The 2014 Strategic Leaders Global Summit, co-hosted by CGS and Memorial University Newfoundland, was held in Newfoundland, Canada from September 7-10. Senior graduate leaders representing fourteen different countries met to discuss the theme “Interdisciplinary Learning in Graduate Education and Research.” Graduate institutions around the world are tasked with preparing master’s and doctoral students to approach the complex questions in a global society, which cannot be answered using a single method or approach. The concept of interdisciplinary research and learning has therefore become increasingly appealing to university leaders seeking to build excellent graduate programs.

At the 2014 Global Summit, a small group of about 35 leaders considered interdisciplinarity in an international context. They reflected on questions such as: How is interdisciplinary graduate education and research defined by graduate institutions in different countries and regions? What challenges of interdisciplinary graduate education are common to most universities around the globe? What can we learn from different models of successful interdisciplinary training and research?

Participants included many delegates from CGS international members and international groups of graduate education leaders. Along with Canada and the United States, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, China (PRC and Hong Kong), Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, and the United Kingdom were all represented at the meeting.

• See the complete introduction by Suzanne T. Ortega, Council of Graduate Schools
• Event Summary by Maureen Terese McCarthy, Council of Graduate Schools

The Summit opened in St. John’s, NL in the evening of September 7. For the opening panel, the Summit Steering Committee provided an overview of interdisciplinarity in graduate education and research as it is understood in the context of their home nations and regions. Summit co-host CGS President Suzanne T. Ortega sparked a rigorous discussion by challenging panelists to consider what graduate schools mean when they use the term interdisciplinarity. Noreen Golfman called interdisciplinary experiences in Canada “a forest of diversity,” and this characterization aptly describes the views represented at the Summit as well. For example, Shiyi Chen (Peking University) identified one objective of interdisciplinarity in China as “generating new bodies of knowledge,” adding that the concept involved “creating new areas that solve a problem which cannot be solved by traditional methods.” Laura Poole-Warren (University of New South Wales) advocated the use of “public good” outcomes as a tool for fostering interdisciplinary research. Melita Kovacevik (European University Association) noted that even within Europe, each discipline understands the concept of interdisciplinarity differently. This discussion reflected the many nuanced understandings of interdisciplinarity at play, contextualizing the following panels.

Vahan Agopyan, Universidade de São Paulo
Shiyi Chen, Peking University
Noreen Golfman, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Liviu Matei, Central European University
Laura Poole-Warren, University of New South Wales
Nirmala Rao, The University of Hong Kong
James Wimbush, Indiana University

The following day, participants traveled to a conference center in the small fishing village of Port Rexton for the core Summit sessions. The presentations for this panel examined strategies deans could use to create institutional cultures that value interdisciplinary learning and research. Again, participants differed as to what constitutes an interdisciplinary culture. Panel moderator Liviu Matei (Central European University) suggested that including some interdisciplinary statements in a strategic development plan may help graduate schools focus on interdisciplinarity as one of “the values, norms, and behaviors that are considered acceptable and promoted at the university.” Nancy Marcus (Florida State University) posited that interdisciplinary culture might be considered as “an openness to all ideas” and “respect for different views,” while Suzanne T. Ortega defined it as “the capacity of an institution to move quickly to deploy new combinations of expertise to rapidly-emerging, important problems.”

Panelists shared diverse approaches to fostering these kinds of cultures. Jay Doering (University of Manitoba) outlined a program he created to accommodate students whose program of study spans two or more academic departments. Denise Cuthbert (RMIT University) identified a host of strategies for moving beyond the “over-laying of interdisciplinary . . . centres,” including the joint appointments of staff. Lesley Wilson (European University Association) argued that the greater value funding agencies in Europe are beginning to place on interdisciplinary research has the potential to drive changes to individual university cultures.

Jay Doering, University of Manitoba
Lesley Wilson, European University Association
Denise Cuthbert, RMIT University
Shireen Motala, University of Johannesburg
Lisa Young, University of Calgary

The presentations for panel three shifted in focus to the administrative structures that support interdisciplinary degree programs. Tao Tao (Xiamen University) described some of the investments the central government of China is making in interdisciplinary programs, including one at Xiamen University to study the culture and history of Taiwan. One seemingly simple structure for interdisciplinary programs is to provide a student with two mentors, from different disciplines, who share responsibility for supervising the dissertation. Robert Augustine (Eastern Illinois University) initiated a rich discussion on the merits and challenges associated with the dual mentoring model, which is common in many different contexts.

The dual mentorship discussion touched on the importance of formal procedures to reduce the administrative burden of students. One strategy included determining mentorship workloads by percentage: Jay Doering (University of Manitoba) described some institutions where one mentor is responsible for up to 80% and the other at least 20%. Another, advocated by Mark Smith (Purdue University), involved developing processes for mediating disputes between mentors.

Lucy Johnston, University of Canterbury
Robert Augustine, Eastern Illinois University
Tao Tao, Xiamen University
Stefanie Thorne, University Campus Suffolk
Melita Kovacevic, European University Association

Panel four addressed innovations including non-degree program options and activities, mentoring and advising, and electronic resources in interdisciplinary learning and research. Panelists shared specific initiatives at their home institutions that deliver interdisciplinary experiences to students without requiring them to take formal interdisciplinary degrees. Student-directed initiatives, presented Marie Audette (Université Laval), create important opportunities for students to come together in a more “casual,” lower-stakes environment.

Roger Horn (Deakin University) took the position that interdisciplinary research, in particular, is an essential component of a healthy university ecosystem. He noted that the value of interdisciplinary research is often apparent to experienced researchers, but that graduate students may need guidance to see research potential beyond their disciplines. The growing need for tools to support this interdisciplinary research was addressed in the presentation by Rafael Sidi (ProQuest). Mr. Sidi highlighted ProQuest databases’ role in “creating serendipity” through broad literature search results. 

Nancy H. Marcus, Florida State University
Marie Audette, Université Laval
Roger Horn, Deakin University
Mark J.T. Smith, Purdue University
Rafael Sidi, ProQuest Information Solutions

On Tuesday, September 9, the Summit continued with panels discussing the structures for interdisciplinary research and collaboration within STEM and the humanities as well as across broad fields and with external partners. Mohan Kankanhallli (National University of Singapore) presented on the “integrative clusters” that house interdisciplinary STEM research efforts at the National University of Singapore. Research teams tackling problem-based agendas seemed to be a common feature of many universities’ interdisciplinary work. Because the government of Malaysia has indicated that certain research done at the university must contribute back to society, Zaidatun Tasir (Universiti Teknologi Malaysia) reported that social scientists have become integral parts of interdisciplinary research groups there because they frame the questions and challenges of the real-world problems to be addressed by interdisciplinary research teams. Agreeing that social benefit is an important outcome of graduate education, Barbara Knuth (Cornell University) indicated that graduate students at Cornell are trained in the “translation of research to the benefit of society,” and noted that half of Cornell research doctoral graduates go on to careers that explicitly and directly benefit the public good. This discussion transitioned into one about the importance role of funding agencies, particularly government funders, in promoting interdisciplinary research and learning.

Sue Berners-Price, Griffith University
Mohan Kankanhalli, National University of Singapore
Hans-Joachim Bungartz, Technische Universität München
Verena Blechinger-Talcott, Freie Universität Berlin
Zaidatun Tasir, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Barbara Knuth, Cornell University

Maureen Terese McCarthy, Council of Graduate Schools
Jiaping Wang, Zhejiang University

In the final wrap-up session, participants agreed on a set of principles supporting interdisciplinary learning in graduate education. A few key concepts framed these statements. First was the idea that interdisciplinarity is characterized by tremendous diversity in definition and practice when viewed in the context of different national cultures, disciplines, and institutions. Second, and related, was the assertion that “[i]nterdisciplinarity is not . . . an end in and of itself,” but rather an aim that “must answer specific, identifiable needs” at each institution.

Cohost Noreen Golfman described the work of the principles in a brief statement: “We tend to agree on the importance of interdisciplinarity as a concept, but practicing interdisciplinary teaching, research, and learning presents real challenges for graduate schools and administrators. This week we established a set of principles to guide graduate communities when considering how best to incorporate interdisciplinary learning and research as core values in their academic programs.”

The leaders participating in the 2014 Global Summit developed these principles in the hope that colleagues throughout the world might find them useful as a guide for developing new initiatives as well as for demonstrating the importance of interdisciplinarity in graduate programs. These general guidelines reflect the consensus points contained within the specific case studies, examples, and ideas that can be found in the papers presented by each Summit participant.

Aerospace engineering
Agricultural & biological engineering
Agricultural engineering
Biochemical engineering
Bioengineering
Biological and agricultural engineering
Biological engineering
Biomedical engineering
Chemical & biochemical engineering
Chemical & biological engineering
Chemical & biomedical engineering
Chemical engineering
Civil & environmental engineering
Civil Engineering
Computational engineering
Computer & information science
Computer engineering
Computer science & engineering
Electrical & computer engineering
Electrical Engineering
Electrical, electronics engineering
Engineering
Engineering (D.Eng.)
Engineering science
Engineering science & applied mathematics
Environmental engineering
Industrial & systems engineering
Industrial engineering
Industrial engineering & management sciences
Interdisciplinary engineering
Materials science
Materials science & engineering
Materials Science & mechanics engineering
Mechanical & aerospace engineering
Mechanical engineering
Nanoengineering
Nuclear engineering
Nuclear, plasma, radiologic engineering
Operations research
Operations research & financial engineering
Petroleum engineering
Structural Engineering        
Systems & entrepreneurial engineering
Theoretical & applied mechanics

Agricultural science
Agronomy
Anatomy
Anatomy & cell biology
Animal & dairy science
Animal physiology
Animal science
Animal science & poultry science
Audiology
Biochemistry
Biochemistry & molecular biology
Bioinformatics
Biological chemistry
Biological science
Biology
Biomathematics
Biomedical science
Biophysics & computational biology
Bioscience
Biostatistics
Botany
Cancer biology
Cell & developmental biology
Cell biology, neurobiology, & anatomy
Cellular & molecular biosciences
Cellular biology
Cognitive neuroscience
Community health
Comparative biomedical science
Conservation biology
Crop & soil sciences
Crop science
Developmental & cell biology
Dietetics & nutrition
Dietetics/Nutritional services
Ecological & evolutionary Biology
Ecology
Ecology, Evolution & conversation biology
Entomology
Entomology & plant pathology
Environmental health science & policy
Environmental science
Environmental toxicology
Epidemiology
Experimental pathology
Fisheries & wildlife
Fisheries, wildlife, & conservation biology
Food science
Food science & human nutrition
Food science & technology
Food science & technology
Food science, nutrition & health promotion
Forest biomaterials
Forest resources
Forestry
Forestry & environmental resources
Free radical & radiation biology
Functional genomics
Genetics
Genetics area program
Health & kinesiology
Health services research
Horticultural science
Horticulture
Human toxicology
Immunology
Infectious diseases
Integrative conservation & anthropology
Integrative conservation & ecology
Integrative conservation & geography
Interdepartmental neuroscience
Kinesiology
Life sciences
Marine biology
Mathematical & computational biology
Medical microbiology
Medical science
Medicinal chemistry
Medicinal chemistry & pharmacology
Microbiology
Microbiology & immunology
Molecular & cell biology
Molecular & environmental plant science
Molecular & integrative physiology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology & biochemistry
Molecular biology & biochemistry
Molecular biology, cell biology, &biochemistry
Molecular biology, genetics & biochemistry
Molecular biophysics
Molecular pathobiology
Molecular pathology
Molecular pharmacology & physiology
Natural resources & environmental sciences
Neurobiology & behavior
Neuroscience
Neuroscience & cognitive sciences
Nursing
Nursing science
Nursing science research
Nutrition
Nutritional science
Occupational & environmental health
Oral science
Parks, recreation, & tourism management
Pathobiology
Pharmaceutical sciences, environmental toxicology
Pharmaceutical sciences, medicinal chemistry
Pharmacognosy
Pharmacology
Pharmacology & toxicology
Pharmacy
Physical rehabilitation science
Physical therapy
Physiology
Physiology & biophysics
Physiology of reproduction
Plant & environmental sciences
Plant biology
Plant biology & conservation
Plant biology/botany
Plant breeding
Plant pathology
Plant sciences
Plant, insect & microbial sciences
Population studies
Poultry science
Public health
Quantitative & computational biology
Range sciences
Rangeland ecology & management     
Recreation, park & tourism sciences            
Recreation, sports & tourism
Speech & hearing sciences
Speech & language pathology
Toxicology
Veterinary & biomedical sciences
Veterinary medical sciences
Veterinary microbiology
Veterinary pathology
Weed science
Wildlife & fisheries sciences         
Wildlife sciences
Zoology

Applied & computational mathematics
Applied mathematics
Applied mathematics & computer science
Applied physics
Astronomy
Atmospheric Physics
Atmospheric Sciences
Chemical & material physics
Chemical physics
Chemistry
Chemistry & biochemistry
Computer & information sciences
Computer information sciences
Computer Science
Computer systems & software
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Earth system science
Environmental science
Fiber & polymer science
Fiber & polymer science
Geography & environmental systems
Geological engineering
Geological sciences
Geology
Geophysics
Geoscience
Human centered computing
Informatics
Information & computer science
Information studies
Information systems
Marine estuarine science
Marine science
Marine, Earth, & atmospheric sciences
Mathematical sciences
Mathematics
Meteorology
Modeling & simulation
Oceanography
Optics
Physics
Physics
Physics & astronomy
Physics & atmospheric science
Plasma physics
Scientific computing
Soil science
Soil, environmental, & atmospheric sciences
Statistics
Textile science
Textile technology management
Water management & hydro science

African studies
Africana studies
Aging studies
Agricultural & consumer economics
Agricultural applied economics
Agricultural economics
American civilization
American studies
Anthropology
Applied anthropology
Applied developmental psychology
Applied economics
Applied experimental & human factors
Clinical psychology
Cognitive science
Communication sciences & disorders
Comparative sociology
Counseling psychology
Couple & family therapy
Creative arts therapies
Criminology
Criminology & criminal justice
Criminology, law & society
Developmental psychology
East Asian languages & cultures
Economics
Ethnic studies
Geography
Geography, & environmental science & policy
Gerontology
Global & social cultural studies
Government
Health management & policy
Health service & policy
Health service research
Hospital & health administration
Human development
Human services psychology
Industrial & organizational psychology
International relations
Language, literacy, & culture
Linguistics
Mathematical behavioral science
Neuropsychology
Planning policy & design
Political psychology
Political science
Political science & government
Political science & international affairs
Politics
Psychobiology
Psychological sciences
Psychology
Psychology & social behavior
Public administration
Public policy
Public policy & administration
Rural sociology
School psychology
Social networks
Social psychology
Social relations
Social science
Sociology
Transportation economics
Transportation science
Urban and regional planning
Urban science

(In alphabetical order)

Brown University

Drexel University

Florida International University

Florida State University

Loyola University of Chicago

Mississippi State University

New Mexico State University

North Carolina State University

Northwestern University

Princeton University

Texas A&M University

University of California, Irvine

University of California, San Diego

University of Central Florida

University of Georgia

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

University of Iowa

University of Maryland, Baltimore County

University of Mississippi

University of Missouri

University of South Florida

Request for Proposals

(Titles as of March, 2012)

Charlotte Kuh

Deputy Executive Director (retired), Policy and Global Affairs

National Research Council

Michael Nettles

Senior Vice President, Policy Evaluation and Research Center

Educational Testing Services

Lewis (Lew) Siegel

Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School Emeritus

Duke University

Mark J.T. Smith

Dean of the Graduate School

Purdue University

Janet A. Weiss

Dean, Rackham Graduate School and Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

University of Michigan

(In the order of visits)

Spring 2013

University of South Florida

University of Central Florida

Texas A&M University

New Mexico State University

University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Florida International University

Loyola University of Chicago

Northwestern University

Drexel University

Princeton University

University of California, San Diego

University of California, Irvine

Fall 2013

University of Iowa

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

North Carolina State University

Brown University

Taxonomy of Fields of Study

Data Collection Instrument for Student-level Data

Inventory of Policies, Programs and Procedures

Instrument for the Doctoral Student Survey

Protocol for Student Focus Group Sessions

Demographic Information Questionnaire for Student Focus Group Sessions

Protocol for Group Interview Sessions with University Personnel

Over the course of the DIMAC projects, CGS researchers were made aware of numerous programs, initiatives, and associations at the 21 participating institutions intended to support underrepresented students enrolled in doctoral programs in STEM fields. While some are national initiatives, others are state-, local-, or institution-specific. The following is an illustrative list of programs, initiatives, and associations in alphabetical order.

Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate

Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students

Bridge to the Doctorate

California Alliance for Minority Participation

Eugene V. Cota-Robles Fellowship

Gates Millennium Scholars

Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need

Hispanic Leaders in Agriculture and the Environment

Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation

McKnight Doctoral Fellowships

McNair Scholars Program

Mexican American Engineers and Scientists

Meyerhoff Scholars Program

Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Related Sciences

Minority Science Programs

National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science

National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers

National Society of Black Engineers

NIH Predoctoral Fellowship for Minority Students 

Princeton Summer Undergraduate research Experience

Research Experiences for Undergraduates

Research Initiative for Science and Engineering

Society for the Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science

Society for Women Engineers

Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers

Southern Regional Education Board

Wesley L. Harris Scientific Society

Seven-year URM Doctoral Completion and Attrition Rates by Academic-Year Groups and Selected Student Characteristics

Summary of Inventory of Policies, Programs and Procedures