SPC Framework: Promoting Student Research, Scholarship, and Professional Development

Our Master’s and Ph.D. students are entering a world where new types of skills and competencies are expected by employers and peers, and where preparation for a range of career pathways must be mainstreamed across our school’s academic programs. In addition to specific theoretical and empirical training relevant to their disciplines and fields of study, cross-cultural fluency and emotional intelligence are highly-sought after competencies, along with strong analytical thinking, communications, leadership, and pedagogical skills. And, in many sectors, demonstrated experiential and applied learning are fast becoming a distinguishing factor when our graduates seek to enter their professions of choice.

Graduate students in the Arts and Sciences also face a number of challenges during their time here at Fordham that can affect their well-being as individuals, including maintaining work-life balance, financial stress, and mental and physical health. And, with a growing international student population, the types of supports we offer to our students have diversified greatly and have prompted deeper collaboration with other units across the University.

The GSAS response to these challenges has resulted in the development of a series of programmatic initiatives, which we plan to continue and strengthen, and will require new forms of collaboration and commitment to advance this strategic priority:

• Continue our investment in GSAS Futures programming to broaden and deepen student involvement in career pathways development. Consider new models to grow this initiative, including student-led and student-informed planning of programming that is assessed continuously for impact and outcomes; and longer-term planning and scheduling of GSAS Futures events to provide time for students to plan how they participate in these initiatives throughout their time at Fordham.
• Implement the full (fall 2018) launch of the GSAS Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) initiative, a multi-module program designed to both highlight and strengthen the outstanding pedagogical training our doctoral students receive, and to deepen and develop those skills in order to distinguish our graduates on the academic job market.
• Identify sources of and experiment with new forms of financial aid (summer aid, needs-based aid) and models of aid (e.g. completion grants).
• Collaborate with the Graduate Student Association (GSA) to initiate wellness programming for GSAS students.
• Build on the relationships established with critical support units across the University, including Career Services, the Office of International Services (OIS), Office of Disability Services (ODS), Office of Mission Integration and Planning; and the Office of Student Affairs.
• Complete efforts underway currently to establish a graduate student lounge, located in Dealy Hall.
• Analyze the impact of and possibly expand the GSAS financial commitment to the Student Support Grants (SSGs), which provide critical support for student research, scholarship, and alternative learning and professional development experiences.
• Leverage and improve the trajectory of a shortened time-to-degree (TTD) for GSAS students, especially across doctoral programs, particularly by continuing to rethink how accountability for “satisfactory academic progress” is structured and maintained throughout all stages of a student’s doctoral program, but particularly in conjunction with the dissertation prospectus development, research, and writing phases. This would include developing dual systems of accountability that emphasizes positive association with accountability as shaped in coordination with programs and departments.
• Ascertain how GSAS students experience New York City, and build out information and communications regarding the many opportunities students can avail themselves of in and around the city.