As a doctoral student in geology at Oregon State University, Ellen Lamont studies mountains. As a 2018 Fulbright scholarship recipient Lamont will be studying, conducting research, and teaching with the Himalayas as her backdrop. In Lamont’s words, “If I’m going to study mountains, I figured I might as well start with the crème de la crème of mountains, where it’s complicated and crazy and impressive and majestic!”

Lamont will collaborate with the Wadia Institute of Himalayan Geology for her research, sampling and mapping fault exposures in the foothills. Her work will specifically focus on how mountains are formed, and which geological force is most important: climate or tectonics. Lamont and her advisor, Dr. Andrew Meigs, believe the process will be better understood by studying the foreland of mountain ranges. “We think we can look at the foreland in a new way,” Lamont explained. “What we want to know is, when did the foreland grow, and how was growth divided among individual faults? When did the faults develop, in what order, and how do they vary spatially?”

By analyzing the timeline, Lamont hopes to find some answers. “If we see that the foreland has been developing more recently than the hinterland, we’ll know that tectonics is likely the dominant force. If it’s the other way around, climate is likely dominant,” Lamont said. To learn more about Ellen’s work visit the Oregon State University website.

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Photo Credit: Oregon State

After an undergraduate course in gender studies, Lindsay Toman’s role as an LGBTQ advocate was cemented. Now a doctoral student in sociology at Wayne State University, Toman wants to better understand the relationship between health care providers and the LGBTQ community. She began hosting focus groups with participants from Corktown Health Center to assess how comfortable health care providers were with serving their LGBTQ patients.

“A lot of medical students who identify as LGBTQ started coming to my focus groups, which was indicative of a need in the space. The students seemed torn between the two identities. There are certain professional expectations on how doctors go about their day, which may not necessarily cater to LGBTQ individuals.” Toman used her research to create LGBTQ and You, a training manual to help health care providers understand the unique needs of their LGBTQ patients.

Toman recently received the Eugene V. Perrin Memorial Scholarship in Health and Science and Peace. She presented her research at the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) Annual Meeting in August 2018. To learn more about Lindsay’s work visit the Wayne State University website.

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Photo Credit: Christine Nyawag/Wayne State

As a member of the selective Medical Scientist Training Program at the University of California, San Francisco, Theo Roth seeks out challenging problems. Roth is currently working on his doctorate in Biomedical Sciences as part of a dual MD/PhD program and researching new treatments for various cancers and other diseases. Roth’s recent research breakthroughs resulted in a first-authored paper in the July 19 issue of Nature and coverage in The New York Times.

Roth’s research focuses on the burgeoning field of genome editing. Research and experimentation with genome (or gene) editing is a relatively new phenomenon, and one that holds tremendous promise. Previous research focused on using viruses as carriers for the new genetic material, but that has a number of drawbacks, including difficulty pinpointing the exact spot for insertion. Roth and his co-authors, under the supervision of Alexander Marson, discovered a new way using electrical fields that speeds up the process and allows for more targeted delivery.

This research was arduous but rewarding. Roth made his discovery by running thousands of tests. "It took time and effort to get that pipeline up and running, but once it was, we could rapidly iterate through conditions, and focus in on the protocol alterations that were yielding greater numbers of live, correctly edited cells," Roth said. To learn more about Theo’s work visit the University of California, San Francisco website.

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Photo Credit: Noah Berger/UCSF

Finding ways to encourage medical professionals to choose to practice in underserved communities is a critical issue in the U.S. As a result, there has been an increasing focus on policies aimed to attract and retain physicians in rural and underserved areas. Teresa Zhou, a recent PhD in economics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, spent her doctoral work focused on which policies are the most effective.

One of her most important findings is that, “an increase in the reimbursement rate, or a simulated 5 percent increase in average wages for all rural physicians, increases the average stay in the same rural county by 1.34 years.” She also found that rural areas with increases in registered nurses are more likely to experience significant increases is the amount of time physicians live in the area. Dr. Zhou received a UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School Impact Award in recognition of her outstanding research.

"Teresa's work quantifies the impacts of important economic determinants — including compensation, medical care market characteristics and local amenities — that define concerns about our state's physician maldistribution," said her adviser Donna Gilleskie. To learn more about Teresa’s work visit the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill website.

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Photo Credit: UNC-Chapel Hill

On July 24, Democrats on the House Education and Workforce Committee unveiled the “Aim Higher Act” proposal to reauthorize the Higher Education Act (HEA), the comprehensive law that drives policies and programs impacting students and institutions. A stark contrast to the Republican-backed PROSPER Act (H.R. 4508), which also outlines a path for HEA reauthorization, the Aim Higher Act proposes additional investments in student financial aid programs but would increase regulatory reporting requirements for institutions. 

Several of CGS’s policy principles on HEA reauthorization are reflected in Aim Higher, including improving procedures so that students can make more informed financial aid decisions, supporting programs that increase degree completion, and extending Pell Grants to graduate studies. Noting that the bill would strengthen support for certain federal student financial aid and loan repayment options, CGS President Suzanne Ortega stated “We are encouraged to see additional investments in programs that ensure students, including those pursuing master’s and doctoral degrees, are successful. A workforce that propels the nation as a global competitor begins with strengthening the higher education pipeline.”

Provisions related to graduate education in the Aim Higher Act include:

 Borrowing, Repayment, & Loan Counseling 

• Does not cap graduate student borrowing
• Eliminates origination fees on all federal student loans
• Requires annual student loan counseling, tailored to the type of aid borrowers receive
• Simplifies the federal student loan system by replacing the numerous existing repayment plans with one fixed repayment plan and one income-based repayment plan
• Preserves and extends the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program

Student Aid Programs

• Increases the annual Pell Grant award by $500 and allows students to exhaust the full amount on graduate studies following completion of a bachelor’s degree
• Preserves Federal Work Study for graduate students
• Restores the Perkins Loan Program for graduate students
• Increases funding for TRIO programs, which includes the McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program
• Maintains and extends the TEACH Grant program and protects recipients from unintended grant-to-loan conversion
• Reauthorizes Title VI programs and provides an increase of $60 million

Given that time remaining on the Congressional calendar is limited and the likelihood of securing the minimum number of votes is low, the bill is not expected to pass.However, CGS remains committed to working with Congress in a bipartisan manner as efforts to advance HEA reauthorization continue.

Growing up in Oahu, Noah Patterson Hanohano Dolim developed an interest in Hawaiian history at a young age. Dolim, of Native Hawaiian and African American descent, is now doing research on Native Hawaiian travel in the 19^th century while he earns his doctorate in history at the University of California, Irvine. He’s interested in the contrast of themes between native authors and colonial authors and how those descriptions affect the way Hawaii has been exoticized.

Dolim is a recent recipient of the Ford Foundation Predoctoral Fellowship, which provides support for students committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level. The program is administered by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties. Dolim plans to use his funding to conduct research at UCI and back in Hawaii.

“As a student and a professor, eventually, I want to be a conduit of diversity through teaching, educational outreach and community works,” Dolim says. “Living and researching from the other side of the Pacific has provided me with opportunities and new ways of thinking that I never could have imagined. I can’t wait to share my passion for Hawaiian history throughout my academic career, at home on the islands and beyond.” To learn more about Noah’s work visit the University of California, Irvine website.

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Photo Credit: Steve Zylius / UCI

Hailey Hughes, a master’s student in English at the University of West Georgia, has been an advocate for the disabled community for years. During high school, she became involved in an online forum for cerebral palsy and remained active through her undergraduate years at Marshall University. This experience inspired her aspiration to develop a transatlantic storytelling group for able-bodied and disabled communities.

Hughes’ desire to build this community led her to apply for a Fulbright scholarship in 2017 while she was finishing her bachelor’s degree. She made it to the semifinals but didn’t give up on her dream. While in her first semester of graduate school at UWG, Hughes prepared to reapply. Her persistence paid off, and Hughes received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to study creative writing in Ireland beginning Fall 2018. The Fulbright mission is to “increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.” Hughes is one of roughly 1,900 U.S. citizens to receive this honor for the 2018-2019 academic year.

“I believe in the mission and love creative writing,” she concluded. “The idea that underpins this all is that it’s not about cultivating a voice. It’s about amplifying a voice that’s already there. The larger implication is that this can allow people with disabilities to develop self-advocacy and life skills.” To learn more about Hailey’s work visit the University of West Georgia website.

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Photo Credit: UWG News

Hironao Okahana, Associate Vice President, Research & Policy Analysis, Council of Graduate Schools

The latest national data suggest that increasingly more former Pell recipients—thus, students from low-income backgrounds—are pursuing graduate and professional programs. However, the data also suggest that many of them begin their advanced education with sizeable undergraduate debt and continue to rely on student loans to finance their education. Graduate schools should proactively help these students make informed financial aid decisions and manage and reduce their borrowing and debt.

Introduction

The sociodemographic diversity of the graduate student body has evolved over time. Though still disproportionally underrepresented, we reported in the CGS/GRE Survey of Graduate Enrollment & Degrees that first-time enrollment of traditionally underserved students of color continues to grow. Graduate schools continue to make efforts to ensure a more diverse and inclusive student body through a number of initiatives. Another indicator of sociodemographic diversity in higher education is the Pell ratio, that is, the proportion of the student body who receives Pell Grants. This indicator is commonly used to assess sociodemographic diversity of undergraduates since the Pell Grant has income requirements and is specifically targeted to low-income students. Because graduate students are not eligible for Pell Grants, typically we do not closely observe this figure. Nevertheless, looking at proportions of former Pell recipients among graduate students can offer additional insight into the accessibility of graduate education for those from low-income backgrounds.

In May 2018, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) released the PowerStats version of the 2015-16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16). PowerStats is an online tool that allows researchers to generate data tables and some analyses using various NCES sample surveys, including NPSAS. NPSAS is a nationally representative sample study of financial support for all students at U.S. institutions of higher education. NCES conducts this study every three to four years, and the most recent one, NPSAS:16, captures one of the most comprehensive looks at how undergraduate and graduate students were financially supported during the Academic Year 2015-16. As points of comparison, I also looked at two earlier cohorts: NPSAS:08 and NPSAS:12, which respectively offer snapshots of students in Academic Years 2007-08 and 2011-12.

More Former Pell Recipients at Graduate and Professional Schools

Table 1 summarizes the percentage shares of former Pell recipients among first-year graduate and professional students by selected degree programs. According to NPSAS:16, 45.8% of first-year graduate and professional students received Pell Grants at some point. This is an increase from a little under one-third (32.5%) for the NPSAS:08 cohort and 35.9% for the NPSAS:12 cohort. In all types of graduate and professional programs, the shares for former Pell recipients among first-year students increased when compared to NPSAS:08 and NPSAS:16 cohorts. The shares of former Pell recipients among first-year students in the NPSAS:16 cohort were particularly high in master of public administration or policy (64.2%), master of social work (63.3%), and master of education or teaching (54.5%) programs. Of the first-year students in doctor of philosophy and doctoral degree – professional practice (e.g., MD, JD, DDS, etc.) programs, 41.7% and 39.8%, respectively, were former Pell recipients in the NPSAS:16 cohort. These changes are encouraging signs that the increasing number of students from low-income backgrounds are moving beyond baccalaureate education and pursuing graduate and professional degrees.

Former Pell Recipients Are More Likely to Take out Student Loans

However, the data, which are summarized in Table 2, also suggest that these former Pell recipients among first-year graduate and professional students come with greater financial needs for their advanced education than their counterparts. Among the first-year students in the NPSAS:16 cohort enrolled in various graduate and professional programs, 69.7% of former Pell recipients took out student loans during the 2015-16 academic year. 37.6% of students who never received Pell Grant borrowed toward their advanced education in the same year. The discrepancy was the largest for first-year students in Master of Arts (MA) degree programs. Nearly three-fourths (73%) of former Pell recipients among those MA students took out student loans during the 2015-16 academic year, while only 29.3% of non-former Pell recipients did the same. The median amount borrowed by former Pell recipients who were first-year students in MA degree programs was $18,444, while the median amount borrowed by their counterparts without Pell Grant debt was $13,195. The difference in amount borrowed between former Pell recipients and non-recipients was the smallest among first-year students in doctoral degree – professional practice (e.g., MD, JD, DDS, etc.) programs. Among those who were pursuing doctoral degrees – professional practice, the median amount borrowed by former Pell recipients was $39,106 while the median amount borrowed by non-former Pell recipients was $35,000.

Bigger “Baggage” of Former Pell Recipients

Even before borrowing for their advanced education, as summarized in Table 3, these former Pell recipients arrive at graduate and professional schools with larger amounts of undergraduate debt. More than three quarters (77.2%) of first-year master’s students who formerly received Pell Grants carried outstanding balances from their undergraduate loans, with the median amount of $28,131. This is compared to only 31.2% of their counterparts who never received Pell Grants carrying outstanding balances for their undergraduate debt. Furthermore, the median amount still owed for the latter group was substantially smaller at $18,964. Median amounts still owed on undergraduate debts exceeded $30,000 for first-year students in master of social work ($33,658), master of business administration ($33,352), master of arts ($31,584), and doctor of philosophy ($30,228) programs. Students can defer repayment of their federal student loans while pursuing advanced degrees; however, unsubsidized portions of loans still accrue interest during deferment. The debts former Pell recipients carry over from their undergraduate education, compounded by potential unmet financial needs toward their graduate and professional education, could prevent them from fully realizing the upward social mobility often associated with attaining advanced degrees.

Discussion

An increasing number of former Pell recipients entering graduate and professional programs is a welcome sign. However, it is clear many of these students arrive to graduate school with sizeable undergraduate debt. At the federal-level, the vast majority of financial aid for graduate and professional students comes in the form of loans. Absent federal need-based grants for graduate and professional students that mirror the Pell Grant program for undergraduates, it is no surprise that former Pell recipients are more likely to borrow for their advanced education. Simply limiting the ability of graduate and professional students to borrow would take away one of few aid options for students with the most financial need. What we should encourage, instead, is more informed decisions.

Graduate students need to be aware of how their undergraduate and graduate debts interact with one another, and how to manage both while in school and upon completing their degrees. Thus, CGS advocates at the federal-level for establishing procedures that support master’s and doctoral students in making informed financial aid decisions to reduce their borrowing and debt. Graduate schools, too, can play a role in preparing students to actively manage their personal finances and make informed decisions about saving, spending, and borrowing.

However, debt management alone can only go so far in ensuring access and affordability of graduate education for students from low-income backgrounds. Thus, CGS advocates for extending Pell eligibility to those graduate students who remain income eligible and did not exhaust 12 semesters of Pell while pursuing their undergraduate education. In the NPSAS:16 cohort, only 6.5% of domestic graduate students have received Pell Grants for six years or more. What we advocate would allow the 34.6% who did not use all 12 semesters of Pell Grants to apply their remaining semesters toward their graduate education, as long as they also remain income eligible. This is one way to alleviate their borrowing toward graduate education, thus reducing overall education debts.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

CONTACT: Katherine Hazelrigg / khazelrigg@cgs.nche.edu / 202.461.3888

Washington, DC— Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) President Suzanne Ortega released the following statement on reversal of guidance that aims to promote diversity:

“Diversity is critical to the quality of U.S. graduate programs. Our programs must be able to prepare master’s and doctoral students to work in diverse teams, to understand the impact of research and practice on different U.S. communities, and to consider our nation’s greatest challenges from different perspectives. In light of these needs, the Council of Graduate Schools supports the ability of graduate programs to consider race as one factor in admission decisions. CGS data show modest growth in first-time enrollments for underrepresented minority groups— a trend that must be allowed to flourish. Given these factors, the recent announcement by the Trump Administration to rescind guidance to colleges and universities to promote diversity within the bounds of the law would limit, rather than advance, the quality of U.S. graduate education.”

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For more information about holistic admissions and graduate education, view CGS’s Holistic Review in Graduate Admissions report. Visit Graduate Enrollment and Degrees: 2005-2015 to view trends in admissions.

As a doctoral student in biomedical engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Arezoo Movaghar’s research spans multiple disciplines. Her master’s degree in computer science and artificial intelligence combined with her interest in medicine has led her to a unique research project with UW-Madison faculty in biomedical engineering, social work, biostatistics and medical informatics, and communication sciences and disorders, all affiliated with the Waisman Center. Their goal was to help identify people who carry a particular gene premutation that correlates to a higher risk for neurodegenerative disorders, infertility, and having a child with a disability; they wanted to achieve this in an “easier, more-cost effective way.”

Rather than reliance on traditional genetic testing to identify a gene premutation, Movaghar used her experience in artificial intelligence. “By using machine learning we were able to develop a method to identify premutation carriers – based on just five minutes of speech – with high accuracy,” Movaghar said. It turns out that carriers of this particular gene premutation (fragile X) have increased speech impairment. By using a computer to analyze speech patterns from a recording, researchers can identify those most likely to carry the premutation. Genetic testing is still necessary for confirmation, but beginning with speech analysis will reduce the number tests.

The research team plans to develop a mobile app to streamline data collection and remove barriers. “Incorporating mobile devices into the research provides exciting opportunities,” Movaghar said. “We can scale up our research beyond geographical boundaries, track and monitor participants, and optimize the use of clinical resources.” To learn more about Arezoo’s work visit the University of Wisconsin-Madison website.

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Photo Credit: UW-Madison