Assessment of Doctoral Programs
Dear Graduate Faculty and Students:
On November 16, 2010, Vice Chancellor Richard Wheeler charged an 18-member committee to assess all doctoral programs in the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign. The charge asks the committee to address fundamental questions about the overall scope of doctoral education at Illinois including the size, quality, effectiveness, demand and operational costs of individual doctoral programs on this campus.
Since the founding of the American Association of Universities (AAU) in 1900 doctoral education has been at the core of American research universities. Its quality and vibrancy is critical not only for attracting the best faculty and students, but also for ensuring national competitiveness in the 21st century global economy. We have 97 doctoral programs on our campus, with approximately 5000 students enrolled in doctoral programs each year and over 750 doctoral degrees awarded annually. Through this assessment, we will better understand our strengths, codify and share best practices across programs, and identify areas for improvement.
The 18-member committee is structured into four sub-committees: Engineering & Physical Sciences, Humanities & Creative Arts, Behavioral & Social Sciences Area, and Biological & Agricultural Sciences. While the sub-committees will review programs in their respective areas using metrics, indicators and a process agreed upon by the full committee, each sub-committee will have the flexibility to factor in disciplinary norms, perspectives and practices.
Vice Chancellor Wheeler has asked that this assessment be completed by July/August 2011. This will require a significant effort from each doctoral program, providing the committee with requested qualitative and quantitative information in a timely manner. We will also seek input from doctoral students via a survey.
We have not looked comprehensively at our strengths and needs in doctoral education for a very long time. This assessment, therefore, is extremely important for our campus. Please feel free to contact me if you have suggestions or questions.
Sincerely,
Deba Dutta
Dean, Graduate College
Chair, Doctoral Assessment Committee