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Graduate Education at the University of Illinois

Graduate Education at the University of Illinois. Senior Administrator Orientation August 17, 2006. Importance of graduate education. Outstanding graduate programs are crucial . . . to our standing as a world-class university, to our ability to recruit and retain superior faculty,

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Graduate Education at the University of Illinois

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  1. Graduate Education at the University of Illinois Senior Administrator Orientation August 17, 2006

  2. Importance of graduate education • 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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

  5. 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

  6. 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.

  7. 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

  8. 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

  9. Graduate Admissions • Grad Admissions now in Graduate College -- Jose Koonce-Evans • Apply Yourself application system -- Todd Nelson

  10. 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

  11. Underrepresented students How 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

  12. International students We 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?

  13. Domestic majority students 51% 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.

  14. 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.

  15. 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.

  16. Time to degree A 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.

  17. Interdisciplinary research & graduate education Illinois 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

  18. 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.

  19. 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

  20. Uses Response 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

  21. Fields Fields: Biosciences Bioinformatics Mathematics Environment/Geology Chemical Sciences Physics Computation Science Medical-related

  22. Characteristics 2-3 year program, tuition-funded external advisory board core of advanced disciplinary or interdisciplinary course work of about 18-24 hours team oriented projects -- research methodology and leadership courses 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

  23. Newer developments Professional 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 forprofessional employment. Doctorate graduates are often over-qualified in research but lack professional skills required for BGN careers.

  24. 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

  25. NRC National Research Council Assessment of Research Doctorate Programs Sally Mikel, Rebecca Bryant, Pam Hohn; Carol Livingstone; Barb Welge

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