To the Editor:
Your article, “Colleges Can’t — or Won’t — Track Where Ph.D.s Land Jobs. Should Disciplinary Associations?” (The Chronicle, July 17), illuminated the need to better understand the careers of Ph.D.s. As graduate deans, we strongly affirm the need for Ph.D. career transparency, and support the work of the American Historical Association to gather data about Ph.D. outcomes in history.
At the same time, it is important to note that in recent years, U.S. universities have demonstrated that they are up to the challenge of gathering and reporting data about their Ph.D.s. As members of the Ph.D. Career Pathways project, we are part of a network of 64 universities working with the Council of Graduate Schools to collect data on the career pathways of STEM and humanities Ph.D.s with support from the National Science Foundation and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
That 64 (and counting) universities are participating in the project — 31 of them as self-funded affiliates — is an indication of how strongly the graduate education community has embraced this work. Universities have already begun to collect data from current Ph.D. students and alumni using surveys that were developed by the Council of Graduate Schools in consultation with senior university leaders, funding agencies, disciplinary societies, researchers, and Ph.D. students and alumni. The resulting data will allow universities to analyze Ph.D. career preferences and outcomes at the program level and help faculty and university leaders strengthen career services, professional development opportunities, and mentoring.
As noted in a letter to the editor on July 23, the Ph.D. Career Pathways initiative is not alone. Valuable parallel efforts are led by the Coalition for Next Generation Life Science, the Broadening Experiences in Scientific Training consortium, and the American Association of Universities. This groundswell of work bodes well for universities’ ability to provide supportive, relevant preparation for Ph.D.s and to better inform current and prospective students about their career options.
Lisa Armistead
Associate Provost for Graduate Programs
Georgia State University
Alfredo J. Artiles
Dean, Graduate College
Arizona State University
Karen Butler-Purry
Associate Provost for Graduate Studies
Interim Vice President of Research
Texas A&M University
Andrew Campbell
Dean of the Graduate School
Brown University
Andrew Carnie
Dean of the Graduate College
University of Arizona
Wojtek Chodzko-Zajko
Dean, Graduate College
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Twyla J. Cummings
Dean, Graduate Education
Rochester Institute of Technology
David Daleke
Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Health Sciences
Indiana University at Bloomington
H. Dele Davies
Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean for Graduate Studies
University of Nebraska Medical Center
Marija Gajdardziska-Josifovska
Dean of Graduate School
University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee
Mark Garrison
Dean, School of Graduate Studies
Morgan State University
Carol Genetti
Anne and Michael Towbes Graduate Dean
University of California at Santa Barbara
Andres Gil
Vice President, Research & Economic Development
Dean, University Graduate School
Florida International University
Graham Hammill
Vice President for Educational Affairs
Dean of the Graduate School
University at Buffalo
Jeni Hart
Associate Vice Chancellor for Graduate Studies
Associate Vice Provost for Advanced Studies
University of Missouri at Columbia
Kathryn Hausbeck Korgan
Interim Dean, Graduate College
University of Nevada at Las Vegas
Sara Hodges
Interim Vice Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
University of Oregon
Brian A. Jackson
Interim Dean of the Graduate School
University of Kentucky
Katherine Karraker
Associate Provost for Graduate Academic Affairs
West Virginia University
Barbara Krauthamer
Dean of the Graduate School
University of Massachusetts at Amherst
Frances Leslie
Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate Division
University of California at Irvine
Ambika Mathur
Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate School
Wayne State University
Steven Matson
Dean, The Graduate School
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Kim LaScola Needy
Dean, Graduate School and International Education
University of Arkansas
David Olan
Associate Provost and Dean for Academic Affairs
City University of New York Graduate Center
Lisa A. Tedesco
Vice Provost, Academic Affairs/Graduate Studies
Dean, Laney Graduate School
Emory University
Elizabeth Watkins
Dean, Graduate Division
University of California at San Francisco
Marjorie S. Zatz
Vice Provost and Dean of Graduate Education
University of California at Merced
