Graduate student Nagarajan Kannan stands on the top of a very large heap -- two million graduate students studying in the United States.
Kannan, 32, a doctoral student in the civil engineering department, has recently been elected president of the northeastern region of the National Association of Graduate Professional Students. More than two million graduate and professional students in the United States are members.
Kannan said he has innovative plans to help graduate students to achieve success, including making scholarships tax deductible. However, first he must get students involved, he said.
"Many people don't know that this organization exists," he said. "Two million students' power is not behind our organization."
But Kannan is out to change that.
Recognized last year as the 2002 "Young Engineer of the Year" for New York State, Kannan plans to use his new position as president to influence Congress to pass legislation that will make life easier for graduate students. He says to accomplish this he will need the help of as many students as possible.
"To get things done in Washington, you need numbers. We have the numbers, we now need people to come forward."
The most important item on Kannan's agenda, he said, is a tax exemption on graduate student scholarships.
He admits that it might not save a ton of money, but "if you save $45 a semester, you could buy a book with that."
Kannan thinks that once a tax exemption on scholarships is enacted for graduate students, it will only be a matter of time before it is extended to undergraduates.
His second goal as regional president of the association is slightly to relax student visa restrictions.
"It should be strict, I understand that, but it should be more streamlined," said Kannan, who moved from Trachy, India, to New York with his family five years ago to work at a local engineering firm and to study at UB.
To accomplish his goals, Kannan said he needs the backing of the graduate community at UB.
"We need more support," said Kannan. "Write e-mails to us. Write letters. I want to work with more students. When you see more students, you can identify common problems."
"No individual can do great things, but there is no limit to what a team can do," he added.
However, Kannan is no stranger to individual accomplishment. He is the president of the UB chapter of the National Society for Professional Engineers. It is in this capacity that he has caught the attention of local leaders in engineering.
"From what I've seen of him, he's reinvigorated the student chapter (of NSPE) at UB," said Edward Watts, owner of Watts Engineering in Williamsville. "He could have not done anything with his time, but instead he used it toward the advancement of his profession."
School of Engineering officials praised Kannan's dedication to his leadership roles.
"Kannan is very serious, well-organized and professional," said Michael Ryan, associate dean for undergraduate education in the Department of Chemical Engineering. "He is genuinely concerned with regard to the professional development of engineering students."
He attributed his success to natural leadership skills.
"I never said I want to lead the team, people have always just chosen me," said Kannan.
In addition to support for the legislation changes that Kannan hopes to accomplish, he also hopes graduate students will take a look at two helpful Web sites: www.nelnet.com, a site that provides sponsors for student loans, and www.researchtogether.com, a site where graduate students can research all kinds of insurance partners.
Kannan encourages all graduate students at UB to support the association, even if just by an e-mail.
"You will feel happy for yourself," he said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
