Nancy Marcus of Florida State University to Serve as Chair of CGS Board (12/12/2016)

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) Board of Directors has announced its officers for the 2017 term. CGS is governed by a 12-member Board of Directors drawn from member institutions. Board members serve for set terms.

Cornell University Receives ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education (12/8/2016)

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) presented Cornell University with this year’s ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education: From Admission through Completion. Dr. Barbara Knuth, senior vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, accepted the co-sponsored award on Cornell’s behalf during the 56^th Annual Meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS).

Karen DePauw Wins Debra W. Stewart Award for Outstanding Leadership in Graduate Education (12/8/2016)

The Board of Directors of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has announced that Dr. Karen DePauw, vice president and dean for graduate education at Virginia Tech University, is the 2016 Winner of the Debra W. Stewart Award for Outstanding Leadership in Graduate Education. The awards ceremony was held during the CGS 56th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC.

Bartow J. Elmore Wins 2016 Arlt Award in the Humanities (12/8/2016)

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has awarded the 2016 Gustave O. Arlt Award in the Humanities to Dr. Barlow J. Elmore, assistant professor of environmental history at The Ohio State University. The awards ceremony was held during the CGS 56th Annual Meeting.

Winners of 2016 CGS/ProQuest® Distinguished Dissertation Awards Announced (12/8/2016)

The Council of Graduate Schools / ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards, the nation’s most prestigious honors for doctoral dissertations, were presented to Scott Cushing and Michael Muthukrishna at an awards ceremony during the Council’s 56th Annual Meeting. Dr. Cushing completed his PhD in 2015 at West Virginia University in Physics, and Dr. Muthukrishna received his PhD in 2015 from the University of British Columbia in Psychology.

Majority of Graduate Students Stress About Finances, Seek Information on Long-term Financial Security (11/15/2016)

Research conducted by the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) in conjunction with TIAA, a leading financial services provider, found that 60 percent of master’s students and 55 percent of doctoral students report feeling stressed about their finances. While most students were able to make ends meet, 38 percent of master’s students and 36 percent of doctoral students worry about meeting their monthly expenses.

CGS Announces Multi-University Project to Collect Data on Career Pathways of Humanities PhDs (10/27/2016)

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) announced today that it has been awarded a grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to help universities collect data on the career pathways of humanities PhDs. Through a competitive sub-award process, CGS will select 15 doctoral institutions to pilot surveys of humanities PhD students and alumni, gathering information about their professional aspirations, career pathways, and career preparation.

Graduate Schools Report Strong Growth in First-Time Enrollment of Underrepresented Minorities (9/16/2016)

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) today reported modest growth in first-time enrollments for a number of key demographic groups enrolling in graduate school. Notably, all underrepresented minority (URM) groups monitored by the survey saw greater increases in first-time graduate enrollment than their White, non-Hispanic counterparts, although their overall representation in the graduate student body still remains relatively low. Among first-time U.S. citizens and permanent resident graduate students in Fall 2015, at least 22.5% were underrepresented minorities, including American Indian/Alaska Native (0.5%), Black/African American (11.8%), Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander (0.2%), and Hispanic/Latino (10%).

Graduate Education Leaders Consider Importance of International Research Experiences for Graduate Students (8/10/2016)

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) recently released a report: Evaluating International Research Experiences for Graduate Students, which outlines the findings of a one-day workshop convened in February 2016 along with the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Division of Graduate Education (DGE), the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering, and the North American Office of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG). This project was driven by the graduate education community’s desire for a deeper understanding of the impact of international collaboration on subsequent graduate careers and a need from funding agencies to validate their investment in international research collaboration.

Key Points from the CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey: Preliminary Applications (6/6/2016)

Since 2004 the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has conducted the International Graduate Admissions Survey, an annual study of applications and offers of admission, as well as first-time and total enrollment of international graduate students in master’s/certificate and research doctoral programs. The data from the 2016 preliminary applications survey provide an initial look into Fall 2016 international graduate admissions at U.S. institutions, and suggest that it will follow recent trends.

Thought-Leaders Convene to Consider the Future of the Doctoral Dissertation (2/10/2016)

On January 27-28, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) convened approximately 40 scholars and leaders in graduate education, scholarly publishing, academic libraries, and disciplinary associations to deliberate the future of the doctoral dissertation.  Over a two-day workshop supported by ProQuest, the group considered trends shaping the format and dissemination of dissertation research, including new modes of scholarly communication and publication, open access, emerging technologies, diversifying PhD career paths, and changes in disciplinary cultures.

New Report Highlights Promise of Holistic Graduate Admissions to Increase Diversity (1/19/2016)

The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) today released a report that outlines the findings of a year-long research project on holistic graduate admissions. Supported by Hobsons, the project takes a look at emerging best practices and surveys more than 500 university admissions professionals to better understand the current state of graduate admissions at U.S. institutions.