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.

Hironao Okahana, Assistant Vice President, Research & Policy Analysis

It’s that time of year again! The NSF’s National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) has released the latest Survey of Earned Doctorates (SED) data tables. SED is the comprehensive source of information about newly-minted research doctorates since 1957, collecting the annual census of this population. The higher education community monitors this survey with keen interest, as the SED data is often used as a key national indicator of doctoral education in the United States. The latest release of the data is based on those students who earned research doctorates between July 1, 2014 and June 30, 2015. While the full NSF report is forthcoming, we have already seen the following headlines in leading media outlets for the higher education community: The New Ph.D.s: New federal data show American universities awarded a record number of Ph.D.s in 2015 and Economic Realities Have Altered Ph.D. Recipients’ Plans for Future. This article offers a quick look at statistics from the latest data release of SED compiled by the CGS research team. Full data tables are available on the NSF website and table numbers referenced in this article correspond to the web tables.

In the 2014/15 academic year, 55,006 earned research doctorates from U.S. institutions, and a little less than two-thirds of them (64%) were U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Among U.S. citizens and permanent residents, women continue to hold the majority of earned doctorates (51%); however, only a little over one-third (36%) of international doctorates were earned by women. The overall share of international degree recipients among all earned doctorates has been relatively stable over the last decade, while the number of earned doctorates has grown steadily (Table 18). In the past seven years, about 70% of international doctoral recipients intended to stay in the United States after earning their degrees (Table 53). Interests vary substantially by their countries of origin. For example, Saudi Arabian (14%) and Thai (21%) students were least likely to intend to stay in the United States after earning their doctorates. Of those students from the two top countries of origin for earned doctorates with a temporary visa, China and India, more than 80% of earned doctorates intended to stay in the United States.

Over the last decade, an increasing number of underrepresented minority (URM) students have earned research doctorates from U.S. institutions. Table 19 shows that during the 2014/15 academic year, record-breaking numbers of U.S. citizens and permanent residents of Hispanic/Latino heritage (2,451) and of Black/African American background (2,281) earned research doctorates. Also the number of earned doctorates by American Indian/Alaska Native students was the second highest in the last decade. While these are encouraging signs to achieving greater access and inclusivity in doctoral education, relative shares of these URM students have continued to stagnate (See Figure 1). Among U.S. citizens and permanent residents, American Indian/Alaska Native students have less than a 0.5% share of earned doctorates with 7.0% and 6.5% shares respectively for Hispanic/Latino students and Black/African American students. Facilitate more diversity in doctoral education will therefore remain a priority for the graduate education community.

A notable new statistic included in this latest data release was median times to doctorate since starting a doctoral program (Table 31). In the prior iterations, median times to doctorates were only reported as times since starting any graduate school and since earning bachelor’s degrees. The inclusion of this new data point offers the most precise national benchmark for doctoral time-to-degree. Overall, the median time to earning a doctorate since starting a doctoral program was 5.7 years, with the longest time-to-degree being 6.9 years for humanities and arts and the shortest time-to-degree being 5.2 years for engineering.

A little over two-thirds (68%) of doctoral recipients also hold a master’s degree, though not necessarily in related fields (Table 29). About 1 in 5 of those who hold a master’s degree earned a degree in a field not related to their doctorates. American Indian/Alaska Native (82%) and Black/African American (84%) students were particularly likely to have earned master’s degrees, suggesting that master’s programs are an important pathway for URM students leading to doctoral education. Interestingly, of those Black/African American students who earned master’s degrees, 3 in 10 hold a master’s degree in fields not related to their doctorates. Master’s attainment was the lowest in life science fields (49%), followed by physical science and earth science fields (51%), while it was the highest in education (86%), humanities and arts (83%), and psychology and social sciences fields (81%). Consequently, earned doctorates from these three fields had the longest times to doctorate since earning a bachelor’s degree, 14.8 years, 11.0 years, and 9.3 years, respectively. Also, about 1 in 5 U.S. citizens and permanent residents who earned research doctorates attended community college (Table 30).

Each year, the Survey of Earned Doctorates offers a wealth of information about the individuals who completed their doctorates in the United States. We encourage you to check out data tables as a benchmarking resource. Each institution also receives an individualized data report from NSF that includes some comparative national data, and institutions can contact NSF to obtain micro data for earned doctorates from their institutions. If you have not taken advantage of these data resources, we highly encourage you to do so, and add them to your go-to data points to support program improvement.

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.

As a PhD candidate in biomedical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Josh Gershlak never expected thinking outside the box would lead to growing heart tissue on spinach leaves as a potential treatment for heart disease. But when his casual comparison of a spinach leaf to the structure of an aorta led to cutting-edge tissue engineering research, he realized just how limitless scientific research is.

Gershlak earned an M.S. at Tufts University and then found WPI’s Myocardial Regeneration Lab a good fit to continue his studies. His work in the lab resulted in the decellularization process that launched what’s now known as the Hearts on Spinach research. His unexpected forays into entrepreneurship and innovation coursework gave him new perspectives that led to such creative thinking in the lab.

Gershlak’s internationally renowned work with Professor Glenn Gaudette explores the possibility of using plant materials as a scaffolding framework for specialized tissue regeneration. “It opens up conversations and minds to try and approach our problems in tissue engineering differently,” he says. “Hopefully it allows us as a field to create functional tissues and organs to positively affect people’s lives.” Gershlak says more work and testing needs to be done, but he’s confident enough in the process and in his colleagues to see Hearts on Spinach move from proof of concept to a reality. To read more about Gershlak’s research, visit the WPI website.

**Photo Credit: Matthew J. Burgos, WPI Marketing and Communications