate Student Council Communication's Committee has a goal of conducting a student perspective's survey once an academic year to understand student needs and preferences. These surveys are aimed to provide the Graduate Student Council and Quinney College Leadership with information on how to best support students in that year. Check out our previous survey reports below. 

 

Newsletters

Current Newsletter

October, 2026

Hello Quinney Grad Students,

I hope you are settling into the semester! I am so excited to be writing the first ever Quinney Graduate Student newsletter. This is a place that the graduate student council hopes to curate with events, resources, and other information to ideally reduce the number of emails you will receive from the GSC.

We want this newsletter to be useful for you, so if you have anything you want to add each month, either email me or submit content to this form for it to be considered in next month's newsletter. 
- Bailey Holdaway, GSC Communications Committee Chair

Upcoming Quinney GSC events at a glance

Find more details about events later in newsletter! This section is meant as a TLDR (too long; didn’t read) summary of GSC things you should know about!

• Oct 6, 13, 20 & 27 | Professional Development seminar series
• Oct 30 | IEC corn maze and pumpkin carving
• Oct 13 | Friend speed dating

Announcements

Quinney Graduate Student Webpage

The Quinney GSC has worked to develop a webpage for all things Quinney graduate students! This is the place to find details about events, access resources, learn about graduate student responsibilities and meet all of your GSC. Webpage here.

Volunteers Needed!

The QANR Graduate Student Council is still recruiting volunteers for various committees. We’d love to have you get involved! Sign up here

Emergency Medical Fund

Modeled off of the previous College of Natural Resources Emergency Medical Fund, the QANR Graduate Student Council is actively working to create a fund for all QANR students to access. Check out our new EMF webpage: https://qanr.usu.edu/graduate-students/emergency-medical-fund

Here is a message from Rory Eggleston, our EMF coordinator, about what the EMF is and how it will be operated going forward.

"Happy fall! I am the Graduate Student Emergency Medical Fund Coordinator for the 2026-27 academic year, here with information about the EMF:

What is the EMF? The current EMF from the former NR college provides financial support to NR (currently: ENVS and WILD) & Ecology Center graduate students who face financial hardship due to medical debt that constitutes more than ~10% of their annual income. A new fund modeled on the old NR fund will be started Fall 2026 for ALL Quinney College graduate students, with fundraising details to come soon. For more details about the application process, please see the attached/linked overview document!

History of the EMF The Natural Resources Emergency Medical Fund was established by Tammy Wilson, a doctoral student in the Department of Wildland Resources at Utah State University. In September 2005, Tammy was seriously injured while riding a bicycle. She broke her back and surgery was required to repair the injury. Many friends within the college began raising money to help pay her medical costs. Fortunately, Tammy’s medical care was covered by Workers Compensation. The money raised to cover Tammy’s medical expenses ($3,725.48) was instead donated, establishing the NR Emergency Medical Fund. Fundraising efforts since 2005 have supplemented these initial funds. Students with outstanding medical debt that imposes a financial burden are eligible for assistance from the fund.  This is the fund that will continue to service students in the Ecology Center, Wildland Resources, and Environment and Society until funds are used up. 

Beginning in Fall 2026, the new graduate student council of the S.J. Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is initiating a new Quinney College Graduate Student Emergency Medical Fund that will provide funds for all graduate students in the college and the Ecology Center via fundraising (keep an eye out for some exciting fundraising events later this semester!).

How can I apply for aid from the EMF? Quinney College and Ecology Center graduate students with financial need associated with medical expenses incurred while they were students may apply. Applicants must submit an application (see linked folder) along with documentation of income and the relevant expenses. For a full list of the requirements, please see the linked folder! Applicants should contact Katelyn Richins (katelyn.richins@usu.edu, (435) 797-3505) to deliver completed applications, along with the required documentation, for preparation for anonymous review. If you have any questions, please contact Rory Eggleston (Grad Council EMF Coordinator) at rory.eggleston@usu.edu)."

Mentoring Agreements

Beginning Fall Semester of 2026, the Quinney College of Agriculture and Natural Resources is going to begin requiring mentoring agreements between faculty mentors and graduate students for all graduate students in either a PhD or a Plan A Masters Program. Check out details here: https://qanr.usu.edu/graduate-students/mentoring-agreements 

If you have questions about mentoring agreements, please contact the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies, Dr. Kara Thornton-Kurth (kara.thornton@usu.edu) 

Upcoming events and other dates

Professional Development Committee October Seminar Series

October 6, 13, 20 and 27th @ 11:20 – 12:20 in LIB 101 (and LIB 122 on Oct 27th)
**Note the room correction from previous emails**

Corn maze and pumpkin carving

October 30th @ 5:30 – Little Bear Bottoms. Must RSVP here!
Join the IEC at the Little Bear Bottoms corn maze at 5:30pm, October 30th for a fun fall evening (limited to 15 people), followed by Bring Your Own Pumpkin carving later in the evening at 8:00pm! Both events will be off campus.

Quinney Graduate Student Friend Speed Dating

October 13th @ 5:00-7:00 pm – AGRS 137 – Snacks provided!
Come meet some grad students that you may haven’t meant before!

Thesis & Dissertation Information Session

October 20th @ 12:00 – Library Room 154 – Information here
Hosted by the School of Graduate Studies

Fall Graduation Application Deadline

October 31st – Information here

Student spotlight

Ollie Laub

PhD Candidate
President of Quinney GSC
College Representative on USU’s GSC

Hi all! My name is Ollie Laub, and I’m a fourth-year PhD candidate in the Water, Earth, and Environmental Sciences Department working with Dr. Donald Penman to understand a process that has helped keep Earth habitable over geologic timescales: silicate weathering. More specifically, I look at the chemistry of microscopic fossils from deep-sea sediments that reveal changes in how much atmospheric carbon was being consumed by reactions with rocks on Earth’s surface. When I’m not in the lab picking out microfossils, you can find me working with graduate students and administrators to build our newly merged Graduate Student Council into a community that connects all of our departments in the Quinney College. Outside of work, I love to go on hikes with my golden retriever, Zephyr! I often bring him to work with me, so if you’re ever in need of puppy snuggles, come find us in the Geology Building near the Quad!

Resources

The QANR Graduate Student Council is working to put together and gather resources that may be useful for you!
Have a resource you want other students to know about? Send it to Bailey.Holdaway@usu.edu 

Looking for housing? Check out the QANR housing page
Student Nutrition Access Center On-campus food pantry
New to Cache Valley? Check out A Grad Student’s Guide to Cache Valley
Quinney Graduate Student Resources Page Curated resources
Graduate Student Mentoring Agreements Details here

Have news or content for next month? Send items by the 5th of every month to Bailey.Holdaway@usu.edu or use the submission form.

Past Newsletters

 

 

Quinney Graduate Student Homepage