Strategy: Advance the role of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows in the research enterprise

Point People: Jeffery Gibeling and Enrique Lavernia

Narrative Summary of Third Year Implementation Efforts:

Over the past year, graduate student support has remained a high priority for the campus as a result of multiple factors, including preparations for the comprehensive campaign, advocacy by faculty and advocacy by campus administrators.  In particular, faculty continue to express concern over their ability to recruit and support talented and diverse cohorts of students.  Recognizing these concerns, the Provost continued to invest in graduate education by allocating additional student support funds and by funding a development officer position.  In addition, the Davis Division of the Academic Senate voted to recommend that the Regents construct a budget for the University that eliminates nonresident tuition for academic doctoral students.

During the past year, several units have also continued to focus attention on the services that are available to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.  As the diversity of the graduate student population increases, additional efforts to support students from underrepresented backgrounds are critical to their academic success. The Office of Graduate Studies implemented new programs supported by funding from the National Science Foundation Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) program.  The two key components of the Davis AGEP efforts are the AGEP Scholars summer bridge program that helps entering underrepresented students become established in their research prior to the start of the academic year and the AGEP Advantage professional development program for underrepresented students interested in academic careers.  In addition, the College of Engineering and Graduate Studies collaborated to secure a NSF-funded Bridge to the Doctorate program that will support 12 first-year graduate students from underrepresented backgrounds in science and engineering for two years.  Graduate Studies continues to seek other partnerships with schools and colleges to expand career and professional development programs and retention programs that strengthen community among graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

Advances and Ongoing Programs Consistent with Strategy:

• Central campus investment in graduate block grants and other student support was increased approximately 4% over the prior year.
• A comprehensive Graduate Student Support Plan was revised and is under review; it will guide investments over next five years.
• The UC Davis Academic Senate led a systemwide initiative that resulted in a Memorial to the Regents identifying the goal of eliminating nonresident tuition for academic doctoral students.  The report of the UC Graduate Support Advisory Committee made a similar recommendation to the UC Provost.
• Graduate Studies continued to sponsor grant writing workshops.
• Graduate Studies and University Relations have recruited and hired a development officer for graduate education, who will work with the Dean to develop a strategy to increase graduate student support endowments.
• Graduate Studies expanded administrative support to graduate students and postdoctoral scholars applying for extramural fellowship awards.
• Graduate Studies continues to support the Black Graduate and Professional Association for African-American graduate and professional students.
• The Graduate Student Assistant to the Dean and Chancellor has implemented a mentoring workshop to assist junior faculty in acquiring the skills they need to become good mentors.
• The Postdoctoral Scholars Association and Graduate Studies collaborated to continue the Excellence in Postdoctoral Research Awards, which were presented to five UC Davis postdocs in 2006.
• Graduate Student and Postdoctoral Scholar career services and professional development workshops provided through collaboration between Graduate Studies and the Internship and Career Center were expanded during 2005-06, building on the significant expansion in the previous year.  (http://icc.ucdavis.edu/iccdocs/gradpost.htm)
• Annual Pathways Career Symposium sponsored by Internship and Career Center and Graduate Studies was held for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.  (http://icc.ucdavis.edu/areas/phd/symposium.htm)
• Graduate Studies continued to expand recruiting activities, with emphasis on identifying underrepresented students who have had undergraduate research experiences.
• The first ever (and annual) Laboratory Management Training Program for Postdoctoral Fellows was offered in Fall 2005.

Short Statement of Plans for 2006-07:

• Graduate Studies, Accounting and Financial Services and the Office of Resource Management and Planning will implement a fee and tuition buy-down program for graduate student researchers supported on extramural funds.
• Graduate Studies and Accounting and Financial Services will implement the elimination of nonresident tuition for international doctoral students who are advanced to candidacy.
• Graduate Studies will formally announce the availability of the Training Grant Support Services unit to assist faculty who are interested in writing training grant proposals.
• Continue focus on increasing the amount of graduate student support funding from all sources (campus funds, gifts, extramural grants, extramural fellowships, etc.).
• Continue development and implementation of database systems to track all forms of graduate student support.
• Collect baseline data on mentoring and support services programs. This will enable the campus to better plan and integrate support for graduate students.
• Promote collaboration among units currently providing career and professional development services (e.g. Engineering and Graduate Studies). Identify mechanisms for increasing the availability of these services and for assessing their effectiveness.
• Develop and implement database systems to track graduate student and postdoctoral scholar placement. Ensure that historical information is available, at least for the past five years.
• Continue to work with the Graduate Student Association and Postdoctoral Scholars Association to develop programming for graduate and postdoctoral scholar research conferences.  The second Interdisciplinary Graduate Symposium, organized by the GSA, was held in 2006 and will continue in future years.
• Postdoctoral Scholars Association, Graduate Studies and Graduate Council will implement a program for postdocs to gain mentored teaching experience.
• Continue planning for graduate student and postdoctoral scholar housing needs in the West Village development.
• Continue developing concept of a Graduate and Postdoctoral Community Center (endorsed by GSA).

Evaluation of Metrics:

The campus does not have all of the information systems needed to measure progress using the proposed metrics.  We continue to devote attention to developing these systems to facilitate our future actions and monitor our progress.

The metrics that are under consideration include the numbers of extramural fellowships received by graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, the number of honors and awards received by graduate students and postdoctoral scholars, the number of successful training grant proposals submitted information on placement of graduate students and postdoctoral scholars and the numbers of papers that include graduate students and postdoctoral scholars as authors.