Interviews with Some Nominees for the 2001 Peterson's/CGS Award

Peterson's spent some time with some of the nominees for this year's award. Read on for insights from Dr. Michael Marrus, who describes efforts at the University of Toronto to pave the way for success for international graduate students through an exceptional English language program. Learn about Dr. Chris Marlow, who along with Dr. Laurie Churchill, has focused efforts on graduate mentoring at New Mexico State University. Check in for an update from the University of Maryland-Baltimore County where the team of Drs. Scott Bass, Janet Rutledge, Angela Walton-Raji and Joan Langdon continue their commitment to diversity and inclusiveness in graduate education.

Michael R. Marrus
Dean, School of Graduate Studies, University of Toronto

Q: Why were you interested in applying for this award? A: I think that, coming from Canada, we're a useful addition to the mix of schools applying for this award. It's important the CGS include some non-US universities. We inevitably see inclusiveness a bit differently in this country. Q: How so? A: Because of the demographic mix in our country, our traditions and our aspirations as a graduate school - obviously we have serious concerns about the aboriginal students here and trying to recruit them - we have pockets of underserved communities in Canada. But it's in international recruitment particularly that we are broadening our range of students. Through proactive recruitment, we are making a significant effort to find the best students worldwide. Q: Why do you take this approach? A: We do this for three reasons: First, diversity and inclusiveness efforts should not just be directed at our domestic population, but at the international student population as well. Second, inclusiveness and diversity efforts only work when students arrive and feel at home here, integrated into our community. We have found that the best way this can be done is through language. That's why we nominated the English language support program. Jane Freeman has developed this program to impart formal language skills as well as cultural and social elements through the vehicle of language. It's simply wonderful to see students from all over the world take part in this program. What brings them together? They don't have all of the tools to integrate effectively - things we take for granted...what to wear, when to show up, how to act. Q: And the third reason? A: Like some CGS universities, we are a big, research intensive place - we are about the same size as, say, Texas and Michigan in the United States. In graduate schools on this scale, it's easy for some students who are not integrated to get lost. And, from the institution's standpoint, it's not easy to identify them and address their needs. A dynamic, high-profile English language support program is one way, to be sure not the only way, but one way to do it. Our program communicates a welcoming message about this university - and thereby it makes a real difference for the students concerned. I would stress that, in the operation of this program, we have graduate students across all disciplines and divisions of the university. The idea is to stress what people of so many different backgrounds and academic interests have in common - and that is scholarship. And so, rather than lamenting the fact that we are so large, we think we might as well capitalize on the fact that we are so big. Q: How do you keep faculty in the loop? A: I have breakfasts with faculty once a month, with six faculty members at a time. It's good to make sure the mix of faculty is from every part of the campus. In this way, we can remind people that this huge enterprise called scholarship is not just locked in their own disciplines. So many of the problems that students face are not unique to particular disciplines; they are common to all those who come from afar, and whom we can assist through the vehicle of improving language and communication skills. Click to view Michael Marrus's biography Click to Continue

Christine Marlow
Associate Dean, the Graduate School, New Mexico State University

The Graduate Mentoring Matters Program (GRAMMP) builds on existing efforts of the Graduate School at New Mexico State University to develop an infrastructure that fosters diversity, including efforts to increase minority recruitment and retention. The major components of GRAMMP include: establishing a graduate mentoring committee, providing mentoring workshops for graduate faculty and students, developing guidlelines for successful mentoring that will be included as a criterion for tenure and promotion, conducting a campus wide graduate school climate survey, and awarding a CGS/Petersons graduate mentoring award. Q: How did you hear about this award? A: I heard about it via a flyer the Dean gave to me. It piqued my interest because I am interested in issues related to diversity and inclusivity. We submitted a proposal last year. During the last couple of years, we have started other initiatives related to diversity and inclusivity. Q: What are key components in your approach? A: Mentoring is essential. Often, we take teaching for granted, we assume that graduate students know how to navigate through graduate school. Many of our undergraduate students are first generation graduate students. Graduate school is a very different, new experience for them. Many parents and peers can't help with the transition to graduate school. Mentoring is an overused term, the old term is guidance. So they need good teaching and guidance. Q: It probably helps with retention. A: For recruiting to our program, we're looking to provide positive models for developing research and teaching techniques. It's important for retention, and it's a way to show that we are looking out for them. Faculty is involved. We have lots of discussions. Q: How do you get faculty on board? A: Some faculty do a wonderful job in mentoring students. Then, there are faculty out there who may not change, they think that what they do is good mentoring because it's what they got as graduate students. That group won't change. But a lot of new, junior faculty need help through training. We offer a mentoring workshop. We identify faculty members who are good mentors and we have them identify faculty that could benefit from mentoring. We're taking this approach to get more faculty mentors on board. We'll never get everyone, but we have a core of graduate faculty for mentoring. Q: What's the reaction of your students? A: Over the course of the last year, in conjunction with our NFS grant, we conducted a campus climate survey. This involved (because of the NFS grant) faculty and students in the math, science and engineering areas. We're looking for the gaps and different kinds of experiences among these student groups. What we're finding is that some students have excellent advising. But we still need more consistent mentoring across the board - this way, everyone wins. Q: What do you think about the Peterson's CGS partnership in offering this award? A: It's great. CGS plays a leading role in providing faculty development opportunities. It's important that CGS, as a professional organization, is explicit in its commitment in this area (of inclusivity in graduate education). I think the Peterson's/CGS effort is a wonderful partnership. It's not a lot of money, but it gets people thinking along the right lines. It's an incentive to move forward, and to keep moving forward. It's a little nudge. Q: What else does applying for the award do? A: It provides recognition within the institution and shows that these efforts are important. It gives some of our efforts needed momentum. Click to view Christine Marlow's biography Click to Continue

Interview with Janet Rutledge, Scott Bass, Angela Walton-Raji, Joan Langdon
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

Q: What's new at UMBC? SB: Janet Rutledge is our new Associate Dean. With her personal and professional background, she brings a unique national perspective about how institutions with diverse campuses have become more inclusive. Q: What have your recent efforts looked like? SB: In early summer, we decided to have a faculty retreat with the President, the Provost and fifty faculty members. This meeting of the campus leadership plus all the graduate areas was to refine our thinking and strategies based on the success of the undergraduate experience. We invited a speaker from Georgia Tech, Robert Hailey. He gave a presentation, then we had meetings as subgroups and identified a variety of specific initiatives. This year, under Janet's leadership, we are planning several initiatives. Q: Faculty are involved and on board? SB: Department chairs want in on the opportunity, they are excited about it. The graduate program directors model, the UMBCDocs program, all programs create interest and enthusiasm and dialog on the subject. Q: How do students feel about the strides you're making on campus? AWR: It's interesting. We had a panel of McNair scholars in late September. We had grad students in various programs participating. It was exciting to listen to their experiences. They are far along in their studies - one will be the first African American to get a Ph.D. in Information Systems. They were able to share with students from other campuses. These students had a lot of good things to say, others can tap into their experiences. Students accompany us to recruitment events. We have graduate and doctoral students presenting at national conferences. We include current students in recruiting, because they are the ones the prospective students will believe. Current students are essential to our success in recruitment; they are our best salespeople. SB: In terms of climate and culture on campus, the office that does marketing for the university conducted a series of focus groups on campus with current minority graduate students. They provided the feedback - they see enthusiastic faculty and total university involvement. Q: Any obstacles? SB: The biggest is the current assistantship levels. We have raised our packages with cost of living, and offer $13,100 for nine and a half months and around $16,000 for twelve months. We also pay tuition and health benefits - this is among the best offered among the nine peer institutions we surveyed. But these prospective students are not necessarily applying to peer institutions, they are considering institutions that pay considerably more. We'd like to raise our assistantships, it will take a significant increase in dollars, and we don't rule it out - it is a campus priority. Q: Janet, do you see any obstacles? JR: Any campus will face a need for effective communication among graduate programs. We have regular communication among faculty and graduate program directors. And they call me if they haven't heard some information by a given time. We have two way communication going rather than one way communication. Q: Joan, you seem excited by the atmosphere at UMBC. JL: We're doing something here that is a good thing. I'd like to see more extensive research institutions include more of the population. Female students are not always being invited or encouraged. This is an opportunity to push both the female and the minority side. I'm interested from that point of view. I always wanted to do this, and now, here I have the opportunity. We have an EEO campus, and like the Meyerhoff program, I'd like to see it go across the entire campus. Q: Final comments? JR: The notion of best practices informs us and generates enthusiasm for our efforts. SB: We learned a number of very good ideas from the Georgia Tech person who spoke at our summer workshop. We continue to travel and learn, to talk about what we do. Cross-fertilization is definitely happening informally. This effort provides a podium to get the word out.

Janet Rutledge Scott Bass Angela Walton-Raji Joan Langdon