[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/Gradreception.jpg” caption=”McMaster President Peter George at the welcome event held for graduate students in the David Braley Athletic Centre. “]McMaster welcomed a brand new class of graduate students to campus yesterday at an event held in the David Braley Athletic Centre, hosted by the School of Graduate Studies.

Students from over 100 programs across 6 faculties were greeted by McMaster President Peter George, provost and vice-president academic Ilene Busch-Vishniac and Graduate Student Association president Jessica Merolli while participating in an interactive drum event.

“Graduate students come to McMaster to learn, but we hope you learn more than the latest theories and developments,” said George to the nearly 800 students at the welcome event. “We want you to reach your full potential and to have the opportunity to share that with your fellow students, faculty and the broader society.”

This year's class of graduate students is McMaster's largest, with almost
1300 new graduate students making up over a third of the University's total graduate population of 3500. McMaster University has increasingly become the graduate school of choice for students from across the province, the nation and the world, with applications to McMaster's graduate programs increasing by about 10% this year.

“Never did I expect my first memory of McMaster to be banging on a bongo in unison with 800 postgrad students,” said Melena Vinski, MSc candidate, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience & Behaviour. “If only we got to do that every day and still get a master's!”

McMaster has maintained its commitment to support both academic excellence and diversity with over a quarter of the graduate student body coming from outside of Canada. Fifteen per cent of that group will be studying at McMaster on an International Study Permit. McMaster's new graduate students will be engaged in research/thesis-based master's degrees, course-based and professional master's programs, or pursuing their PhDs.

“We are thrilled to welcome such a diverse group of young scholars to McMaster,” said Allison Sekuler, associate vice-president and dean of graduate studies. “Our goal is to enable graduate students to have the best possible experience during their time here, and to set each student on his or her optimal path.”

Today, students will participate in Graduate Student Day, a day dedicated to developing teaching and learning skills through a number of sessions and workshops.

“Graduate students play a critical role in supporting McMaster's academic mission, enhancing the University's reputation for innovation and excellence in teaching and research” said Busch-Vishniac. “We look forward to seeing the contributions these students will make in their time at McMaster and beyond.”