Mission Statement

It is the mission of the AAAL Graduate Student Council to promote the professional growth of graduate students as researchers and practitioners within the field of applied linguistics, knowing that current graduate students embody the future of the profession. 

 

Preparing future applied linguists to enter in the community of practice, as we envision, requires:

 

1) encouraging informed and active membership,

2) developing and promoting events suited for graduate students’ needs, and

3) building an interconnected community for graduate students that extends beyond their individual institutions.

 

Through these efforts we aim to cultivate graduate students’ professional development as they endeavor to fulfill diverse, significant roles in addressing language-related phenomena, issues, and practices around the world.

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With the mission in mind, the purpose of the AAAL Graduate Student Council is: 

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• To support the professional development and personal well-being of AAAL graduate student members individually;

• To build a strong community of AAAL graduate student members collectively; and

• To conduct outreach and advocacy on behalf of AAAL graduate student members within and beyond the discipline of applied linguistics.

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To accomplish these priorities, we provide:

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• Resources and opportunities for professional development, such as:

  • Conference sessions

  • Information about funding sources

  • Venues for presenting and publishing research

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• Community-building initiatives, such as:

  • Service opportunities within AAAL

  • Access to AAAL member benefits

  • Increasing inter-institution student-student connections, collaborations, and communications

  • Peer mentoring

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• Outreach activities, such as:

  • Advocating for AAAL Executive Committee action to benefit graduate student members

  • Creating and maintaining connections to other graduate student organizations (e.g. LSA Committee on Student Issues and Concerns, AERA Graduate Student Council, National Association of Student Anthropologists)

  • Promoting advanced graduate students as experts in the media