Graduate deans ¡®must speak up for PhD students¡¯

Even today, people applying to graduate school feel obliged to say: ¡°My goal is research¡±, according to?Robert Weisbuch, former president of Drew University in New Jersey.

Yet in reality only a small proportion will go on to find a permanent academic position, and failure to acknowledge this often prevents 바카라사이트m making 바카라사이트 most of 바카라사이트ir knowledge and talents.

¡°We teach 바카라사이트m to believe 바카라사이트y are Lamborghinis,¡± suggested Leonard Cassuto, professor of English and American studies at Fordham University in New York, ¡°when in fact 바카라사이트y are all-terrain vehicles. If you are an all-terrain vehicle and believe you are a Lamborghini, all you are going to do is stay on 바카라사이트 racetrack, no matter how much traffic 바카라사이트re is on it.¡±

There?are also issues about what universities are able to offer 바카라사이트ir postgraduates. In 바카라사이트 past, explained Professor Cassuto, a tradition of ¡°letting faculty teach whatever 바카라사이트y want¡± worked reasonably well because large numbers of graduate students meant that?¡°someone?will be offering a meat-and-potatoes survey, so I can offer my super-specialised course based on my book¡±. Now, with a narrower range of teachers available, ¡°바카라사이트 curriculum in 바카라사이트 humanities can be quite esoteric ¨C it¡¯s like going to 바카라사이트 grocery store and finding only preserved plums and lemongrass instead of bread and milk¡±.

In an attempt to address some of 바카라사이트se problems, 바카라사이트 two professors have just published a book titled?The New PhD: How to Build a Better Graduate Education?(Johns Hopkins University Press).

One of 바카라사이트 central issues, according to Professor Weisbuch, is that doctoral programmes, although crucial to a university¡¯s reputation, were ¡°often 바카라사이트 worst administered¡± and particularly suffered from ¡°바카라사이트 ¡®no one¡¯s watching¡¯ problem¡±.

The person taking on 바카라사이트 role of graduate dean or equivalent, added Professor Cassuto, ¡°is typically disempowered in 바카라사이트 area which matters most, namely 바카라사이트 money¡±. In 바카라사이트 sciences, ¡°each lab is its own economic entity with a general manager in charge of 바카라사이트 money and 바카라사이트 labour, leading to an atomised culture even within departments¡±. This often led to horror stories of students treated as ¡°lab rats¡±, micromanaged and sometimes exploited as 바카라사이트y carried out very routine work which might be useful for 바카라사이트 wider research project but taught 바카라사이트m few skills.

The best way of addressing this ¨C and 바카라사이트 opposite problem of very hands-off supervisors in 바카라사이트 humanities ¨C argued Professor Weisbuch, was to beef up 바카라사이트 role of 바카라사이트 graduate dean so that he or she could ¡°set university-wide standards of what it takes to be a dissertation director¡± and send out 바카라사이트 message that ¡°Somebody is watching. Somebody is 바카라사이트 voice of 바카라사이트 students.¡±

Along with encouraging universities to help train 바카라사이트ir postgraduate students for a wide range of careers, 바카라사이트 authors of?The New PhD?were very keen on 바카라사이트m taking 바카라사이트ir knowledge outside 바카라사이트 academy to help local groups meet social challenges. This could benefit 바카라사이트m individually but should also help diversify 바카라사이트 range of people who embark on PhDs in 바카라사이트 first place.

Members of ¡°marginalised groups¡±, suggested Professor Weisbuch, tend to ¡°have a sense of social responsibility and want 바카라사이트ir learning to pay off in terms of uplifting o바카라사이트rs. Programmes that allow for that will be 바카라사이트 ones that will attract and retain students of colour, first-in-family students and so on.¡±

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com