Strengthening Graduate Education

February 22, 2022
researchers in the lab

Dear Colleagues,

I hope that the semester continues to have a strong start for all of you. In my letter in the inaugural Provost News, I introduced some of the overall goals on which the Office of the Executive Vice President and Provost intends to focus. One of those topics is, “Strengthen Graduate Education.” In a land-grant institution with a Carnegie R1 research designation, graduate education is a core responsibility and outcome of Utah State University. The students in our graduate programs power the research and educational missions of the university through their research assistance and collaborations, and through their many teaching and leadership contributions in the classroom and laboratory.

To help lead our efforts to strengthen graduate education at USU, we have formed a workgroup co-chaired by Vice Provost of Graduate Studies Richard Cutler and me. This workgroup includes representatives from all of our colleges, the library, the Office of Research, and our statewide system. This team is developing action items to help enhance our graduate programs and the lives of our graduate students that serve our teaching, research, and outreach mission. These action items are organized to address topics that include a focus on student recruitment, retention, and success:

  • Provide institutional support for graduate student well-being and success
  • Offer professional development to prepare students for life after they have completed their degrees
  • Expand educational delivery and curriculum options for the post-COVID world
  • Enhance mentoring
  • Improve systems to address student concerns
  • Recruit a larger and more diverse graduate student body by making prospective students aware of what USU can offer them

The committee’s work is now being readied to bring to a variety of stakeholder groups including faculty representatives in the graduate council, department heads, deans, and graduate students for input and refinement. Our hope is to have a report and recommendations on how to implement these action items prepared by the end of Spring Semester 2022.

Francis D. Galey, Executive Vice President and Provost