Faculty members in the physical sciences and engineering share ideas at one of five breakout sessions.
On February 7, Rackham Graduate School hosted Advancing New Directions in Graduate Education, a national symposium that brought together academic leaders from across the country and U-M graduate faculty, staff, and students.
The symposium was convened as part of Rackham’s Strategic Vision for Graduate Education, which was launched last fall and was prompted by current pressures facing graduate students and programs. These pressures include better preparing students for expanded career pathways outside of academia, rising concerns about graduate student mental health, and growing skepticism about the costs and benefits of graduate training, to name a few. The symposium aimed to examine how universities have traditionally conducted graduate education and consider opportunities for rethinking that approach for the century ahead.
“So many of the issues that our society will face in the next half-century are grounded in the need for inquiry, evidence, research, scholarship, and engagement across difference and with wider public communities,” said Rackham Dean Mike Solomon. “The graduate students who we train have skills, experience, and knowledge that are essential to addressing these issues. In fact, I would argue that it’s simply a missed opportunity if those trained with advanced skills in research and scholarship use them only in the academy.”
Following opening remarks from Solomon, the symposium featured two panel discussions, each followed by a conversation with an audience of more than 150 Michigan faculty members, staff members, and students.
