CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award in the Biological and Life Sciences
Chad Johnston (PhD 2016, McMaster University)
New Techniques Facilitate the Discover and Study of Modular Microbial Natural Products
Press Release

CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award in the Humanities and Fine Arts
Leif Fredrickson (PhD 2017, University of Virginia)
The Age of Lead: Metropolitan Change, Environmental Health, and Inner City Underdevelopment
Press Release

Gustave O. Arlt Award in the Humanities (Classical Studies/Archaeology)
John North Hopkins (Assistant Professor of Art History and Classical Studies, Rice University)
The Genesis of Roman Architecture (Yale UP, 2016)
Press Release

ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education: From Admission through Completion
University of Washington -- U501: Extend the Reach
Press Release

Debra W. Stewart Award for Outstanding Leadership in Graduate Education
John C. Keller, Dean of the Graduate College, Associate Provost for Graduate and Professional Education, and Interim Vice President for Research and Economic Development, University of Iowa
Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:             

Contact: Katherine Hazelrigg
(202) 461-3888 / khazelrigg@cgs.nche.edu

Washington, DC – The Board of Directors of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has announced that Dr. John C. Keller, dean of the Graduate College, associate provost for graduate and professional education, and interim vice president for research and economic development at the University of Iowa, is the 2017 winner of the Debra W. Stewart Award for Outstanding Leadership in Graduate Education. The awards ceremony was held during the CGS 57th Annual Meeting in Scottsdale, AZ.

The award was created in 2016 by the CGS Board of Directors to recognize outstanding leadership in graduate education, and particularly those leadership qualities exemplified by the Council’s fifth President, Debra W. Stewart. The selection committee gives consideration to nominees with a strong reputation for ethics and integrity, a history of active participation in the graduate community, and a record of strategic vision and actions resulting in meaningful impacts. Areas of special consideration include evidence-based innovation, program development, diversity and inclusion, student learning and career outcomes, personnel management, policy advocacy in support of graduate education and research, and fiscal responsibility.

For his invaluable contributions to the University of Iowa graduate community, Dr. Keller becomes the second Debra W. Steward Award recipient. A passionate advocate for graduate education, Dr. Keller undertook several major initiatives at the University of Iowa to enhance graduate education. He oversaw the development of 14 new graduate programs – including three interdisciplinary programs. Keller also developed and implemented a model for systematic assessments aimed towards program improvement. Under his leadership, time to degree was reduced while completion rates improved. In addition to his academic oversight, Keller promotes publicly accessible research, holistic career preparation, diversity and inclusion initiatives, and institutional research support.

“I echo the Council of Graduate Schools’ recognition of Dean Keller for nearly two decades of outstanding leadership in graduate education,” said University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld. “John holds graduate student success at the core of his vision for graduate education. His national engagement, advocacy, and unwavering commitment to our students continues to advance the research and scholarship enterprise at Iowa.”

“John’s leadership has extended well beyond the University of Iowa’s campus,” said Dr. Nancy Marcus, dean emeritus of the Graduate School at Florida State University and chair of the Council’s Board of Directors. “Dr. Keller’s leadership in the Big Ten Academic Alliance, the AAU Association of Graduate Schools, the CGS Board of Directors and Committee on Advocacy and Public Policy has benefited the graduate education community across the country.”

Nominees for the award must be a current senior, graduate dean at a CGS member institution (Regular or Associate) and cannot be an active member of the CGS Board of Directors. Nominations are made by CGS member institutions and are reviewed by a selection committee of former graduate deans in the CGS community. The winner receives a $4,000 prize to support continuing innovations at the awardee’s institution.

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For Immediate Release:

Contacts:

Katherine Hazelrigg, CGS

(202) 461-3888 | khazelrigg@cgs.nche.edu

Tom Ewing, ETS

(609) 683-2803 | tewing@ets.org

Washington, DC – Today the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and the Educational Testing Service (ETS) presented the University of Washington with this year’s ETS/CGS Award for Innovation in Promoting Success in Graduate Education: From Admission through Completion. Dr. David Eaton, senior vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, accepted the co-sponsored award on UW’s behalf during the 57^th Annual Meeting of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS).

The award recognizes promising, innovative proposals to enhance student success and degree completion at the master’s or doctoral levels while promoting inclusiveness. The winning institution is selected on the strength of its proposal to meet the award’s goals and to serve as a model for other schools. The winner receives a two-year, $20,000 matching grant.

Through the project University of Washington’s U501: Extend the Reach, the University of Washington intends to expand its University 501 (U501) online orientation modules and reach more students, staff, and faculty at UW, as well as at other universities. U501 “flips” orientation so all incoming graduate and professional students can view online modules containing text and videos with students, faculty, and staff introducing key information before they arrive on campus. Students may access these at any time - day or night, in any country, at their own pace. It introduces the nuts and bolts of graduate school, gives an overview of the graduate student experience and details resources and support systems.

“We are so honored to have been selected, and very gratified that the importance of welcoming and engaging students well before they step foot on campus has been recognized,” said David Eaton, senior vice provost and dean of the Graduate School, University of Washington. “We look forward to improving and expanding U501 and to sharing a rich and powerful toolkit with our colleagues.”

“This award competition showcases practices that greatly benefit the graduate education community. We are grateful to ETS, whose support makes possible this novel way to promote best practices among graduate schools,” said CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega.

“Building a comprehensive orientation program for new graduate students across departments is a challenging endeavor. U501 incorporates online programming accessible to students at any time, providing a level of engagement that goes a long way to ensuring higher levels of student success,” said David G. Payne, Vice President and COO of ETS’s Global Education  Division. “ETS congratulates the University of Washington for their innovative and inclusive approach.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact: Katherine Hazelrigg
(202) 461-3888 / khazelrigg@cgs.nche.edu

Washington, DC – The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) has awarded the 2017 Gustave O. Arlt Award in the Humanities to Dr. John North Hopkins, assistant professor of art history and classical studies at Rice University. The awards ceremony was held during the CGS 57th Annual Meeting.

The Arlt Award is given annually to a young scholar-teacher who has written a book deemed to have made an outstanding contribution to scholarship in the humanities. Dr. Hopkins becomes the award’s 47^th recipient for his book, The Genesis of Roman Architecture (Yale UP, 2016). He received his PhD in art history from the University of Texas at Austin in 2010.

In The Genesis of Roman Architecture, Hopkins offers a close investigation of a dissected architectural and urban fabric from Rome’s origins through the mid fifth century BCE. By focusing on individual elements of architectural creation—including architectonic practice, structural analysis, the style of decorative sculpture, and the social and political purpose of architectural manufacture—Hopkins assembles an image of Rome in continuous change through the beginning of the Republican period.  The outcome is a book that allows the archaeological and visual record to play the primary role in telling the story of Rome’s origins. Recent excavations—some still unpublished—are synthesized with the existing archaeological scholarship to create a holistic picture of the existing evidence.  The analysis of these materials in comparison with remains from across the ancient Mediterranean reveals that Romans, as much as any other cultures in the classical world (Greek, Etruscans, etc.), helped shape the genesis of Mediterranean artistic and socio-political movements that lie at the foundations of world history.

“The Council of Graduate Schools is delighted to present this year’s Arlt award to Dr. Hopkins. This award has a long and prestigious history of recognizing the outstanding scholarship by early-career humanities faculty,” said Dr. Suzanne Ortega, president of the Council of Graduate Schools. “Dr. Hopkins’ exceptional work is a valuable contribution to the study of early Rome.”

Created in 1971, the Arlt Award honors the first president of CGS, Gustave O. Arlt. The winner must have earned a doctorate within the past seven years, and currently be teaching at a North American university. Nominations are made by CGS member institutions and are reviewed by a panel of scholars in the field of competition, which rotates annually among seven disciplines within the humanities. This year’s field was Classical Studies/Archaeology. The winner receives a $1,000 honorarium, a certificate, and travel to the awards ceremony.

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For Immediate Release

Contacts:

Katherine Hazelrigg, Council of Graduate Schools
(202) 461-3888 | khazelrigg@cgs.nche.edu

Beth Dempsey, ProQuest
(248) 349-7810 | beth.dempsey@proquest.com

Awards recognize outstanding research by graduates in the fields of Biological and Life Sciences & Humanities and Fine Arts

Washington, DC -- The Council of Graduate Schools / ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Awards, the nation’s most prestigious honors for doctoral dissertations, were presented to Chad Johnston and Leif Fredrickson during the Council’s 57th Annual Meeting award ceremony. Dr. Johnston completed his PhD in 2016 at McMaster University in Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, and Dr. Fredrickson received his PhD in 2017 from the University of Virginia in History.

Bestowed annually since 1982, the awards recognize recent doctoral recipients who have already made unusually significant and original contributions to their fields. ProQuest, an international leader in dissertation archiving, discovery, and access, sponsors the awards and an independent committee from the Council of Graduate Schools selects the winners. Two awards are given each year, rotating among four general areas of scholarship. The winners receive a certificate, a $2,000 honorarium, and funds for travel to the awards ceremony.

“The Distinguished Dissertation Awards recognize the significant contributions young scholars make in their disciplines,” said CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega. “Dr. Johnston and Dr. Fredrickson’s work demonstrates the value and impact of graduate education to the world.”

“These are significant contributions to research on issues that are both timely and important to our communities,” said Austin McLean, director, ProQuest Scholarly Communication and Dissertations Publishing, “They are great exemplars of the groundbreaking work that is produced at universities. Speaking on behalf of all of us at ProQuest, we’re honored to help acknowledge and disseminate this research.”

The 2017 Award in Biological and Life Sciences was presented to Dr. Johnston for his dissertation, New Techniques Facilitate the Discovery and Study of Modular Microbial Natural Products. The rise in antibiotic resistance is a serious threat to modern healthcare. Increasing resistance is rendering our current antibacterial arsenal useless at a time when almost no new antibiotics are being developed. In his doctoral thesis, Johnston pioneered new techniques to use new big data analytics and computer automation to reveal these new antibiotics, providing tools that are poised to dramatically increase the rate of drug discovery and push back the tide of antibiotic resistance. Dr. Johnston is currently a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dr. Fredrickson received the 2017 Award in Humanities and Fine Arts for his dissertation, The Age of Lead: Metropolitan Change, Environmental Health, and Inner City Underdevelopment.  Using lead hazards as a case study to explore the relationship between metropolitan development, environmental health, and social inequality, Fredrickson shows how suburbanites and suburban development benefited from lead-related technologies not shared by those in the inner city, and the costs of lead pollution from these technologies were imposed disproportionately on inner-city residents. Fredrickson examines how one element, lead, linked the environment, metropolitan expansion, the state, and capitalism over the course of a century, providing a window into the tradeoffs that shaped the lives of millions.

More information about the CGS / ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award is available at www.proquest.com/go/scholars or at www.cgsnet.org.

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The U.S. graduate education community has a strong interest in defining the learning outcomes of doctoral programs. Having clear and explicit learning outcomes help students navigate important milestones, prepare students for a wide variety of career paths, and enable doctoral programs to measure their own success. Conversely, failure to clearly define the goals and outcomes of doctoral education puts the autonomy of programs at risk, as accrediting bodies and governing boards may define these outcomes for them.

To better understand the state of doctoral outcomes assessment in the U.S., the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), with support from Lumina Foundation, conducted a year-long research project to explore national and global contexts for doctoral learning outcomes and evaluate the use of competency frameworks at the doctoral level. The results of this project inform the work of learning outcomes assessment for doctoral programs as well as next steps for graduate schools, faculty, and other stakeholders.

Report

Press Release

​We invite you to explore the electronic proceedings of the 2017 Global Summit, Graduate Education 2030: Imagining the Future. Panel summaries provide an overview of the papers and discussion, with individual papers accessible at the links below.

​Summit Program and Compilation of Papers*

*Individual papers below have been updated and edited for the electronic proceedings.

CGS contributions to the 2017 Summit were generously supported by the Educational Testing Service (ETS).

The House released its tax bill, which as drafted, will significantly impact graduate students. Check the Tax Reform and Higher Education website and the CGS Public Policy & Advocacy page for helpful resources, including letter templates, a tax policy issue brief, and tax reform scenarios. Also, see this graphic, developed by CGS, which can help illustrate the implications of taxing tution waivers on graduate students. 

Actions You Can Take:

1. Contact your government relations representatives and your campus administration to let them know how the proposed benefit eliminations will affect your graduate students. Work with them to communicate to your Members of Congress the importance of these tax provisions to the ability of your graduate students to finance their education. 
2. Encourage graduate students to join you in your advocacy efforts. Support them as they explain in their own words how changes in the tax code would affect them and their families.
3. Consider using examples from CGS's GradImpact Gallery to explain how graduate education improves the lives of all Americans, not just graduate degree holders. Consider submitting your own story to CGS if you have not already done so.

Two University of Wisconsin-Madison graduate students, Mehrdad Arjmand and Aaron Olson, founded NovoMoto after winning $90,000 in the 2016 Clean Energy Trust Challenge. Arjmand, a recent doctoral recipient in engineering mechanics, and Olson, a doctoral candidate in engineering mechanics, intend to use their graduate education to help people around the world. For now, their focus is on the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country where 95% of residents live without access to reliable grid electricity. NovoMoto is a Sustainable Social Enterprise that intends to “provide clean, renewable, and sustainable electricity to the DRC and other sub-Saharan African countries in the future.”

Through home and business solar energy systems, microgrids, and solar-powered charging stations, Arjmand and Olson believe they will be able to empower communities. As a result, more economic opportunities will be available to the region. A small energy kiosk prototype will allow NovoMoto to work with local partners and control the kiosk remotely. The plan is to set up a kiosk consisting of a few solar panels and a battery bank. Customers take a fully charged battery home, use it to charge lights and cell phones and other equipment, and return it for another when it’s fully discharged.

In addition to providing better and more reliable access, the NovoMoto model is more affordable. “Depending on the area of the country, people now pay $15 to $22 a month for kerosene and mobile phone charging,” says Olson. “We beat it by providing electricity for $9 a month; that’s a savings of 40 to 60 percent.” To learn more about Aaron and Mehrdad’s work, visit the University of Wisconsin-Madison website.

Visit the GradImpact Feature Gallery to learn more about the amazing, innovative research being done by graduate students and alumni across the world.

**Photo Credit: James Runde, Wisconsin Energy Institute

Inquiry-based learning is an active learning model that begins with a facilitator (teacher) asking questions, posing problems, or creating scenarios. This teaching model has become increasingly common in college classrooms, but Jessica Bohlen wanted to try the method with younger students. A recent M.A. recipient from the University of West Georgia and high school English teacher, Bohlen began a trial run partnership with two UWG professors and a local elementary school teacher. What they discovered could be transformational for the K-12 community.

At the end of the nine-week study, Bohlen saw a huge improvement in her classroom – 492 percent to be exact. Not only did her students perform better on test assignments, but their classroom behavior and confidence levels greatly improved. Bohlen’s results are particularly inspiring, because some of her students have learning disabilities.

Since the study was completed, Bohlen has had other teachers come into her classroom to see the results for themselves. Several have started to use inquiry-based learning approaches in their own classrooms. To learn more about Jessica’s work, visit the University of West Georgia website.

Visit the GradImpact Feature Gallery to learn more about the amazing, innovative research being done by graduate students and alumni across the world.

**Photo Credit: Amy K. Lavender