Graduate Community News
GRAD NODES
Stay up-to-date on what's happening in the Graduate School community with Grad NODES (News, Opportunities, Deadlines, Events, and Spotlight). Grad NODES is the official communications source for the Graduate School community of students, graduate advisors, and graduate coordinators. While the official newsletter will be disseminated by email, all editions can be accessed below.
PAST ORIENTATIONS
This archive includes presentation slides and supporting materials from previous Graduate School orientation sessions for ongoing reference.
Grad School Press Releases
We Moved!
We are excited to announce that the Pinkie Gordon Lane Graduate School has moved from David Boyd to 124 Hatcher Hall.
Our new space in Hatcher Hall will serve as the primary location for all Graduate School services, including Admissions, Academic Services, Documents & Records, Financial Operations, and Student Success. Additional updates will be shared soon, but for now, if you plan to visit us in person, please be sure to come to Hatcher Hall moving forward.
Thank you for your patience and flexibility during this transition. We look forward to welcoming everyone into this new space and continuing to support our graduate students throughout their academic careers at LSU!
New Graduate Student Orientation
For new graduate students admitted in Summer 2026 and Fall 2026
2026 Orientation Details
Date: Thursday, August 20, 2026
Time: 9 a.m. to 2 pm.
Location: Student Union Royal Cotillion Ballroom
Luncheon: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Missed Orientation?
Click on the button below to access the handbook and orientation details.
click here to visit our new graduate student orientation webpage
Write On! Fall 2026 Cohort
The Pinkie Lane Gordon Graduate School’s 12-week writing group program, Write On!, is designed to help graduate students build writing momentum, stay accountable, and make consistent progress towards their goals.
Whether you are working on a thesis or dissertation, finishing a paper, developing a proposal, or simply trying to establish a consistent writing routine, Write On! offers a dedicated space and a supportive community to help you keep moving forward.
Participants meet weekly in small groups for 90 minutes of focused writing time, goal setting, and peer support. The program runs from Aug. 31 through Nov. 20, 2026. It is free and open to all LSU master’s and doctoral students, including LSU Online students, with a virtual group option available.
Applications close Sept. 4, 2026.
Interested? Submit your application using the Write On! Interest Form.
GSLI Fall 2026 Cohort Applications
The Graduate Student Leadership Initiative (GSLI) is a cohort-based leadership development
experience designed for LSU graduate students who want to better understand their
strengths, communicate their value with confidence, and grow as leaders.
GSLI combines a strengths assessment, interactive workshops, guided reflection, peer learning, community building, and one-on-one coaching. Participants will develop practical tools that they can use in academic and professional settings, whether or not they hold a formal leadership role.
The program is open to master’s and doctoral students across all disciplines. GSLI is also a fully in-person experience, but LSU Online students are encouraged to apply if they can commit to attending in person.
Fall 2026 GSLI Schedule:
- Sept. 18, 5 to 8:30 p.m.
- Sept. 19, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
- Sept. 20, 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- One-hour individual coaching session in October (determined by student's schedule)
- Nov. 13, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Nov. 30, 6 to 8 p.m.
Applications close Sept. 6, 2026.
Interested? Submit your application using the GSLI Cohort Application Form.
Graduate Student Spotlight Request
Are you conducting research, completing an internship, attending a conference, receiving an award, or accomplishing something you’re proud of? We want to hear about it!
Share your story with us for a chance to be featured on the Graduate School’s social media or monthly newsletter.
You can submit a headshot, supporting photos, and a description of your accomplishment or experience through the Graduate School’s communications submission form.
We can’t wait to celebrate the amazing things our graduate students are doing! If you have questions, email gradcom@lsu.edu.
Featured News
LSU PhD candidate Murtaza Aslam is combining machine learning, spectroscopy, and cancer research to improve pancreatic cancer detection. His work could help make future diagnostics and treatments faster, more precise, and less invasive for patients.
LSU doctoral student Philip Brahana studies how microplastics move through the environment and change over time. His research combines chemistry, environmental science, and engineering to better understand pollution—and help shape safer, more sustainable solutions.
After 10 years of research at LSU, doctoral candidate Hannah Perkins Stark is exploring how workplace stress and unfinished tasks affect sleep and employee well-being. This fall, she begins her next chapter as a psychology professor at Hollins University.
Important Dates & Deadlines: August to September 2026