What is LPSGov?
LPSGov is the official student government body for graduate and professional students in the College of Liberal and Professional Studies (LPS) at the University of Pennsylvania. The organization represents students across ten of LPS graduate programs
What empowers LPSGov?
LPSGov is one of the official student governments recognized by GAPSA, which is officially sanctioned by the Statutes of the University of Pennsylvania, a core body of governing regulations ratified by the Board of Trustees.
LPSGov activities are designed to facilitate the professional development, networking, and educational needs of students who may currently be working and/or raising families while taking classes. Three specific areas of emphasis include:
Funding: LPSGov plans to develop a central pool of funds to help support students in need of funds for capstone projects or for travel to a conference to give a presentation. Individual program activities are also supported by LPSGov fund distributions, and be combined to support cross-program initiatives.
Events: LPSGov plans a variety of activities, including social gatherings, networking events, professional development workshops, and more. Some events are program-specific, some are LPS-wide, and others are organized in collaboration with student governments in other schools at Penn. Please see our Event page for further information.
Advocacy: LPSGov advocates for student interests and promotes diversity and inclusion through its activities. LPSGov is also a member of GAPSA, which engages in an ongoing dialogue with the leaders of the university, sits in on Board of Trustee and University Council meetings, and also meets regularly with Penn’s President and Provost.
How is LPSGov structured?
Leadership for LPSGov is provided by the Executive Committee, which includes a President, Vice President, and Directors of Finance, Operations, Communications, and Diversity and Inclusion, as well as the General Assembly, comprised of Program Representatives and two Graduate and Professional Student Assembly (GAPSA) representatives. General Assembly representatives work along with the Executive Committee, and all of these positions are elected annually by the LPS graduate student body.
How can I get involved?
There are many ways to get involved with LPSGov no matter how much time you’d like to commit. Contact your Program Representative to learn more about what your program has planned for the year and to make suggestions on how your program’s LPSGov funds could be used. You can also volunteer to work on a specific event or get involved in leadership.
Elections for Executive Committee positions are held in the Spring for the following academic year. All positions are open, and any enrolled graduate or professional student is eligible to run. For more information about LPSGov elections, please see Article V in the bylaws. Detailed descriptions of each position’s responsibilities are listed in Article II.
If you’d like to serve as a Program Representative and serve as part of the General Assembly, please contact the Director of your program. Each of the programs at LPS has a different procedure for selecting Program Representatives. A detailed description of the responsibilities of a Program Representative is included in Article I.
