More than two decades after earning his bachelor’s degree in English, Mark Terry returned to York University to pursue his graduate studies in the Humanities. Mr. Terry spent 25 years as a broadcast journalist and documentary filmmaker, and his current doctoral research focuses on “how documentary film can philosophically be mobilized as an instrument of social change.” One of his previous films documents climate research expeditions to Antarctica and the Arctic and has been used by the United Nations to create new environmental policy. His Youth Climate Report project was presented at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP22) in Morocco in 2016.

Terry’s work uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to showcase the latest climate research being done by climate scientists, researchers, and scholars around the world. A GIS allows us to visualize, analyze, and interpret data to understand relationships, patterns, and trends in more comprehensive ways and is being used by industries across the world. Terry’s innovative project brings together GIS and interactive documentary filmmaking and can be replicated. He works closely with United Nations Environment Program policy makers providing interactive mapping tools to serve delegates and negotiators.

Mr. Terry has received many accolades for his work, including the Diamond Jubilee Medal to honor his significant contributions and achievements to Canada. To learn more about Mark’s work, visit the York University website.

**Photo Credit: York University 

Two graduate students at North Dakota State University have invented a test that could the change lives of pancreatic cancer patients. James Froberg (doctoral candidate in physics) and Fataneh Karandish (doctoral candidate in pharmaceutical sciences) created the test using a computer chip that requires a single drop of blood to detect pancreatic cancer, one of the deadliest and most difficult forms of cancer to diagnose. The five-year survival rate is about 7% and a lack of early symptoms makes it very hard to detect.

Froberg and Karandish developed a microchip that uses nanotechnology to respond to the presence of pancreatic cancer cells in the blood. When electric current runs through the blood sample, the intensity decreases when cancer cells are detected. The two doctoral students recently won a $5,000 award for their finding in NDSU's Innovation Challenge, a student entrepreneurial competition. Forberg and Karandish are also part of the Center for Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategies in Pancreatic Cancer, a broader team on campus focused on cutting-edge research to develop early detection and protocols for pancreatic cancer.

Froberg and Karandish’s innovation has the potential to revolutionize the future of cancer detection and treatment. Its simplicity and cost-effectiveness lend itself to at-home early diagnostic kits and could eventually be modified to detect other types cancer. To learn more about James and Fataneh’s work, visit the North Dakota State University website.

**Photo Credit: North Dakota State University

When studying climate change and potential consequences of rising temperatures, research on silicon is often overlooked by ecologists. Silica (the combination of silicon and oxygen) is more often an emphasis in science fields focused in water ecosystems: oceanography, marine biology, etc. Tim Maguire, a PhD candidate in biology at Boston University, decided to investigate the effects climate change is having on silica production in trees, and what he discovered is cause for concern.

Maguire has focused his work on sugar maple trees and their root systems. Trees act like pumps for silica: they suck it up from groundwater, convert it to a usable form, and then either store it or release it back into the ecosystem. Maguire’s work, funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, found that sugar maples seem to pump more silica than originally anticipated. In addition, they appear to be more susceptible to the effects of climate change: rising temperatures lead to less snow accumulation which leads to root exposure and subsequent root damage.

So, what does this mean? In individual trees, silica plays many roles included providing structure to leaves, strong root systems, and protection from infections like fungi. At the ecosystem level, the potential effects have greater consequences: trees won’t pump enough silica required to maintain the marsh and ocean ecosystems. “A lot of times, when you do these types of studies, you get a statistical result that doesn’t amount to much in the real world,” says Maguire. “This is not the case here.” To learn more about Tim’s work, visit the Boston University website.

**Photo Credit: Boston University

Dorothy Johnson-Speight is currently working towards her EdD at Fielding Graduate University in California, but her path to get here has been harder than she ever imagined. In 2001, Johnson-Speight was thinking about her doctorate. Her son Khaaliq Johnson was entering a master’s program, and the two were making long-term plans to open a practice in their Philadelphia community to support at-risk kids. In December of that year, her life was devastated by the senseless murder of her son during an argument over a parking spot.

Johnson-Speight was determined to turn her grief into something positive. She began holding meetings at her local church with other mothers to talk about preventing violence in the community, and the response was overwhelming. Johnson-Speight founded the grassroots nonprofit, Mothers in Charge, an organization that “works to prevent violence through education and intervention.” Mothers in Charge has provided grief counseling, youth mentoring, anger-management and conflict-resolution classes, job-training courses, and more.

Johnson-Speight spoke at The Women of the World Summit in New York, was invited to meet the Pope during his visit to a Philadelphia prison, and was recently named a Soros Justice Fellow. Mothers in Charge has chapters in a dozen cities across the country and continues to grow. But, Johnson-Speight made a promise to her son, and now she’s finishing the work they planned to do together. To learn more about Dorothy’s work, visit the Fielding Graduate University website.

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

With nearly one out of five U.S. master’s and doctoral students being international students, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), graduate deans, and the graduate education community have high stakes in supporting the recruitment and success of international graduate students and scholars pursuing their studies in the United States. Though it has been over five months since the first immigration executive order was signed, much uncertainty remains as to how the current political climate and immigration policies may be affecting that flow. A short survey conducted by CGS finds that member deans are seeing a decline in admission yields of prospective international graduate students, a sign that the global appeal for U.S. graduate education may be suffering.

About the Survey

To offer insight into this ongoing and developing event, CGS fielded a short survey to its member deans, asking them to report changes in admission yields for this year, compared to the last. The survey was sent to all 464 graduate deans or their equivalents at CGS member institutions based in the United States via email between May 22 and June 7, 2017. The response rate was 38%, with 176 institutions recording valid responses. Of the respondents, 38% were Doctoral Universities - Highest research activity (R1), 33% were Doctoral Universities - Higher or Moderate research activity (R2 & R3), and 29% were Master’s Colleges and Universities and other institution types. The survey asked deans to indicate any substantial changes in percentages of offers of admission accepted by prospective international graduate students, or admission yields, by degree level and region of origin. As a reference point, the survey also asked graduate deans to report any substantial changes they may be observing in admission yields of prospective graduate students who are U.S. citizens and permanent residents.

Survey Results

First, the data indicate that more graduate deans are seeing declines in admission yields of prospective international graduate students than of prospective U.S. citizen/permanent resident graduate students. Particularly for prospective master’s students, 46% of graduate deans indicated that they are seeing substantial downward changes in admission yields for international students, while only 24% reported the same for domestic students. At the same time, 41% of graduate deans reported that they are seeing substantial upward changes in admission yields for prospective domestic master’s students. Given that the large majority of international graduate students are offered admission into master’s degree programs, this may have substantial implications for first-time enrollment of international graduate students for Fall 2017.

Second, declines in admission yields for prospective international graduate students were more pronounced at R2 and R3 institutions. Over one half of respondents at R2 and R3 institutions (55%) indicated that they are seeing substantial downward changes in admission yields of prospective international master’s students. This is compared to 42% at R1 institutions and 39% at Master’s Colleges and Universities and others. The contrast was even more dramatic for admission yields of prospective international doctoral students. Forty-two percent of graduate deans at R2 and R3 institutions indicated that they are seeing substantial downward changes, while only 27% of their counterparts at R1 institutions reported the same.

Finally, declines in admission yields of prospective international graduates vary by regions of origin. Fifty-two percent of graduate deans reported that they are seeing declines in admission yields for prospective international graduate students from the Middle East and North Africa region. The observation of downward changes was particularly pronounced at R1 institutions, where 60% of graduate deans reported declines in admission yields for students from that region. Also, forty-two percent of graduate deans indicated that they are seeing a decline in students from Asia. Notably, 55% of graduate deans at R2 and R3 institutions reported substantial downward changes in admission yields of prospective Asian graduate students. For other regions, many fewer graduate deans reported a decline, and the majority of them noted no substantial changes in international admission yields.

Discussion

In the CGS Pressing Issues Survey earlier this year, nearly one half of graduate deans at U.S. doctoral universities (48%) indicated that they were seeing downward changes in international graduate applications this year, compared to the last application cycle. With the second immigration executive order now making its way to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Administration’s continued scrutiny of the visa review processes at U.S. consulates abroad, as well as H-1B visa and optional practical training programs, much uncertainty still remains. Yet, a few key indicators have emerged to offer additional insight into how these policies may be affecting the flow of international graduate students and scholars to the United States.

A recent review by POLITICO noted that fewer non-immigrant visas, including F-1 visas that international graduate students need, were granted this year as compared to last year, particularly in Arab countries. However, the visa issuance statistics alone are difficult to interpret, since we do not know whether this is because of fewer applications submitted, fewer applications approved, or a combination of both. An examination of admission yields offers additional insight, as the decline suggests that fewer students are willing to pursue opportunities for graduate education in the United States, even when acceptance into a degree program is offered to them. Prospective international graduate students appear more likely, in particular, to turn down those opportunities at the master’s level, as well as at R2 and R3 institutions. While the survey cannot pinpoint particular factors that might be shaping such shifts, the uncertainty with prospects of post-graduate school employment under optional practical training and/or H-1B visa programs, as well as opportunities to pursue graduate education in other English-speaking countries, may in part explain some of the declines graduate deans are observing.

CGS remains committed to seeing U.S. graduate education remain open and that U.S. graduate schools continue to be the desired destination for talented students and scholars both domestic and from abroad. More importantly, CGS is the platform for our member deans to exchange ideas and promising practices that may strengthen the global appeal of U.S. graduate education collectively. At the upcoming Summer Workshop in Denver, CGS is pleased to welcome Esther Brimmer, executive director and CEO of NAFSA: Association of International Educators to hear her perspective on this subject. Also at the Annual Meeting later this year, we will convene a pre-meeting workshop to discuss strategies and approaches for recruiting international graduate students. In the meantime, we encourage our members to take advantage of the Dean’s Discussion Board to pose questions and/or share insights with fellow graduate deans.

You might call him a painter. His work does require a tremendous amount of creativity, and Masoud Moshref Javadi has been known to write on the walls to work out problems. But, his artistic endeavors involve computer networks, data traffic, and operating systems. Moshref Javadi, a PhD recipient in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California, developed a network management system called DREAM (Dynamic Resource Allocation for Software-defined Measurement), which makes the future of cloud computing more efficient, reliable, and secure.

In 2015, Moshref Javadi was one of only 15 PhD students across the U.S. awarded the prestigious Google PhD Fellowship, a two-year award created in 2009 to recognize and support outstanding graduate students doing exception work in computer sciences and related disciplines. Moshref Javadi grew up in Iran, and his interest in computers began in high school. He went on to earn a master’s degree in IT engineering from Sharif University of Technology in Tehran, the top engineering university in the country.

“Writing (computer) programs involves creativity — like having a canvas for painting,” Moshref Javadi said. “You’re trying to create something.” To learn more about Masoud’s work, visit the University of Southern California website.

After a 15-year career as a professional dancer, Joseph Blake needed to expand his horizon. He began teaching dance to students aged five through 65+ and found their passion inspiring. Blake decided to pursue his MFA in dance from the University of Washington with the intent of teaching at the collegiate level, but he’s using his passion and dedication to dance outside the UW campus.

Since starting the MFA program in 2015, Blake has focused on dance as a tool to communicate the importance of critical thinking and climate change, using yoga to help heal local incarcerated youth, and to reach people living with Parkinson’s. Blake underscores the importance of dance as a community activity and one that promotes inclusivity for all, not exclusively able-bodied professional dancers.

Blake is taking his commitment to have an impact on the world one step further with his project Ballo Conservatio alongside friend and colleague Steve Korn. Their partnership as choreographer (Blake) and photographer (Korn) seeks to capture “powerful visual moments of human interaction with renewable and finite resources.” The hope is to use art to raise awareness for the importance of sustainability. “There’s always a story to be told, and it’s so easily done with the body and with the voice,” he says. To read more about Joseph’s work, visit the University of Washington website.

**Photo Credit: Mitch Allen

With more than 18,300 applications this year, the NASA astronaut program is extremely competitive, but Zena Cardman hoped her diverse set of experiences including working in the engine room of a boat and several Antarctic expeditions might give her the edge. She was right. Cardman, a doctoral student in the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences at Penn State University, was recently named a member of NASA’s 2017 class of astronauts. The 12 men and women were recognized during a ceremony at the Johnson Space Center in Houston on June 7.

Cardman’s research in the geosciences focuses on microbe-rock interactions and what those interactions reveal about life on Earth and perhaps life elsewhere. The possibility of life on other planets drives her research interests, including her current work on the alien-like lifeforms found growing on walls of damp, remote caves. “I’m especially interested in life that lives in oddball environments on Earth, the extremophiles,” said Cardman. “For me, that’s a good analogy for environments that might be habitable on another planet.”

In August, Cardman must report to NASA’s Johnson Space Center for training that will include flying jets, learning Russian, taking mock spacewalks, and getting to know her teammates. She’ll be in the candidate-training program for two years before she becomes a full astronaut and qualifies for spaceflight missions. To read more about Zena’s work, visit the Penn State website.

**Photo Credit: NASA

Hironao Okahana, Assistant Vice President, Research & Policy Analysis

The CGS Pressing Issues Survey is an important vehicle for the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) to stay apprised of the key priorities for our member deans. The 2017 survey was administered to all 485 graduate deans or equivalent at CGS member institutions based in the U.S. and Canada via email between February 1 and February 17, 2017. The response rate was 42%, with 205 institutions recording their survey responses. The survey asked a range of questions regarding priorities for graduate deans, graduate schools, and their home institutions for the upcoming twelve months, as well as observations of graduate application trends. This article provides insights into three key areas: graduate application trends, advocacy, and diversity.

Graduate Application Trends

International Application Trends
Nearly one half of graduate deans at U.S. doctoral universities (48%) indicated they are seeing downward changes in international graduate applications this year, compared to the last application cycle. A little over one-third (37%) indicated they are seeing no substantial change. In contrast, only one quarter of U.S. master’s colleges and university graduate deans observed substantial downward changes in international graduate applications. Of those graduate deans who indicated downward changes in international graduate applications, the majority (53%) attributed the shifts to “Other Factors.” Many wrote in concerns related to the current political climate and immigration policies. Though only seven Canadian institutions responded to this survey, all seven graduate deans at these institutions indicated upward changes in international graduate applications with some attributing the increase to recent U.S. policies.

However, at this point, it may be premature to attribute the downward trend of international applications entirely to the recent immigration executive orders. CGS previously reported a 1% growth in international graduate applications between Fall 2015 and Fall 2016 and attributed some of this decline to economic factors. Also, while some may link this to the November election results, the recent immigration executive orders were not issued until the Fall 2017 application cycle was well underway. Much uncertainty remains with pending court cases, and a clearer understanding of the impact on international graduate admissions will be seen in admission yield rates, visa issuance statistics, and matriculation rates for the upcoming Fall semester and beyond. Nevertheless, a chilling effect has been felt across the graduate education community, and CGS remains concerned regarding the potential adverse impact of these policies.

Doctoral & Master’s Application Trends
Overall, the vast majority of graduate deans observed no change (38%) or upward change (36%) in master’s applications. A little over one-fourth of graduate deans (27%) reported a downward change in master’s applications compared to the last application cycle. Though graduate deans at U.S. doctoral universities were more likely to report downward changes in master’s applications (30%) than their counterparts at U.S. master’s colleges and universities (21%). The majority of U.S. doctoral university graduate deans (51%) observed no substantial changes in doctoral applications compared to the last application cycle.

More than three out of four graduate deans (77%) at U.S. master’s colleges and universities indicated they will very likely be providing leadership in graduate enrollment management in the next twelve months. In contrast, only 57% of graduate deans at U.S. doctoral universities plan the same, and nearly one out of ten (9%) indicated they are not likely to provide leadership in this area. The number of graduate program offerings seem to remain on a growth trajectory. More than eight out of ten graduate deans reported their institutions will very likely (57%) or likely (25%) create one or more graduate degree program in the next twelve months. Nearly two out of five (38%) graduate deans indicated their institutions are not likely to eliminate one or more graduate degree program in the next twelve months.

Advocacy and Public Affairs

Compared to other key priorities, such as resource acquisitions and graduate enrollment management, communicating the public benefit of graduate education to broader audiences did not emerge as a top issue for graduate deans. Less than one half of graduate deans surveyed (47%) indicated they are very likely to communicate the public benefits of graduate education to broader audiences, although 35% said they are likely to do so. However, a more striking finding is that over one third of graduate deans at U.S. doctoral universities (35%) and U.S. master’s colleges and universities (34%) reported that their offices are not likely to proactively reach out to their Congressional representatives. This response may be, in part, a result of organizational structures at CGS member institutions. Many, particularly large institutions, have separate external relations/government affairs offices that serve as designated points of contact with policymakers and other external audiences.

However, given the current political climate toward federal funding support for graduate education, humanities, and science, this is a critical time for our community to organize and make its voice heard.  If not able to directly engage legislative representatives, graduate deans can still provide resources on the importance of graduate education to their university officers, who subsequently can use those materials with external stakeholders and policymakers. CGS offers many resources graduate deans can use to engage in advocacy efforts, including examples of advocacy materials developed by their peers. We encourage graduate deans to engage both on-campus and external stakeholders of graduate education. In addition, CGS invites member institutions to share stories about innovative and exceptional graduate students and alumni via #GradImpact. This project provides our community with an opportunity to demonstrate that graduate education matters not only to degree holders, but also to the communities where they live and work.

Diversity and Inclusiveness

Diversity and inclusiveness for graduate students remain one of the top priorities for graduate deans. Nearly two-thirds of graduate deans (65%) indicated they will very likely promote diversity and inclusion in the graduate student body in the next twelve months. Also, eight out of ten indicated that their institutions will very likely (44%) or likely (36%) adopt new student recruitment strategies to enhance diversity and inclusiveness. The sentiment was particularly strong at U.S. doctoral universities, as 72% of graduate deans reported they will very likely promote graduate student diversity in the coming year.

In contrast, less than one third of graduate deans (31%) indicated they will promote diversity and inclusiveness in graduate faculty in the next twelve months, with 18% of them noting they are not likely to do so. This, perhaps, is in part because few graduate deans have direct involvement in faculty recruitment and hiring decisions, as those functions are primarily handled by other units (e.g., individual departments, faculty affairs offices, etc.). However, there are opportunities for graduate deans to actively influence faculty recruitment and hiring practices. Moreover, efforts to facilitate diversity and inclusiveness in the professoriate go hand in hand with our efforts to increase diversity in the graduate student body. For example, with funding support from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Alliances for Graduate Education and Professoriate (AGEP), the Big Ten Academic Alliance, which includes several CGS member graduate deans, has developed case-studies and facilitation guides on unconscious bias during the hiring process. At the upcoming CGS Summer Workshop, there will also be a session on strategies for improving diversity in the STEM professoriate, which will feature some key takeaways from the recent CGS AGEP National Forum.

The full results from the 2017 CGS Pressing Issues Survey will be made available later in the spring. In addition, findings were discussed in a CGS Webinar, “Top Issues and Priorities for Graduate Deans,” on Tuesday, April 4, 2017, and the webinar recording will be available here. We encourage member deans to continue to examine key priorities on their campuses and how they align with those identified by the larger community. We hope that you will let us know how CGS can remain a go-to resource as you seek to address the pressing issues graduate deans face.

After receiving her M.A. and MFA in art from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Dakota Mace wasn’t ready to leave school. Her work photographing Navajo textiles drove her interest to learn how to weave. Her new skill combined with a desire to better understand her own heritage and an interest in educating the world on the history of Navajo weaving, led Mace to pursue an MFA in design studies in the Human Ecology program.

Mace’s recent exhibition, “We Weave What We See,” focused on the history of Navajo women weavers, and the “connection to weaving and landscape. It was all based on this idea of wanting to translate the understanding of the designs and the motifs used in Navajo weaving, but bringing it more into the fine art world,” Mace explained.

Eventually, Mace wants to become a professor and leader in academia in the Native American community. Her mentor, UW-Madison professor Tom Jones, has inspired her desire to serve as a role model. “There aren’t a lot of Native American professors out there, so bringing the knowledge to the younger generation is what’s most important to me.” To read more about Mace’s work, visit the UW-Madison website. You can view her portfolio at http://www.dakotamace.com.