Educational Futures & Student Success Taskforce Summary: Graduate Student Success Working Group Katharine Ullman and Kevin Whitty (Co-Chairs) The Graduate Student Success Committee was charged with reviewing how best to prepare graduate students and post-doctoral associates for academic and nonacademic careers. Members studied processes for improving recruitment, mentoring, timely degree completion, and funding models. To guide discussion, the committee determined that their recommendations had to be student-centered and inclusive, while leveraging OneU expertise and resources, promoting ethical growth and preserving the university’s national and international reputation. The committee’s recommendations include: Promote an Exceptional Graduate Student Learning Experience • Establish core values—academic excellence, diversity, visionary, intellectual integrity, student-centered and clear expectations. • Provide mentorship training and incentives. • Develop clear communication practices----a Graduate Handbook, systematic onboarding. • Focus on international student needs—peer network, language and cultural adaptation, specialized job assistance. Develop an Integrated Tracking System that Empower Students • Create taskforce to evaluate current systems and alternatives and implement changes. • Integrate alumni tracking and ongoing career services into system. Provide Robust Recruitment Infrastructure • Develop a pipeline for conditionally accepting students who need additional preparation (language, writing, research methods). • Increase development of graduate scholarships. • Target large schools for joint recruitment (HBCUs). • Develop international recruiting efforts (Asia campus). Ensure Institutional Sustainability • Incentivize graduate programs along with research. • Recognize forms of funding that do not bring in indirect costs. • Budget transparency (TA funding and distribution). • Provide resources and incentives to develop master’s programs in high-demand areas—tuition sharing, seed funding or loans. • Facilitate a variety of funding flows—state, industry partnerships, fee-based master’s degree programs.
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