We will offer students a world-class graduate education that develops their ability to become leaders in their chosen career path—both academic and professional—by emphasizing engagement in research, teaching, and mentoring. We will leverage the College’s disciplinary breadth and intellectual capacity to create forward-facing, research and professional graduate programs that respond to real-world problems and the changing needs of the workforce. Many of our graduate students regularly serve as instructors and mentors for undergraduates, reflecting the college’s deep engagement with the University’s core curriculum. We will offer high-quality robust pedagogical training and support for the benefit of our undergraduate students and to better prepare graduate students for careers as educators.
We Will Attract, Recruit, and Retain Graduate Students Poised to be Great Leaders
Actions:
- Support leadership development with fellowships, mentoring, and advisory boards
- Enhance onboarding efforts, student benefits, and academic lifecycle management
- Invest resources in recruiting and retaining high-achieving graduate students
- Promote transparency in funding for master’s and international students
- Develop flexible budget models to enhance graduate experiences and outcomes
- Support large-scale training grants for graduate student support
We Will Enhance Graduate Student Competitiveness for External Research Funding Support
Actions:
- Incentivize enhanced faculty participation in graduate student grant development
- Create and maintain a college-level database of internal and external funding opportunities
- Provide targeted support for large-scale training grants that include graduate student support
- Coordinate with the university-level resources to offer graduate student training and mentoring to encourage the number of external funding applications
- Streamline administrative processes related to grant management
- Encourage cross-departmental research collaboration among graduate students
We Will Promote High-quality, Impactful Graduate Student Teaching
Actions:
- Incentivize efforts to enhance graduate student pedagogy and teaching
- Identify best practices for effective graduate teacher training and mentoring
- Align graduate teaching positions to meet undergraduate course demands
- Create more opportunities for graduate students to engage with university-level bodies like the Center for Teaching Excellence
Success Metrics and Milestones:
- Attain 15% increase in the number of externally funded graduate research assistants (GARs) by FY33
- Achieve 10% increase in the number of National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellows by FY31
- Establish alumni advisory groups to enhance career readiness for graduate students in all departments by FY27
- Accomplish 20% increase in the number of students enrolled in master’s degree programs in the college by FY33
- Monitor time-to-degree and milestone data for master’s and PhD students
- Evaluate the percentage of accepted graduate admission offers, with particular attention to students offered competitive fellowships or top-ups
- Track the number of departments and programs that offer advanced pedagogical training for graduate students beyond the training required for employment as a graduate assistant teacher
