To Our Graduate Students:
You are essential to Case Western Reserve’s mission of teaching and research. Your intellect, insight, and ingenuity all play crucial roles in advancing discovery and learning. You inspire us with your energy and dedication—as well as your support for one another.
We also recognize that graduate school can involve challenges that extend beyond academic rigor. Some of you are just beginning your lives as independent adults, while others have started families. All of you are juggling multiple responsibilities, and we want to try help ease at least some of those burdens.
Below are some of the steps we are taking toward that goal:
Extension of Paid Parental Leave: Effective immediately, eligible students in the School of Graduate Studies who receive stipends will receive two additional weeks of leave paid at 100% of the student’s current stipend. This change extends paid leave to eight weeks after the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child.
Exemption from Classes or Class Activities During Semester Breaks: Effective immediately, students in the School of Graduate Studies will receive a two-day break from classes and class activities in the fall, and a five-day break in the spring; both of these breaks will correspond to those in the undergraduate calendar. (Please note that this exemption applies only to classes and class activities; faculty may still require graduate students to perform research activities during these breaks.)
Membership Fee and $1,000 Subsidy for Child Care at Sweet Kiddles: Effective Feb. 1, Case Western Reserve will pay the $125 membership fee and up to $1,000 of child care at any Sweet Kiddles location for students in the School of Graduate Studies. Among its sites is one in University Circle at 1999 Circle Dr., Suite A—adjacent to Tremont Athletic Club.
$1,500 Reduction in Out-of-Pocket Maximum for Student Health Insurance: Effective in the 2022-2023 year, students in the School of Graduate Studies who enroll in the university’s student health insurance plan will have a $5,000 out-of-pocket maximum for medical costs (the current maximum is $6,500).
The School of Graduate Studies will provide additional information regarding these changes in the coming weeks.
We hope to do more to demonstrate how much we value your contributions to our university. Since most of these items can be implemented immediately, we wanted to make sure to communicate the changes to you in a timely way.
Thank you for all that you do for Case Western Reserve.
Ben Vinson III
Provost and Executive Vice President
Charles E. Rozek
Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Academic & Faculty Affairs