MISSION & FACTS

The professional student governance on the Twin Cities campus of the University of Minnesota rests with the Professional Student Government (PSG). All currently registered professional students at the University of Minnesota are members of PSG.

PSG represents and serves students in the Carlson School of Management, Law School, Medical School, Dental School, School of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, School of Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, College of Education and Human Development, and Humphrey School of Public Affairs. PSG is a resource for its 10 member Councils, the primary contact point for administrative units, a professional student policy-making and policy-influencing body, and as a center of inter- and intra-collegiate interaction among professional students.

In identifying issues of importance to our constituency at the collegiate, University, city, state, and national levels, PSG strives to maximize the level of student input in the advocacy process. We strive to develop creative, thoughtful, and well-researched positions and proposals that will benefit professional students and, ultimately, the entire University community.

PSG is uniquely positioned to serve at the highest level of professional student government. We have a variety of mechanisms well-suited and well-coordinated for serving our constituency. PSG’s President and the PSG Student Representative to the Board of Regents act as our primary liaisons to the University Administration. We collaborate with the Minnesota Student Legislative Coalition (MSLC) to educate elected officials about professional student needs. We have ties to the University Senate and the University Senate Committee system, allowing us to interact with faculty and staff in daily decision-making and to propose changes to policies. College council representatives are also members of the PSG Congress, ensuring a free flow of information about college trends and obstacles faced in representation at that level.

OUR HISTORY

In 1990, a non-profit confederation of independent college councils formed with the aim of representing all graduate and professional students at the University of Minnesota to the Board of Regents, the University President, the University Senate, and the broader University community (including neighboring communities). This organization was initially named the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA). Prior to this, both graduate and professional students, alongside undergraduate students, were represented under the Minnesota Student Association (MSA).

For 25 years, GAPSA comprised ten councils: the Graduate School, Carlson School of Management, Law School, Medical School, Dental School, School of Nursing, College of Pharmacy, School of Public Health, College of Veterinary Medicine, and College of Education and Human Development. The president of GAPSA was elected through an ACEC election in March, involving all graduate and professional students, including Medicine and Pharmacy students attending classes in Duluth. The 2015-2016 school year was intended to commemorate the 25th anniversary of GAPSA.

However, over time, GAPSA faced internal conflicts among council leaders and within the leadership itself. Specifically, the GAPSA Assembly became fragmented as it grappled with addressing the interests and needs of both graduate and professional students. Many leaders recognized the distinct differences between graduate and professional students, leading to a divisive atmosphere. This discord reached a critical point in 2014, prompting the Council of Graduate Students (COGS) and GAPSA leaders to conclude that separate organizations would better serve the representation of graduate students and professional students.

After a student referendum supported this change, on May 7, 2015, the final GAPSA Assembly unanimously voted to disassociate from COGS and rename itself the Professional Student Government (PSG). PSG would persist in its role of representing professional students and professional councils. Meanwhile, COGS would exclusively continue its representation of graduate students, as it had been accustomed to doing.