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Graduate Education Leaders Consider Importance of International Research Experiences for Graduate Students
August 10, 2016
Contact: Katherine Hazelrigg
202.461.3888 / khazelrigg@cgs.nche.edu
Washington, D.C. —The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) recently released a report: Evaluating International Research Experiences for Graduate Students, which outlines the findings of a one-day workshop convened in February 2016 along with the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Division of Graduate Education (DGE), the NSF Office of International Science and Engineering, and the North American Office of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG). This project was driven by the graduate education community’s desire for a deeper understanding of the impact of international collaboration on subsequent graduate careers and a need from funding agencies to validate their investment in international research collaboration.
The workshop convened 55 international participants who presented the current state of knowledge on assessing international research experiences and formulated a set of recommendations for program administrators to use in evaluating the effectiveness of these activities. “While additional research and data collection is needed, international research experiences for graduate students provide unique professional development opportunities and have value in an increasingly global economy, said CGS President Suzanne Ortega.
“The workshop generated a great deal of discussion in the assessment community on how best to evaluate international research experiences. I hope the report recommendations will motivate funding agencies and international exchange organizations to look more carefully at the long-term benefits their international activities provide to participants,” said Brian Mitchell, the CGS/NSF dean-in-residence and co-project leader.
Proceedings may be accessed at http://cgsnet.org/2016-cgsnsf-workshop-evaluating-international-research-experiences-graduate-students.
The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) is an organization of approximately 500 institutions of higher education in the United States and Canada engaged in graduate education, research, and the preparation of candidates for advanced degrees. The organization’s mission is to improve and advance graduate education, which it accomplishes through advocacy in the federal policy arena, research, and the development and dissemination of best practices.
CGS is the leading source of information, data analysis, and trends in graduate education. Our benchmarking data help member institutions to assess performance in key areas, make informed decisions, and develop plans that are suited to their goals.
CGS Best Practice initiatives address common challenges in graduate education by supporting institutional innovations and sharing effective practices with the graduate community. Our programs have provided millions of dollars of support for improvement and innovation projects at member institutions.
As the national voice for graduate education, CGS serves as a resource on issues regarding graduate education, research, and scholarship. CGS collaborates with other national stakeholders to advance the graduate education community in the policy and advocacy arenas.
CGS is an authority on global trends in graduate education and a leader in the international graduate community. Our resources and meetings on global issues help members internationalize their campuses, develop sustainable collaborations, and prepare their students for a global future.
