Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University

Innovations and Developments, 2005-06

Faculty Outreach

A new Graduate Policy Committee was established, including senior faculty leaders from FAS and interfaculty PhD programs in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences.  GPC faculty advise the Dean of the Graduate School on major policy issues and become familiar with the overall situation of PhD education at Harvard University.  The GPC has also established guidelines for regular conversations with PhD programs, which will begin in 2006-07.  These conversations will allow Harvard to identify and spread best practices in admissions, advising, curricular structure, pacing of graduate studies, teaching fellow training, and job placement of graduates.

Sharing Information and Indicators

GSAS deans prepared and widely disseminated “plain English memos” to explain how graduate financing works in FAS PhD programs, and developed a chart of the various administrative and financial arrangements underpinning sixteen interfaculty PhD programs.

For humanities, social science, and natural science PhD programs within the FAS, the Graduate School prepared and disseminated charts showing the performance of each PhD program on key indicators: selectivity and quality yield in admissions; time to Generals and load of PhD students in very advanced years; and total use of student and faculty resources per PhD generated. 

GSAS prepared and shared with all department a comprehensive overview of the various Harvard and extra-Harvard sources of funding for all natural science PhD students, showing variations by program and graduate student G-years.

GSAS redeployed existing staff resources to hire a data analyst, whose first priority is to develop a comprehensive data-base for tracking individual student progress which can combine information from the Registrar and departments. This user-friendly computerized system will be shared by GSAS and all PhD programs.

Support for Innovations in PhD Programs

GSAS supported the operations of the Harvard Integrated Life Sciences (HILS) consortium, which brings together twelve PhD programs in the life sciences.  HILS allows students to pursue research opportunities across program boundaries, supports collaborations, and shares information about events and research opportunities on a university-wide basis.  The University Planning Committee on Science and Engineering has now called for this cooperative approach to be extended to PhD programs in the physical sciences and engineering.  

GSAS worked with the Committee on Film and Visual Studies to establish a new secondary field in PhD studies.  And the GPC established the principle that all departments and programs may launch secondary PhD fields starting in 2006-07. 

Secondary fields will promote interdisciplinary studies by allowing PhD students admitted to established programs to receive recognition on their transcripts for completing a package of courses in another field.

GSAS facilitated revenue-neutral initiatives by departmental faculty to tailor student support to individual program needs.  The Slavic and East Asian Languages and Civilizations departments, for example, rearranged summer stipend monies in specific ways to facilitate student progress in their programs.

The Graduate Policy Committee established an annual “Dean’s Prize for Innovation in Graduate Education” and an annual competition for “Seed Grants for Planned Improvements in Graduate Education” to simulate and honor creative efforts by Harvard’s PhD programs to improve graduate admissions, training, and placement. 

Improved Resources in Exchange for Steady Progress to the PhD

Starting with students admitted in the fall of 2005, PhD students in the FAS humanities and social sciences are promised a final year of “dissertation completion” funding.  GSAS established guidelines that make such grants available in as early as G-4 or as late as G-7, because the needs of students in different disciplines vary. GSAS is working with PhD programs to streamline requirements and improve mentoring, so that all graduate students will, in the future, progress in a timely way and retain eligibility for completion grants.

GSAS asked PhD programs in the FAS humanities and social sciences and identify all current graduate students in the very advanced years (G8 or beyond) and guide them promptly toward completion.  In return, the Dean raised sufficient funding from centers, departments, FAS and the central administration to pay for completion fellowships for all current students (regardless of G-year) who qualify for 2006-07, 2007-08, and 2008-09 (by presenting at least two draft chapters by March 1 or the previous year).  A record number of completion fellowships were awarded for 2006-07-- more than 160, compared to 80 awards last year.  In addition, GSAS awarded a record number of PhDs this year, as programs guided advanced students to the degree.

GSAS prepared a comprehensive development plan (and Power Point presentation) to make the case to university donors for improved funding for merit fellowships, international students, natural science PhD programs, and student facilities.