The Mantra of Graduate Education Reform: Why the Prayers Aren’t Answered

The regular drumbeat (a mantra) of similar recommendations to advance graduate education by a constant stream of national studies over the past two decades has failed to prompt action. We propose several reasons why the studies have not gained traction, including the fact that the target recipients of the studies—students, faculty, and administrators—have not been asked whether they agree with the studies’ recommendations. A survey we recently conducted of the beneficiaries of the recent national study of graduate education by the American Chemical Society reveals sharp differences in opinion regarding the study’s three dozen recommendations that can be attributed to the pains and values of the various demographic groups that are impacted by the proposed changes. To develop a consensus path forward to reform graduate education, the survey results clearly speak to the need for further conversations that include the entire community of stakeholders, not just those who write the reports.