Transcript Slide 1

Organization, Administration,
and Improvement of
Graduate Education
Daniel Denecke, Ph.D.
Program Director, Best Practices and Publications
The Council of Graduate Schools
NAGS Annual Meeting
April 10, 2008
www.cgsnet.org
The Council of Graduate Schools
 Membership
• 500 institutions of higher education in the United States and
Canada engaged in graduate education, research, and the
preparation of candidates for advanced degrees.
• CGS members award 94% of the doctoral degrees and 80%
of the master’s degrees in the United States.
 Mission: “to improve and advance graduate education”
through
• Advocacy,
• Research, and
• Best Practices.
CGS 2004 Publication
Ch. 1 – The Role of the Graduate School
in the University
 Articulate a vision of excellence in scholarship and
education
 Provide quality control for all aspects of graduate
education
 Maintain equitable standards across academic
disciplines
 Define what graduate education is and what it is not
 Bring an institution-wide perspective to all
postbaccalaureate endeavors
Ch. 1 - The Role of the Graduate School
in the University (cont.)
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Provide an interdisciplinary perspective
Enhance the intellectual community of scholars
Serve as an advocate for graduate education
Emphasize importance of preparing future scholars
Develop ways to enhance undergraduate education
Support graduate student services
Serve as an advocate for issues and constituencies
critical to the success of graduate programs
Ch. 2 - Structural Elements of
Graduate Education
 Faculty units that supervise graduate study and
recommend degrees: need not be departments
 Chief Academic Officer responsible for graduate
education: need not be a Dean
 Degree-granting unit: Graduate School or decentralized
 The Graduate Council, faculty governance
 Graduate student representation
Ch. 3 – Relationship to Research
Administration
 Sponsored research:
• Facilitator, liaison, guidelines and policies on RCR
issues, grant and contract mgt., ensure compliance,
and administer funds.
 Two models for research administration:
• (1) Combined duties (e.g. Vice Provost for Research
and Dean of Graduate Studies)
• (2) Sole research duties (e.g. Vice President, Vice
Chancellor, or Vice Provost for Research)
Ch. 4 – A Compendium of Graduate
School Activities
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Program Content
Students
Faculty
Administrative Support
University-Wide Activities
External Relations
Research Administration
“Chapter 5” – Self-Reinvention
 Best Practices
 Emerging Roles for the Graduate School
 What’s Next
“Best Practices”
 Graduate degree completion
 Inclusiveness (pathways and pipelines)
 Professional development
• E.g. Professional Master’s Degrees
• Preparing Future Faculty
• Preparing Future Professionals
 Research integrity
• Responsible Conduct of Research
• Ethical Deliberation
• Integration into the fabric of graduate education
(intercultural, interactive, interdisciplinary)
Emerging Roles for the Graduate
School in the University (1)
 Assess the role and responsibility of the
graduate school in the education of postdoctorates
 Define the graduate school’s position on
professional doctorates
 Strengthen graduate school’s ties with the
community and the public
 Situate campus efforts in a national context
Emerging Roles for the Graduate
School in the University (2)
 Ground discussions in empirical data
• Enrollment management > completion management
> alumni tracking
• External grants bring national visibility to campus
efforts, can help garner support of senior
administration (President, Chancellor), and can
strengthen community.
Emerging Roles for the Graduate
School in the University (3)
 Provide a Global Context
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International Students
International Competition
Employability
Responsible Research and the Public Good
What’s Next?
 Graduate Education in 2020?
• Who (or what) will fund our institutions and our
students in the future? How will new structures of
funding impact research and graduate education?
• How might the political climate impact the relative
weight of (sometimes competing) domestic
pathways and international student mobility
priorities?
• Can innovation be taught? Are our pedagogies of
innovation being emulated?
• Are we preparing future scholars and professionals
for a global research community?