FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

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

JED Contact: Manuela McDonough – (212) 647-7544 / Manuela@jedfoundation.org

Statement of Principles and Commitments Endorsed by 150+ Universities

Washington, DC – In recent years, climate surveys and research studies have demonstrated a critical need to prioritize the mental health of postsecondary students, but little information exists about programs and services designed to address the needs of master’s and doctoral students. Today, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) and The Jed Foundation (JED) lead the way in addressing that gap with the release of data, resources, and evidence-informed recommendations.

Their report, Supporting Graduate Student Mental Health and Well-being, contextualizes the urgency of this issue and includes results from a CGS member survey, priority areas for future research, and examples of programs aligned with key recommendations. The findings and recommendations summarized in the report are intended to provide a starting point for discussion and action for all campus groups with a vested interest in the quality of graduate education, including presidents and provosts, graduate deans, department chairs, faculty members, graduate students, and funders. Also embedded in the report is a “Statement of Principles and Commitments of Graduate Deans,” which provides institutions a blueprint for action to support the academic success and well-being of all students. As of today, 150+ universities have endorsed the principles and commitments.

The release of the report marks the culmination of that 22-month project, supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. CGS and JED, along with a 14-person advisory committee with expertise in the field and participants in an October 2020 virtual convening, provided input and information that informed the report’s recommendations. The convening included graduate deans and students from 29 CGS member universities, disciplinary society representatives, funders of graduate education, and researchers.

Key findings in the member survey provide a sense of how universities are currently approaching graduate student mental health and well-being. While only 24% of graduate deans indicated their campus-wide strategic plan, vision, or mission statement specifically references graduate students in the member survey, 49% noted that their institutions have a taskforce or committee related to the emotional well-being of graduate students.

“Given the diversity of the graduate student population both in terms of life stage and career goals, considering the unique needs of graduate students in campus mental health plans must be a priority,” said CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega. “Establishing a shared set of values and a framework of principles and commitments is just the first step toward creating more inclusive, supportive program and campus environments and ensuring more equitable access to care. Our work with JED lays the foundation for future research on this critically important topic.”

“The findings from this project will be instrumental in moving forward with efforts to promote graduate student mental health and well-being,” said Dr. Nance Roy, chief clinical officer, The Jed Foundation and assistant clinical professor, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine. The recommendations provide actionable steps to support graduate student mental health as well as opportunities for future study. JED is proud to have partnered with CGS on this valuable work.”

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To say Roger W. Ferguson, Jr., president and CEO of TIAA and CGS Employer Roundtable member, has an impressive resume is a bit of an understatement. He holds a B.A., J.D., and a Ph.D. in economics, all from Harvard University. He’s the former Vice Chairman of the Board of Governors of the U.S. Federal Reserve System and held executive positions at Swiss Re America Holding Corporation and McKinsey & Company. Roger is a member of the Smithsonian Institution’s Board of Regents, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and co-chairs its Commission on the Future of Undergraduate Education. He serves on the boards of several large corporations and philanthropic organizations and was a member of President Obama’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. And, the list goes on…and on.

If you’ve heard him speak, you know he’s a commanding presence, and someone who has routinely used his platform to talk about issues most important to him: education, financial literacy, and ensuring a diverse workforce.  In 2019, Ferguson was awarded the Harvard Centennial Medal, the highest honor bestowed by Harvard University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences for “contributions to society as they have emerged from one’s graduate education at Harvard.”

As Roger prepares for his upcoming retirement at the end of April, we talked to him about the role education has played in his life, the value of graduate education, and fostering a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion.

You often talk about the importance of a "lifelong learner" mentality. How has that way of thinking advanced and impacted your education and career trajectory?

I’ve always believed that education is the great equalizer. Growing up, my mother was a public school teacher and emphasized the value of education. She always told me, “Education is the one thing they can’t take away from you. They can’t deny that degree.”

But education in my life was not limited to the classroom. Equally as important was a family environment that valued education outside of the classroom, such as conversations around the dining room table. For me, those conversations consisted of financial literacy, as my father – who grew up during the Great Depression – was interested in interest rates and savings. So while my formal education continued to when I was nearly 30 years old, my desire to always keep learning never faltered.

Every job I took, I looked at as an opportunity to continue to learn something new. Sometimes what I learn may not feel great – like learning about things I don’t do so well. Sometimes it’s a new fact or new information. But it’s all about continuing to learn and grow. I’ve long viewed my career more like a climbing wall than the traditional career ladder. Your career path may not always be a straight line. Instead, it could be a series of vertical and lateral movements. The key is always to keep growing – and that mindset has allowed me to take on some fascinating challenges that might not have come my way if I had thought about my career in a purely linear way.

As an employer, what is the value of hiring staff with advanced degrees?

Companies need individuals with all types and levels of degrees to fulfill unique and technical roles. But most importantly, all organizations require employees who have the critical thinking skills to identify challenges and recognize patterns to find a solution. Employers are increasingly aware of the value of postgraduate studies, as an advanced degree can help employees become subject matter experts in their field, and in turn provide valuable insights and solutions to both their employer and their customers. Advanced degrees can also enhance an employee’s leadership and management skills, two critical components in a professional environment.

Furthermore, employers must hire from a diverse set of candidates, not solely based on their degrees or experiences on paper. Diversity, equity and inclusion should be at the heart of decisions about recruiting, hiring, and developing employees, and selecting directors and leaders. Not only is it the right thing to do, but it’s also a business imperative. Studies have shown that more diverse companies have better outcomes, which benefits all stakeholders: employees, shareholders, and customers.

Your company does a lot of work to address complex societal challenges. Would you tell us a little about one or two of those initiatives and your role in them?

At TIAA, one of our core beliefs is that financial education and financial literacy programs can help make finances more inclusive for all Americans. Through our programs like FinSights (which leverages key findings from research conducted with CGS and more than 30 leading universities) and partnerships with EverFi and Savi, we’re working to educate Americans about their financial options and well-being to help close the wealth gap in the U.S.

We also work to foster a culture of diversity, equity and inclusion – it’s a key pillar of who we are as an organization. Through our Be the Change platform, we empower our associates to make a difference in their workplace and communities by bringing people together to build awareness, promote dialogue and connection, and engage in anti-racist advocacy.

I believe that CEOs must be held accountable for enacting change to achieve a more diverse and inclusive culture. Employees will take their cues from what they see the C-suite saying, and more importantly, doing. Over the last year, I’m pleased that we’ve seen a concerted effort across corporate America to address the racial, social and economic injustices too many folks in our country have endured.

What advice do you have for students – particularly minority students – thinking about graduate school?

Being an African American is part of who I am, but it doesn’t define who I am. I think you have to balance whatever the differences may be versus what is not different. Everyone has something different about them. So I would say respect it, recognize that in ways you are different, but don’t become overly fixated on the differences.

You have to be prepared to take some risks and maybe make mistakes or fail from time to time. I urge all students, regardless if they decide to pursue a graduate degree or not – to develop as expansive an education as possible, rooted in skills and life experiences that will help shape them as individuals. Education doesn’t stop with that last degree you get from formal education; it’s all the day-to-day learning. And most importantly, seek out opportunities that enable you to continue to learn once you’re in the workplace.

How will higher education system and accompanying student debt evolve as a result of the coronavirus pandemic?

The coronavirus pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on higher education institutions and their students. As we look at the long-term impact, the future remains uncertain but hopeful. There are many different types of higher education institutions, it’s not one monolith. Larger institutions may be able to navigate the financial challenges through larger endowments and more access to fundraising. Smaller liberal arts schools may find the tuition challenges to exist for quite a while as they may not have the endowments to fall back on.

We should recognize that some things aren’t going to change. There is evidence that in-person education remains strong, but it also goes beyond the classroom. We’ve seen a number of schools reimagining how they use online capabilities in addition to in-person, and investments in those technologies will continue.

As challenging as it is, it is still very important to complete education. The economic results for students who have completed their degrees are much better than those who have not done that. Even though it’s a challenging time, students should aim to finish their programs.

I’m a firm believer that the higher education sector will continue to be an engine of growth for the American economy and will continue to be a place for individuals to find their opportunities and to create their own futures.

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: TIAA

On April 13, CGS joined a coalition of higher education organizations on a statement that underscores the importance of expanding suffrage to include more U.S. citizens. The statement outlines the role colleges and universities play in expanding civic participation, particularly for postsecondary students.

On April 8, CGS submitted comments to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) UNITE Initiative in response to a Request for Information inviting insights and suggestions to advance and strengthen racial equity, diversity, and inclusion in the biomedical research workforce and to advance health disparities and health equity research. CGS recommended several measures intended to support NIH's charge to combat racism in the scientific enterprise, including programs to support graduate students whose research and career prospects may have been disrupted due to the pandemic; expanded mental health research; and grant opportunities to address the COVID-19 pandemic's disproportionate impact on minority populations.

New Advocacy Opportunity: Send a FY22 Appropriations Request to Your Member of Congress

CGS has created this resource to assist Council members in submitting appropriations requests to their Members of Congress for programs of importance to graduate education and research. Supplemental resources, including a guide to submitting a request form and a sample form letter, are available here. 

Pleases reach out to Matthew Smith (msmith@cgs.nche.edu) with any questions.

APRIL 15, 2021 | CGS Research-in-Brief

By Janet Gao, Research and Program Associate, Council of Graduate Schools

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns on graduate education access and success have not gone unnoticed (Flaherty, 2020a, 2020b). To examine how prospective students and enrollment management professionals may be responding to the pandemic, the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS), in partnership with NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management, fielded the 2020 NAGAP/CGS Survey of Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals. The survey, which was sent to active NAGAP members in November and December 2020, asked a series of questions, including U.S. graduate enrollment trends in Fall 2020, outreach efforts, and graduate school pipeline issues, among other topics. A total of 217 GEM professionals working across the graduate schools, university office of admissions, professional schools, academic colleges, and academic programs responded to the survey. Approximately 60% of them identified themselves as lead GEM professionals on their campuses. (Figure 1) 

Data Source: NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management & Council of Graduate Schools, Survey of Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals, Fall 2020, Data Table 1.

Key Findings

• Campus Climate & Work-life Balance. Approximately 66.3% of survey respondents agreed that students of color have shown greater concern about campus culture and climate than their majority counterparts.  About 63.2% of respondents reported that work-life balance was a very important concern for students overall, with the percentage being somewhat higher for female students (66.7%) and students of color (64.9%). (Figure 2)

Data Source: NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management & Council of Graduate Schools, Survey of Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals, Fall 2020, Data Table 2.

• Exacerbated Affordability Concerns. Overwhelmingly, 82.2% of respondents agreed that more prospective domestic students had expressed concerns about the affordability of graduate and professional education since the COVID-19 pandemic. The majority (61.1%) noted that more prospective domestic students have chosen to defer their graduate or professional education since the onset of the pandemic.
• Questions About the Value of Graduate Education. Few respondents agreed that prospective students have been losing interest in graduate school. However, the number of respondents who agreed that more prospective domestic students are questioning the value of graduate education outnumbered those who disagreed. 
• More Funding, More Career Development Support. Overwhelmingly, 95.9% of respondents cited the importance of the availability of additional funding opportunities to reduce student loan debt as a way to maintain the interest and motivation of prospective domestic students of color to pursue a graduate degree. Additionally, more information on career opportunities (83.0%) and opportunities to connect current students with alumni for informational interviews (68.3%) received high ratings. (Figure 3)

Data Source: NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management & Council of Graduate Schools, Survey of Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals, Fall 2020, Data Table 3.

• Use of National Outreach Resources. Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program was the most highly used (36%) program for student recruitment according to the survey respondents. However, over half of the respondents did not engage with any programs to promote graduate education among prospective students of color. (Figure 4) 

Data Source: NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management & Council of Graduate Schools, Survey of Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals, Fall 2020, Data Table 4.

• Program Suspension for Fall 2021. With regard to the plan for the Fall 2021 admission cycle, respondents at large did not report any suspension in admission across all the broad fields. However, it should be noted that 6.5% reported that they would be suspending admission to some master’s or research doctorate programs in arts & humanities fields. The suspension plan was also noted in social & behavioral sciences fields. (Figure 5)

Data Source: NAGAP, The Association for Graduate Enrollment Management & Council of Graduate Schools, Survey of Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals, Fall 2020, Data Table 5.

Key Takeaways 

• Consistent with the pre-pandemic time, affordability of graduate education continues to be a concern among both prospective graduate students and graduate schools. The availability of financial incentives to maintain students’ interest is considered one of the most compelling drivers of graduate enrollment.  

• There appears to be a growing question about the value proposition of graduate education. Making the connection between graduate programs and potential career outcomes is more important than ever. National efforts such as the CGS Understanding PhD Career Pathways for Program Improvement Project, AHA Career Diversity for Historians Initiative, and the Coalition for Next Generation Life Science support graduate institutions and programs to better communicate the career opportunities and outcomes of their graduates.  

• The survey data suggest that programs designed to encourage and prepare traditionally underserved students to pursue graduate and professional degrees were utilized by less than half of GEM professionals. Efforts such as National Name Exchange and McNair Scholars List are available platforms and resources for graduate institutions and programs to identify a pool of qualified underrepresented graduate students to successfully recruit, develop and retain. 

• Consistent with other reports (Flaherty, 2020b; Zahneis, 2020), there has been a temporary moratorium on academic programs, particularly in some of the arts & humanities and social & behavioral sciences fields. Admission suspensions, as well as enrollment size reductions, will likely have a longer-term impact (Zahneis, 2021).  

• Beyond the data points shared in this brief, the graduate education community also faces a larger volume of deferred admissions of international graduate students (Zhou & Gao, 2021), which may interfere with the continuing cohort and new enrollment in the 2021 admissions cycle and beyond. This is another challenge graduate schools and programs, and GEM professionals, likely face in the coming months.

Conversation Starters

• In response to COVID-19, what efforts do your institution and graduate programs take to maximize funding and career resources that increase access for prospective graduate students while ensuring success for current graduate students? 

• How are your institution and graduate programs re-envisioning and revising plans, strategies, and efforts that enforce diverse and inclusive virtual learning environments for minority students and accommodate female students with other needs or demands? 

• How do you evaluate the effectiveness of these approaches and resources in motivating and engaging prospective graduate students?  

• How do your institution and graduate programs plan to provide continuous support to retain and reboot graduate enrollment in a post-pandemic future?

References 

Flaherty, C. (2020a, April 7). What About Graduate Students? Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/04/07/graduate-students-seek-time-degree-and-funding-extensions-during-covid-19 

Flaherty, C. (2020b, June 1). Pausing Grad Admissions. Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2020/06/01/some-departments-plan-suspending-or-limiting-graduate-cohorts-year-or-longer-free 

Zahneis, M. (2020, September 28). More Doctoral Programs Suspend Admissions. That Could Have Lasting Effects on Graduate Education. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/more-doctoral-programs-suspend-admissions-that-could-have-lasting-effects-on-graduate-education 

Zahneis, M. (2021, February 15). The Shrinking of the Scholarly Ranks. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from https://www.chronicle.com/article/the-shrinking-of-the-scholarly-ranks 

Zhou, E., & Gao, J. (2021). International Graduate Applications & Enrollment: Fall 2020. Council of Graduate Schools.

For many universities, confronting the systemic racism begins with an excavation of the institution’s own history. In 2013, Johns Hopkins University (JHU) leaders began a project, Hopkins Retrospective, to explore and better understanding the institution’s history with a focus on its legacy of slavery. At the time, the university’s founder, Johns Hopkins, was known as a dedicated abolitionist and philanthropist. He bequeathed $7 million to establish the nation’s first research university and a hospital that would serve the poor “without regard to sex, age or color.” That established historical narrative of JHU’s founder is now in question.

Allison Seyler, a master’s recipient in history from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC), has helped uncover evidence that Hopkins did in fact own slaves. In her role as program manager for the Hopkins Retrospective project, Seyler and Dr. Martha Jones, professor of history at JHU, discovered U.S. Census records indicating that Hopkins had slaves in his household in both the 1840 and 1850 census. Jones and Seyler are now taking their research one step further: to better understand how the false history of Hopkins as a non-slave owning abolitionist came to be. 

Seyler’s work is a valuable example of graduate students’ contribution to essential research that helps us better understand the troubled history of race in higher education. When asked her reaction to uncovering the census records, Seyler said, “It was jarring. When you work at [Johns Hopkins] and learn the history of the university, and then find something so antithetical to what you’ve learned, it’s a bit shocking.” Jones’ and Seyler’s work has garnered significant attention, with features in The Baltimore Sun, The Washington Post, and The New York Times. Visit the JHU website to learn more about the Hopkins Retrospective project and the university’s feature on Jones’ and Seyler’s archival research.

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: Johns Hopkins University

CGS has created a summary of key provisions included in the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which President Biden signed into law on March 11, 2021. The legislation provides roughly $1.9 trillion in economic relief and $40 billion for colleges and universities. 

PRESS RELEASE

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

Washington, DC —The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) released new data showing that although international graduate application rates increased at U.S. universities for Fall 2020, first-time enrollment declined substantially. Final application counts from prospective international graduate students increased by 3% between Fall 2019 and Fall 2020, but first-time enrollment decreased by 39%. While the first-time enrollment at the master’s level declined (-43%) at a higher rate than at the doctoral level (-26%), the rate of decline was consistent across institutional types.

The decline in first-time enrollment resulted in part from a large increase in international graduate student deferments. To ensure a clearer picture of this trend, CGS fielded two additional surveys: the 2020 NAGAP/CGS Survey of Graduate Enrollment Management Professionals and the 2020 CGS International Graduate Admissions Supplemental Survey. More than 80% of survey respondents reported an increase in the number of newly admitted international graduate students who deferred, and a majority of those institutions indicated a greater than 5% increase in deferments overall when compared to prior years. The deferrals were relatively consistent across degree levels, with 12% of the offers of admissions deferred at the master’s and certificate level and 10% at the doctoral level.

“The first-time international graduate student enrollment decreases are alarming, because they undermine the international diversity and vitality of U.S. graduate programs. Between the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly on health concerns and international travel, and the lack of consistent and timely direction from the Trump administration regarding international graduate student visa policy, we were prepared to see declines,” said CGS President Suzanne Ortega. “Although the declines are concerning, we know our members have prioritized staying connected to both the students who deferred and their existing international graduate student community. When thinking ahead, one of the biggest lingering questions is how the deferrals will affect offers of admission and first-time enrollment for Fall 2021 and beyond, particularly if there are still travel limitations.”

Highlights by Field of Study

Across broad fields of study, international graduate applications increased at higher rates in mathematics and computer sciences (12%) and biological and agricultural sciences (10%) between Fall 2019 and Fall 2020. Regarding two of the largest broad fields of study, applications in engineering were consistent with last year’s numbers and business (-1%) decreased slightly. There were a large number of deferrals across both master’s and doctoral programs. Sixteen percent (16%) of master’s degree admission offers in engineering and 15% in mathematics and computer sciences were deferred. At the doctoral level, public administration and services (15%), biological and agricultural sciences (12%), and engineering (12%) had the largest share of offers deferred.

Highlights by Country of Origin

There were substantial decreases in first-time graduate enrollment in Asian (-47%) and Middle Eastern & North African (-36%) regions. For example, in China and India, two countries that consistently represent the largest shares of international graduate applications, first-time enrollments, and total enrollments, there were significant decreases in first-time graduate enrollment, -37% and -66%, respectively. There were less significant declines in first-time international graduate student enrollment from Canada (-5%) and Mexico (-6%), most likely due to fewer travel restrictions.

About the survey and report

Conducted since 2004, the CGS International Graduate Admissions Survey tracks the applications and enrollments of international students seeking U.S. master’s and doctoral degrees. As the only report of its kind to offer data on the current academic year, International Graduate Applications and Enrollment: Fall 2020 reports applications, admissions, and enrollments of international master’s, certificate, and doctoral students at U.S. colleges and universities. In Fall 2016, the survey was redesigned to collect data by degree objective (master’s and graduate certificate vs. doctorate), and for all seven regions of origin, eight countries of origin, and all eleven broad fields of study, yielding the only degree-level data currently available for graduate admissions and enrollments. 360 U.S. graduate institutions who are members of CGS or its regional affiliates responded to the 2020 survey.

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Universities and regional organizations of graduate schools are launching 3MT® competitions to help prepare graduate students to communicate the value of their research to a broad audience. This virtual event showcased the winners of regional competitions and concluded with a roundtable discussion and People’s Choice award. Students reflected on their experiences, offering insights that can help graduate schools develop successful 3MT® competitions-- even in virtual environments-- and other programs designed to hone students’ communication skills.

This event was moderated by Andrea Golato, Dean of the Graduate College, Texas State University

Virtual 3MT® Showcase support provided by ProQuest.