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VOLUME
1,
NUMBER
6
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JULY
2012
New NRC Report Urges Strengthened
University Partnerships and Reform of
Graduate Education1
A new report by the National Research
Council (NRC), Research Universities and the
Future of America: Ten Breakthrough Actions
Vital to Our Nation’s Prosperity and Security,
affirms that “America is driven by innovation
—advances in ideas, products, and processes
—that create new industries and jobs,
contribute to our nation’s health and
security, and support a high standard of
living.” The report argues that, especially in
the last half-century, innovation in the
United States has been increasingly driven
by educated people and the knowledge they
produce. Our nation’s research universities,
therefore, are a critical national asset as they
provide our nation’s primary source of new
knowledge and graduates with advanced
skills.
Although regarded by many as collectively
the best in the world, our research
universities today confront challenges and
opportunities that require systematic
response. Their sources of revenue are
unstable and contested. There is increasing
competition for students and faculty abroad.
Evolving technology requires institutions to
improve administrative operations and
enhance the education of their students.
Students are increasingly diverse and will
graduate into changing jobs and careers,
powerful trends that push our universities to
change the way we approach teaching, and
learning.
Charge to the Committee
Concerned that the nation’s research
universities are at risk, a bi-partisan group in
the U.S. Congress asked the NRC to assess
the competitive position of these institutions
and respond to the following question:
What are the top ten actions that
Congress, state governments, research
universities, and others can take to
maintain the excellence in research and
doctoral education needed to help the
United States compete, prosper, and
achieve national goals for health, energy,
the environment, and security in the
global community of the 21st century?
In response, the NRC convened a
committee of leaders in academia, industry,
government, and national laboratories.
Research Universities and the Future of
America, the committee’s report, explains its
findings and the ten actions it recommends.
Findings
Research Universities argues that the nation
must reaffirm and revitalize the unique
partnership that has long existed among
research universities, federal and state
governments, and philanthropy, and
strengthen its links with business. It is this
partnership that is central to the global
strength of our institutions and what makes
them a potent asset for our nation, providing
the innovation and talent we need in the
21st century to create high-quality jobs,
increase incomes, and achieve national goals
in security, health, and more.
The strength of our nation’s research
universities, public and private, did not
happen by accident. It is the direct result of
forward-looking federal and state policies.
These began 150 years ago with the Morrill
Act of 1862 that established a partnership
between the federal government and the
states to build universities that would
address the challenges of creating a modern
agricultural and industrial economy. It
continued following World War II, when our
policies concentrated basic research in our
universities and funded it though federal
programs that supported a unique and
productive combination of research and
graduate education.
This partnership has led to significant
benefits for America’s economy and quality
of life. University research has addressed
environmental concerns, such as damage to
the earth’s ozone shield. It has produced new
drugs and technology that improve health,
including synthetic insulin, blood thinners,
Inside
New Members. . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Data Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
CGS Summer Interns . . . . . . 5
and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). It
has led to innovations that make our nation
safer, such as imaging technology that scans
containers as they enter our ports. It has
contributed countless products that have
revolutionized our way of life, including
lasers, rocket fuel, computers, and key
components of the World Wide Web. And
talented graduates of these institutions have
created and populated many new businesses
that have employed millions of Americans.
Despite their success, our nation’s research
universities are now confronting challenges
and opportunities that a reasoned set of
policies must address in order to produce the
greatest return to our society, our security,
and our economy. Research Universities
identified the following as especially
important.
• Federal funding for university research
has been unstable and, in real terms,
declining at a time when other countries
have increased funding for research and
development (R&D).
• State funding for higher education,
already eroding in real terms for more
than two decades, has been cut further
during the recent recession.
• Business and industry have largely
dismantled the large corporate research
laboratories that drove American
industrial leadership in the 20th century
(for example, Bell Labs), but have not yet
fully partnered with research universities
to fill the gap at a time when the new
knowledge and ideas emerging from
university research are needed by
society more than ever.
• Research universities must improve
management, productivity, and cost
efficiency in both administration and
academics.
• Young faculty have insufficient
opportunities to launch academic
careers and research programs.
• There has been an underinvestment in
campus infrastructure, particularly in
cyberinfrastructure that could lead to
long-term increases in productivity,
cost-effectiveness, and innovation in
research, education, and administration.
• Research sponsors often do not pay
the full cost of research they procure,
which means that universities have to
cross-subsidize sponsored research from
other sources.
Page 2
• A burdensome accumulation of
federal and state regulatory and
reporting requirements increases costs
and sometimes challenges academic
freedom and integrity.
• Doctoral and postdoctoral preparation
could be enhanced by shortening timeto-degree, raising completion rates, and
enhancing programs’ effectiveness in
providing training for highly-productive
careers.
• Demographic change in the U.S.
population necessitates strategies for
increasing the success of female and
underrepresented minority students.
• Institutions abroad are increasingly
competing for international students,
researchers, and scholars.
Research Universities argues that we must
address these issues in order to assure that
our institutions can continue to contribute
the new knowledge and talented people our
society requires.
Recommendations
The report provides ten strategic actions
designed to accomplish three broad goals:
Revitalize the Partnership
The first four actions strengthen the
partnership among universities, federal and
state governments, philanthropic
institutions, and businesses in order to
revitalize university research and speed its
translation into innovative products and
services.
Recommendation 1: Federal Action
Within the broader framework of United
States innovation and R&D strategies, the
federal government should adopt stable and
effective policies, practices, and funding for
university-performed R&D and graduate
education so that the nation will have a
stream of new knowledge and educated
people to power our future, helping us meet
national goals and ensure prosperity and
security.
Recommendation 2: State Action
Provide greater autonomy for public research
universities so that these institutions may
leverage local and regional strengths to
compete strategically and respond with
agility to new opportunities. At the same
time, restore state appropriations for higher
education, including graduate education and
research, to levels that allow public research
universities to operate at world-class levels.
Recommendation 3: Strengthening
Partnerships with Business
Strengthen the business role in the research
partnership, facilitating the transfer of
knowledge, ideas, and technology to society
and accelerate “time to innovation” in order
to achieve our national goals.
Recommendation 4: Improving University
Productivity
Increase university cost-effectiveness and
productivity in order to provide a greater
return on investment for taxpayers,
philanthropists, corporations, foundations,
and other research sponsors.
Strengthen Institutions
The next three actions streamline and
improve the productivity of research
operations within universities.
Recommendation 5: Creating a Strategic
Investment Program
Create a Strategic Investment Program that
funds initiatives at research universities
critical to advancing education and research
in areas of key national priority.
Recommendation 6: Full Federal Funding of
Research
The federal government and other research
sponsors should strive to cover the full costs
of research projects and other activities they
procure from research universities in a
consistent and transparent manner.
Recommendation 7: Reducing Regulatory
Burdens
Reduce or eliminate regulations that increase
administrative costs, impede research
productivity, and deflect creative energy
without substantially improving the research
environment.
Build Talent
The final three actions ensure that
America’s pipeline of future talent in science,
engineering, and other research areas
remains creative and vital, leveraging the
abilities of all of its citizens and attracting the
best students and scholars from around the
world.
Recommendation 8: Reforming Graduate
Education
Improve the capacity of graduate programs
to attract talented students by addressing
issues such as attrition rates, time-to-degree,
funding, and alignment with both student
career opportunities and national interests.
Recommendation 9: STEM Pathways and
Diversity
Secure for the United States the full benefits
of education for all Americans, including
GradEdge
women and underrepresented minorities, in
science, mathematics, engineering, and
technology (STEM).
Recommendation 10: International Students
and Scholars
Ensure that the U.S. will continue to benefit
strongly from the participation of
international students and scholars in our
research enterprise.
Addressing Graduate Education
The study committee was charged with
examining the financial health of research
universities and also important trends in
university research and doctoral education.
They reached conclusions and
recommended actions that directly affect the
graduate education community, many of
which resonate with recent reports from the
Council of Graduate Schools, in particular,
The Path Forward: The Future of Graduate
Education in the United States (2010) and
Pathways Through Graduate School and Into
Careers (2012).
First, the committee strongly urges
universities to take bold action to increase
productivity. “By increasing costeffectiveness and productivity,” the report
says, “institutions will realize significant costsavings in operations.” This will allow
institutions to shift resources strategically
and perhaps contain growth in tuition. There
are many ways that universities can enhance
productivity, by rationalizing back-office
operations, investing in cyberinfrastructure,
and using new technology and advances in
cognitive science to improve learning. Many
institutions have already demonstrated
significant cost efficiencies. Research
Universities argues that our universities can
make very specific productivity
improvements in doctoral education by
further addressing issues of attrition,
completion, and time-to-degree.
Second, research universities should
restructure doctoral education to strengthen
the preparation of graduates for careers both
in and beyond the academy. To this end, the
committee urges that “the federal
government should significantly increase its
support for graduate education through
balanced programs of fellowships,
traineeships, and research assistantships
provided.” Research Universities recommends
that “the number of federal fellowships and
traineeships should be increased to support
5,000 new graduate students per year in
science and engineering.” The committee
says “this funding is not designed to increase
the overall numbers of doctoral students, but
to provide incentives for students to pursue
areas responding to national needs and to
shift support from research assistantships to
mechanisms that strengthen doctoral
training.”
Third, the committe strongly supports the
notion that “employers-—businesses,
government agencies, and non-profits—that
hire master’s and doctorate level graduates
should more deeply engage programs in
research universities by providing
internships, student projects, advice on
curriculum design, and real-time information
on employment opportunities.”
Fourth, the committee recommends steps
to strengthen the pathways of students in
science, technology, engineering, and
mathematics (STEM) and to ensure that we
draw on both our nation’s domestic
population and recruit globally as well. “Our
nation’s greatest asset is its people,” the
committee writes. Specific steps must be
taken to increase the participation and
success of women and underrepresented
minorities in higher education and academic
careers.
Finally, the committee recommends the
creation of a “Strategic Investment Program“
to support initiatives that advance education
and research at the nation’s research
universities.” This program would begin with
two 10-year initiatives: an endowed faculty
chairs program to facilitate the careers of
young investigators, and a research
infrastructure program initially focused on
advancing campus cyberinfrastructure. The
committee argues for “the endowment of
chairs, particularly for promising young
faculty, during a time of serious financial
stress and limited faculty retirements. This
initiative will ensure that we are building our
research faculty for the future, so that the
nation can reap the rewards of their work
over the long term.”
By Peter Henderson, Director, Board on Higher
Education and Workforce and Study Director,
Committee on Research Universities, National
Research Council
Endnote
1This article is adapted from the summary of
the National Research Council’s recently
released report, Research Universities and the
Future of America: Ten Breakthrough Actions
Vital to Our Nation’s Prosperity and Security.
Copies are available at www.nap.edu.
New Members
Regular:
Point Park University
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
Associate:
Furman University
July 2012
Page 3
Data Sources: Measuring Interdisciplinarity
Interdisciplinary study has long been a
feature of graduate education and research,
but measuring the scope and determining
the nature of interdisciplinarity has proven a
challenge for survey researchers. Three major
data collection efforts on graduate
education—the CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate
Enrollment and Degrees, the U.S. Department
of Education’s Integrated Postsecondary
Education Data System (IPEDS), and the
National Science Foundation’s Survey of
Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in
Science and Engineering—use taxonomies of
fields of study to collect and analyze
enrollment and degree data. While this is an
efficient method for characterizing
enrollment and degrees in programs of study
that are based in a single discipline, it is
somewhat less effective for measuring
interdisciplinarity.
IPEDS’ Classification of Instructional
Programs (CIP) places all multidisciplinary
and interdisciplinary programs under a single
CIP code. Similarly, the CGS/GRE Survey of
Graduate Enrollment and Degrees also groups
most interdisciplinary programs together
under a single code. The Survey of Graduate
Students and Postdoctorates in Science and
Engineering reports data on interdisciplinary
programs in an “other sciences” category. The
classification systems used by these three
surveys enable researchers to collect and
report data on enrollment and degrees, but
they mask some of the diversity that exists
among and between interdisciplinary
programs. These systems provide a count of
the total number of students enrolling in or
earning degrees from interdisciplinary
programs, but in many cases do not permit
an in-depth examination of the fields of
study included in the interdisciplinary
programs. In addition, these methods of
classification provide an undercount of the
true extent of interdisciplinarity in graduate
education, since individual students in
programs that are not considered
interdisciplinary may in fact be conducting
research that is interdisciplinary.
A fourth data source, the Survey of Earned
Doctorates, uses a slightly different method
than the three previously mentioned surveys
to measure interdisciplinarity. The survey is
administered to all doctoral students as they
are about to complete their degrees.
Individuals completing the survey are asked
to select the primary field of their
dissertation research from a provided list of
Page 4
fields of study, of which “interdisciplinary” is
not an option. Then, a follow-on question
asks doctorate recipients whether their
dissertation research was interdisciplinary,
and if so, to indicate a secondary field of
study. By collecting data directly from
students about their research, as opposed to
collecting data from institutions about their
programs, the Survey of Earned Doctorates is
able to provide a different picture of
interdisciplinarity at the doctoral level.
Using data from the Survey of Earned
Doctorates, a recent report from the National
Science Foundation examined trends in
interdisciplinary dissertation research among
individuals earning research doctorates
between 2001 and 2008 (Millar & Dillman,
2012). The researchers found that 28.4% of all
doctorate recipients in this time period
reported that their dissertations were
interdisciplinary in nature. The percentage of
doctorate recipients reporting
interdisciplinary dissertations remained
relatively consistent over this eight-year
period, as shown in Figure 1.
Doctorate recipients who reported their
primary dissertation field as life sciences
accounted for the largest share (27.0%) of all
interdisciplinary dissertations between 2001
and 2008, as shown in Figure 2. Dissertations
in education and engineering accounted for
13.5% and 13.4%, respectively, of all
interdisciplinary dissertations. Dissertations
in mathematics, computer sciences, and
communications accounted for very small
shares of all interdisciplinary dissertations
and are included in the “other fields”
category in Figure 2.
Splicing the data in a different way, Millar
and Dillman examined the percent of all
dissertations within a primary field that were
interdisciplinary. They found that
dissertations in communications were most
likely to have been interdisciplinary. Between
2001 and 2008, 36.6% of doctorate recipients
in communications reported that their
dissertations were interdisciplinary in nature.
A large share of doctorate recipients in life
sciences also reported interdisciplinary
dissertations. Doctorate recipients in
computer sciences and mathematics were
least likely to report interdisciplinary
dissertations.
While Millar and Dillman did not examine
trends in interdisciplinarity by student
demographics, other research has indicated
that women participate in interdisciplinary
research at higher rates than their male
counterparts (Rhoten & Pfirman, 2007).
Additional analyses of the data from the
Survey of Earned Doctorates could empirically
document the extent to which
interdisciplinarity differs by gender,
citizenship, and race/ethnicity.
Millar and Dillman’s examination of
interdisciplinarity provides good insight into
the scope of interdisciplinary research in
doctoral dissertations. They do suggest in
their research—and graduate deans would
likely agree—that some differences may exist
between how students define
interdisciplinarity and how institutions and
Figure 1
Percent of Doctorate Recipients Reporting
Interdisciplinary Dissertations, 2001 to 2008
2008
28.7%
2007
28.3%
2006
27.9%
2005
30.0%
2004
27.9%
2003
27.7%
2002
28.4%
2001
28.5%
0.0%
5.0%
10.0%
15.0%
20.0%
25.0%
30.0%
35.0%
Source: Millar & Dillman, 2012
GradEdge
graduate programs define interdisciplinarity.
Despite these potentially differing
definitions, it is clear that interdisciplinarity is
an established component of graduate
education.
By Nathan E. Bell, Director, Research and Policy
Analysis, Council of Graduate Schoools
Rhoten, D. & Pfirman, S. (2007). Women in in
interdisciplinary science: Exploring preferences
and consequences. Research Policy, 36, 56-75.
References:
Millar, M. M. & Dillman, D. A. (2012). Trends in
interdisciplinary dissertation research: An
analysis of the Survey of Earned Doctorates.
Retrieved from
www.nsf.gov/statistics/ncses12200/
Figure 3
Figure 2
Interdisciplinary Dissertations
by Primary Field, 2001 to 2008
Distribution of Interdisciplinary Dissertations by
Primary Field, 2001 to 2008
2.8%
5.8%
Life Sciences
7.7%
Education
27.0%
8.4%
Engineering
Humanities
Physical Sciences
13.5%
9.0%
12.5%
Social Sciences
Psychology
13.4%
Business
Computer Sciences
Mathematics
Psychology
Physical Sciences
Engineering
Social Sciences
Education
Business
Humanities
Life Sciences
Communications
Total
Other Fields
Source: Millar & Dillman, 2012
0.0%
19.1%
21.4%
22.7%
25.3%
26.2%
27.1%
27.3%
29.0%
29.9%
34.8%
36.6%
28.4%
10.0%
20.0%
30.0%
40.0%
Source: Millar & Dillman, 2012
CGS Welcomes Summer Interns
CGS is thrilled to be joined by three highly talented individuals who will work with CGS staff through the 2012 Summer Internship
Program. The Council of Graduate Schools offers summer internship opportunities for graduate students to work in the areas of Research,
Best Practices, and Government Relations.
Jared Avery, a doctoral candidate in the LSU College of Education, will work in the areas of Research and Best Practices. He is currently
pursuing his Ph.D. in educational leadership and research with an emphasis in higher education. The New Orleans native served as a
graduate assistant in the Office of Equity, Diversity & Community Outreach, where he was responsible for supporting the communications,
diversity training, assessment and annual reporting functions of the office, and served as graduate coordinator for the Black Male
Leadership Initiative Fellows Program. Mr. Avery earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from LSU in psychology and education with an
emphasis in higher education and student affairs, respectively. He has presented at both regional and national higher education and
student affairs conferences and currently has a manuscript under review for a peer-review journal. His dissertation topic examines the
impact of African American male initiatives on student persistence and sense of belonging at predominantly White institutions.
Daniel Havivi, an attorney from North Carolina, will work in the area of Government Relations. Mr. Havivi has spent time in the United
States Senate, the Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Legislative Affairs, and the University of North Carolina’s General
Administration’s Office of Legal Affairs. Mr. Havivi majored in Spanish Language and Literature and Hebrew Language and Literature at
Brandeis University, where he was a Dean’s Scholar and worked for the Cohen Center for Modern Jewish Studies. Mr. Havivi graduated from
the University of North Carolina School of Law, where he was the President of the Jewish Law Association and published an article on
metered-usage data pricing for the North Carolina Journal of Law & Technology, where he was also a Notes Editor. Mr. Havivi volunteers his
time at the Employment Justice Center, which serves low-income workers with job-related legal issues and at Broadband Breakfast, writing
about current issues affecting broadband.
Maureen Terese McCarthy, a doctoral candidate in English at the Laney Graduate School of Emory University, will work in the area of Best
Practices. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English from Ursinus College, a small liberal arts school near Philadelphia, PA. Ms. McCarthy
has served for the last year as the manager of the Business Writing Center at Emory’s Goizueta Business School, for which work she was
awarded the “Rising Star Award” from the Management Communication Association (MCA). This fall, Maureen will work in internal
marketing and communications with Emory’s Woodruff Library and the Emory College Writing Center, thanks to a generous dissertation
completion fellowship funded by Woodruff Library and Laney Graduate School. Her dissertation explores representations of interracial
families and alternative familial structures in nineteenth-century U.S. literature.
July 2012
Page 5
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NEW! CGS CAREER PORTAL
This new online resource is designed to help you recruit
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Page 6
GradEdge
AAHHE in partnership with Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC)
proudly announces the
Outstanding Thesis in Food and Agriculture Sciences Competition 2013!
The competition is open to any Hispanic (must be a U.S. Citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident) individual who has completed a thesis
that focuses on the Food and the Agricultural Sciences between December 2010 and August 1, 2012. Theses are eligible if they are in
domains that are related to the USDA priority areas, including Food Safety, Climate Change, Sustainable Energy, Childhood Obesity,
or Global Food Security and Hunger. Theses in the humanities or social sciences are not eligible.
The first place winner of the Outstanding Thesis in Food and Agricultural Sciences Competition will receive an award in the amount of
$3,000. The second place winner will receive an award of $2,000. The third place winner will receive an award of $1,000. The three
finalists will also be invited to present their thesis at the 2013 AAHHE National Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
The first deadline for submission is August 24, 2012, 5 p.m. CST.
This competition is made possible thanks to a grant provided by The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA National Institute
of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The grant coordinator is Dr. JoAnn Canales (Joann.Canales@tamucc.edu), Professor and
Interim Dean of the College of Graduate Studies, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi (TAMUCC).
For further information regarding all aspects of the competition, including guidelines and requirements,
please visit the AAHHE website: www.AAHHE.org
(Go to the main page of the AAHHE website (www.aahhe.org), click the Outstanding Thesis Competition button on the left-
Educational Testing Service (ETS)
proudly sponsors the
2013 AAHHE/ETS Outstanding Dissertations Competition!
This competition is open to anyone who has completed a dissertation that focuses on Hispanic(s) in higher education or
to any Hispanic individual who has completed a dissertation in the social sciences, broadly defined,
between December 2010 and August 1, 2012.
The top three winners will be invited and sponsored to attend the 8th Annual AAHHE National Conference
(March 28-30, 2013) in San Antonio, Texas to present their dissertation and receive their award. The first place winner
will receive an award of $5,000 and will also be invited to present their dissertation at ETS, the second place winner
will receive $2,000, and the third place winner will receive $1,000.
Deadline to submit a dissertation abstract for the competition
August 24, 2012!
For additional details concerning the requirements and regulations, please refer to AAHHE website:
www.aahhe.org
Go to the main page of the AAHHE website (www.aahhe.org), click the Outstanding Dissertations
Competition button on the left-hand side, and click the link at the top of this general info page
that reads Dissertation Guidelines.
July 2012
Page 7