Crone assesses graduate education

Wendy Crone, recently named as the Graduate School’s associate dean for graduate education, sat down for an interview with Inside UW–Madison to discuss her thoughts on the state of graduate education.

iUW: What are some of the things trending in graduate education at the national level today?

Crone: Graduate education has evolved in a number of ways over the last several decades. Key components of the graduate experience – like the advisor/student relationship – remain central, but other aspects of graduate education have changed to address the needs of modern scholars. Areas of growing strength on our campus are the professional development opportunities offered to graduate students, and the ability of graduate students to gain credentials in areas outside their primary discipline through minors and certificates.

Externally, the assessment expectations from accreditation bodies are now moving beyond our more professionally-oriented programs to encompass all graduate programs. We are working to develop a menu of practices which are adaptable to the wide range of programs on our campus that allows us to better understand and improve the diverse graduate student experiences taking place. Although there are likely other pieces of data and questions we have yet to ask of our graduate students, we already have access to a significant amount of information. The Graduate School is working on ways to use that information in the most effective ways possible and we will continue to use that data to help us make decisions to improve the graduate student experience.

iUW: At UW–Madison, graduate training, like so many other things, tends to be highly decentralized, with individual programs making many of the decisions. Is it the Graduate School’s job to exercise oversight and how can it add value?

Crone: Certainly, one aspect of the Graduate School’s role has always been to provide oversight and minimum standards.  What I see in the future is further movement toward a model where we facilitate the adoption of best practices across campus.  This will be accomplished through strengthened partnerships with graduate programs and other units within the university, and through our participation in national conversations on graduate education issues. Because of our campus-wide vantage point, I believe we can learn from programs across campus and help others to see the range of options available to make the best decisions for the graduate students in their discipline.

iUW: Funding for graduate students must be one of the things at the top of your priority list. What are potential funding sources and prospects for the future?

Crone: The majority of our graduate students will continue to rely on RA, PA, TA and fellowships to fund their graduate education, but the realities of state and federal budget cuts mean that the number of such positions will begin to shrink on our campus. There is no easy solution, but certainly we want to make UW–Madison as competitive as possible. This will include ensuring that our graduate students know how to write compelling fellowship applications and helping our faculty to be competitive in acquiring research funding to support graduate students. This is where UW–Madison has an advantage because the structure of our Graduate School intrinsically links research and graduate education.

iUW: Interdisciplinary research is a strength of Wisconsin.  Is that a growth area for graduate training as well?

Crone: Because interdisciplinarity has been such a longstanding strength of UW–Madison, it is already a major component of graduate education throughout campus. Beyond those students completing graduate programs in traditional areas with a scholarly focus that is interdisciplinary, there has been an increase in the use of special committee degrees, dual degrees, and joint degrees. Our system has flexibility structured into it and it allows us to be nimble enough to meet student needs.

iUW: If there is one thing that you could change about the graduate experience at Wisconsin, what would that be?

Crone: The graduate experience at UW–Madison is quite varied because our graduate students and their needs are widely varied.  We have an amazing diversity within our graduate student population and these individuals go on to be successful scholars and leaders. Many of these graduate students obtain all the skills they need for their future careers, particularly when it comes to disciplinary expertise, but there are also gaps. I hope to ensure that the gaps disappear by having the Graduate School take on a more active role in professional development in partnership with graduate programs and other units across campus.

Another change I hope to help make is in the national awareness of UW–Madison among prospective students. Undergraduate students from overseas recognize that UW–Madison is highly ranked and an incredibly desirable place to attend graduate school. I would like the diverse population of undergraduates within the U.S. to recognize this more fully.