Strategic Imperative Two: Student Success, Career Outcomes & Impact

Provide comprehensive student support to recruit, retain and graduate scholars prepared for a range of career paths and positive societal impact. Transform the supportive relationships, roles and interactions that shape graduate student success, promoting a more human-centered approach to graduate education.

Improve financial support structures Create and expand opportunities and offerings Improve communications with stakeholders Improve campus climate and program success
Improve financial support structures

Improve financial support structures for graduate students.

  • Adapt graduate appointments to emphasize enhanced advising, a mentored teaching/research experience and timely degree completion.
  • Restructure fellowship funds to better support recruitment and time-to-degree goals.
  • Provide standardized incentives and support for students on externally funded fellowships and training grants.

Create and expand opportunities and offerings that align the objectives of academic programs with student career aspirations.

  • Expand the scope and reach of career, teaching and professional development programming to ensure that students achieve their academic and professional goals.
  • Improve understanding among both faculty and students about diverse career pathways and opportunities.
  • Enhance pathways within doctoral programs for students headed to nonacademic careers, including alternative coursework and thesis options
  • Encourage the recognition of faculty whose students achieve a broad array of career aspirations.

Improve communications with stakeholders and build Graduate School visibility.

  • Improve communications with campus partners about Graduate School initiatives and opportunities.
  • Improve communications regarding trends and changes in the national and international educational landscape, including related public policy.
  • Strengthen the partnership between graduate students and the Graduate School (GPSG, etc.).
  • Increase awareness of scope and impact of graduate student research and creative work.
  • Build connections with outside stakeholders and potential employers.
    • Reconstitute the Graduate School Advisory Council. 

Employ data and evidence-based assessment to continuously improve campus climate and program success for graduate students.

  • Implement a regular cadence of graduate student climate surveys.
  • Implement exit surveys for all students leaving graduate programs prior to completion.
  • Establish core metrics for graduate program assessment and develop a dashboard for open sharing of program successes and challenges.
  • Work with campus leaders to incorporate more holistic graduate program assessment into department performance reviews.Â