Background
In 2007, a Task Force was established as part of the UT Strategic Planning Activity. Chaired by Professor George Stancel of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, the group produced a report that identified many challenges and opportunities for graduate programs in the UT System. Major issues raised by the Task Force were the need for new and creative organization and content of graduate programs, more adequate stipends for candidates, a very competitive research environment, and expansion of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teaching and research opportunities across the System.
In response to the Task Force report, the UT System Board of Regents approved the allocation of $5 million for the Graduate Programs Initiative, a competitive grant program to support innovations in the education of non-professional graduate students. The Graduate Programs Initiative is a time limited grant program designed to stimulate creative and innovative approaches to nonprofessional graduate education in the UT System. Grant awards of up to $500,000 in direct costs (indirect costs are not allowable in this program) were made available for new initiatives in graduate education.
Purpose of the Initiative
Graduate students seeking nonprofessional doctoral degrees (Ph.D. or its equivalent) are among the most important students in great universities. They add to new knowledge, aspire to expertise in research essential to the private sector and are, in many cases, the future faculty members of universities and colleges. Our campuses are in intense competition for graduate students with the very best programs in other parts of the country and the world. There is a need for new and creative organization and content of graduate programs, competitive research environments, and expansion of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary teaching and research opportunities to attract high quality graduate students to UT System institutions. The Graduate Programs Initiative is intended to support Ph.D. programs that emphasize a research based dissertation and is not intended for practice based programs, applied doctoral programs, or M.S. only programs.
Selection Process/Timeline
In early 2008, the Executive Vice Chancellors for Academic Affairs and Health Affairs appointed seven scholars from across the UT System to serve on the peer review committee. In response to a request for proposals, 37 pre-proposals were submitted in June 2008 to the Office of Academic Affairs. The peer review committee evaluated the pre-proposals, and the Office of Academic Affairs invited 18 applicants to submit a full proposal.
The selection committee reviewed the full proposals and submitted its recommendations to the Office of Academic Affairs. In January 2009, the following seven programs were awarded approximately $500,000 each to help fund promising initiatives.
Institution |
Program |
Primary Investigator(s) |
UT Austin |
Sustainable Cities Doctoral Research Initiative |
The Center for Sustainable Development |
UT San Antonio |
Integrating Chemistry, Electrical Engineering, and Biomedical Engineering |
Dr. Joo L. Ong |
UTHSC-Houston |
Graduate Program Initiative in Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience |
Dr. Harel Shouval and
Dr. Jack Byrne |
UTHSC-San Antonio |
Translational Science Training (TST) Across Disciplines |
Dr. Michael J. Lichtenstein and Dr. Linda M. McManus |
UT MD Anderson |
Graduate Program in Cancer Metastasis Research |
Dr. Gary E. Gallick |
UT Southwestern |
Mechanisms of Disease |
Dr. Helen L. Yin |
UT Southwestern |
Training Program at the Interface of Chemistry and Biology |
Dr. Kristen Lynch and
Dr. Joseph Ready |
Goals and Objectives
Grants were awarded on a competitive basis to proposals responsive to the following goals and objectives:
- Innovative efforts to better prepare Ph.D. graduate students from all disciplines, including science, technology, engineering, mathematics, social science, humanities, and the arts. This includes the ability to work across disciplines (including STEM fields, the social sciences and/or humanities) with colleagues in a variety of other areas; to foster successful collaborations between scientists in different areas and colleagues in other fields; and to understand technology transfer, translational research, and the applications of science to society.
- Educational experiences and programs which have a high probability to increase the frequency with which high quality graduate student candidates select The University of Texas institutions for their graduate education and successfully complete the Ph.D.
- Creative approaches, which may more effectively or smoothly integrate doctoral training with the post doctoral experience.
- New configurations of faculty and research programs, which enhance the graduate student experience.
- Increase the number of talented undergraduates from the state who apply and matriculate into doctoral training programs at UT components.
Criteria
Grant proposals were evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:
- Degree to which the program addresses the program’s goals and objectives.
- The quality of the program, its faculty, and its students.
- The potential for substantially improving the quality of graduate students and the effectiveness of the related program.
- The extent to which the program maximizes resources and/or involves multidisciplinary education and experiences.
- The degree of overall impact on the institution, by improving the quality of faculty, students, fellows and research.
- Matching funds from the institution to enhance the recruitment of outstanding graduate students.
- The identification of metrics by which the success or impact of the program can be assessed.
- The potential for continued funding of the effort upon the cessation of the grant, including commitments for institutional support and opportunities for extramural, governmental or private sector funding, including philanthropic support.
- The degree to which the program provides professional ethics and socialization, communication skills, and preparation for a wide range of career opportunities, including novel and emerging areas and careers in the future.
- The degree to which the program will enhance the diversity of doctoral graduates enrolled and graduating from UT programs, especially as they support the goals of state and System initiatives and strategic plans.
This grant program is headed by Pedro Reyes, Ph.D.
