Goal: Graduate and Professional Programs

Goal: Graduate and Professional Programs

Objective: Recruit outstanding and diverse graduate students

• Provide nationally competitive pay rates and teaching loads 
• Expand college outreach through competitive summer research opportunities for prospective graduate students
• Expand the number of endowed graduate fellowships to support recruitment
• Enhance minority-serving-institution partnerships and other pipeline programs to foster a diverse applicant pool

Objective: Enhance graduate student professional development and funding opportunities

• Expand funding opportunities for travel and seed grants for research development
• Provide opportunities for professional development through department, college, and university service
• Build on research relationships with industry to secure internships and fellowships
• Pursue major training grants (such as IGERT, the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship program of the National Science Foundation)
• Create a college-wide calendar of major awards for graduate students to facilitate departmental nominations

Objective: Foster opportunities for interdisciplinary experiences for graduate students

• Involve graduate students in existing and emerging interdisciplinary centers and institutes
• Partner with the Graduate School in supporting participation in interdisciplinary conferences
• Create proseminar courses to promote interaction across related disciplines

Objective: Develop graduate and professional degree and certificate programs

• Identify mechanisms to reward faculty for developing professional programs
• Identify areas of potential fit between statewide professional training needs and Franklin College disciplines
• Develop policies for start-up funding and allocation of proceeds of professional programs