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Graduate Education at the University of Illinois Senior Administrator Orientation August 17, 2006.
Transcript of Graduate Education at the University of Illinois Senior Administrator Orientation August 17, 2006.
Graduate Education at the University of Illinois
Senior Administrator Orientation
August 17, 2006
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Outstanding graduate programs are crucial . . .
to our standing as a world-class university, to our ability to recruit and retain superior faculty, to our capacity to conduct cutting-edge research, to our ability to provide excellent undergraduate education, to the vibrant intellectual culture of the campus.
Importance of graduate education
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Some basic data More than 9,000 grad students, and well
over 10,000 grad & professional students c. 6,000 are not Illinois residents c. 3,500 are from other countries c. 650 are underrepresented students (6-
7% of all grad students, 10-11% of domestic grad)
over 5,000 students accepted each year, from c. 20,000 applications.
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Scope
c. 100 departments – some tiny, some very large. Over 90 doctoral programs. About 150 master’s level programs.
Each year, about 2,500 will complete masters degrees; avg. just over 2 years
Each year, about 600 of them will complete doctoral degrees; avg. just under 7 years, but varies widely
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate College Dean Richard Wheeler Associate Deans Kelly Tappenden &
William Welburn Graduate admissions; graduate programs
& policies & practices; fellowships; student issues; recruiting & retention; data & surveys; career services; graduation
Coble Hall, 2nd & 3rd floors http://www.grad.uiuc.edu
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Student support Students range from paying their own
way, to 25% appointments at minimum stipend level, to very high-paying fellowships and research assistants.
About 5,700 assistantships – nearly 3 for
each member of the tenure track faculty – largest employee group on campus.
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Research Assistants
About 3,000 research assistantships; basic to research all over the campus, but particularly the federally funded research that is such a large part of our budget, and such a large part of our reputation, and such a large part of faculty satisfaction
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Teaching Assistants About 2,500 teaching assistants: c. 22% of UG teaching c. 41% of 100-level teaching c. 25% of 200-level teaching Their ICES ratings mirror those of faculty. Teaching Assistants and Graduate
Assistants in GEO Contract negotiations underway
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate Admissions
Grad Admissions now in Graduate College -- Jose Koonce-Evans
Apply Yourself application system -- Todd Nelson
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Graduate student issues & initiatives
•Competition for the best graduate students is keen •Doctoral programs attrition rates are high, time-to-degree long•Special effort is required to recruit and support underrepresented students in graduate programs •Globalization threatens to erode our edge in recruiting the best international students •Too few of the most highly talented domestic majority students are electing research careers •Compensation for graduate students with assistantships in the core disciplines need to be increased
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Underrepresented studentsHow do we make the best us of available funds and the
effectiveness of the programs they support?
How do we integrate our programs more fully into the graduate education environment?
Review of all our major programs: recruiting, SROP, SPI, Campus Visits, community building, Graduate College Fellowships
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
International studentsWe cannot afford to lose our strong attractiveness to
international students
Nor can we count on keeping that attractiveness without more effort than we have put into recruiting these students than in the past.
No obvious way to recruit the World.
What are the most effective ways to recruit international students into our graduate programs?
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Domestic majority students51% of U.S. citizens earning Ph.D.s nationwide are female,
though distribution is very uneven.
U.S. citizen white male Ph.D. decreased 20% from 1994 to 2004. What, if anything, does this say about the attractiveness and stature of Ph.D. in American culture?
Issues that cannot be addressed simply by increasing fellowships or assistantship stipends, but point to much larger issues in how doctoral education is managed and perceived across American universities.
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Attrition – Completion A fair bit is now known about attrition in doctoral programs:
importance of good mentoring and advising; substantial annual reviews; clear guidelines that enable students to understand their place in their program; clear understanding of the expectations of the program and the nature of the various program components; assimilation into the social dynamic of the department; protection from program politics; access to sources of financial support that do not pull extensively away from doctoral education; effective peer mentoring; good reasons to complete in a timely fashion, etc.
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Best practices
For the most part, implementation of good practices that promote these qualities is less a financial than a “cultural” issue in graduate programs.
What are the best ways to effect change in the many and varied program cultures across campus?
In place: CGS Ph.D. Completion study, annual symposium, GC Career Services Office, faculty-mentoring workshop, annual review workshop for DGSs, etc.
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Time to degreeA national problem, with many sources, most of them not
directly related to, or issuing from, the educational demands of doctoral programs.
National average for the last 20 years: 10 years between bachelors and Ph.D., 8 years of enrolled time. Causes related to those that produce the high attrition rates.
Contributes to the decreasing attractiveness of doctoral study for many highly qualified to pursue it.
Difficult to address locally, because programs have adapted to this long rhythm of doctoral study nationally. First big step is recognition of the seriousness of the problem.
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Interdisciplinary research & graduate educationIllinois a powerful national leader in interdisciplinary research
Importance of Beckman Institute, NCSA, and other interdisciplinary research centers
Research Assistants crucial to cutting edge research that crosses disciplinary boundaries
Less successful in driving interdisciplinarity down into graduate education
Poor record of acquiring interdisciplinary training grants
Lack effective enough ways to transcend the disciplinary silos that shape much of the graduate degree structure
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Professional Master’s degrees
Chance to develop professional master’s programs responsive to changing workforce needs and evolving student interests; to prepare students for careers in business, government, and non-profit employment sectors.
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
PSM
Professional Science Master’s (PSM)
In 1997, Sloan Foundation gave first grants to universities to help establish PSM
Professional Master’s degrees in Humanities and Social Sciences developed with CGS-Ford Foundation help
Oversight now with Council of Graduate Schools
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
UsesResponse to:
work force needs for master’s level expertise;
low rates of graduate school enrollment for students with UG majors in STEM fields
Provides:
alternative to Ph.D. for students seeking careers in STEM related fields
About 75 programs established with help from Sloan grants
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
FieldsFields:
Biosciences
Bioinformatics
Mathematics
Environment/Geology
Chemical Sciences
Physics
Computation Science
Medical-related
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Characteristics2-3 year program, tuition-fundedexternal advisory board core of advanced disciplinary or interdisciplinary course work
of about 18-24 hoursteam oriented projects -- research methodology and leadershipcourses and activities that address business and ethical
principles and such issues as in intellectual property, project management, regulatory requirements
emphasis on developing communication skills, presentation methods, and other workplace necessities
internship in business, government, or non-profit workplace
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Newer developmentsProfessional Master’s degrees in Humanities and Social Sciences (Ford
Foundation) CGS consolidation –The CGS Professional Master's Initiatives are designed to help
member institutions respond to documented local and regional workforce needs and student interest/demand for master's programs that prepare graduates for careers in business, government and non-profit (BGN) employment sectors. In the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, baccalaureate graduates generally have insufficient technical or disciplinary background, limited mastery of desired skills sets, and not enough understanding of non-academic work to qualify for professional employment. Doctorate graduates are often over-qualified in research but lack professional skills required for BGN careers.
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Next
Preliminary Campus planning:
Explore options - ACES, ALS, Engineering, LAS, FAA, Business
Campus visit October 9 & 10:
Carol Lynch, CGS Senior Scholar in Residence
Sheila Tobias, formerly PSM Outreach Coordinator for Sloan Foundation
The Graduate College at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
NRC
National Research Council
Assessment of Research Doctorate Programs
Sally Mikel, Rebecca Bryant, Pam Hohn; Carol Livingstone; Barb Welge