Home About Advancing New Directions in Graduate Education Advancing New Directions in Graduate Education Rackham is leading a charge to reenvision graduate education at U-M in a way that is student centered and faculty led, and that emphasizes a holistic view of graduate training. This includes preparing students for an expanded range of career opportunities and providing outlets for interdisciplinary, project-based approaches to solving complex, real-world problems for both doctoral and master’s students. Our ongoing efforts are built upon the work of our Strategic Vision for Graduate Education, which was launched in 2019 and informed by our school mission, our assumptions about the future of higher education based on feedback from numerous stakeholders, and our values as an institution. We move forward in a spirit of continuous collaboration, innovation, and improvement in order to advance our mission. Mission The mission of the Rackham Graduate School is to partner with University of Michigan graduate faculty and programs to advance excellence in graduate education, to cultivate a vibrant and diverse student community, and to impact the public good through the scholarship and discoveries of its students and degree recipients. Strategic Initiatives Graduate Student Mental Health and Well-Being In June 2019, Rackham set up a task force on graduate student mental health. The charge of the task force was to identify major factors that influence graduate student mental health, with a goal of identifying changes that Rackham, graduate programs, faculty mentors, and graduate students can make to better support graduate student mental health and well-being. Faculty, staff, mental health professionals, and students worked collaboratively to develop plans for Rackham to pursue, resulting in the formation of our standing Rackham Committee on Graduate Student Mental Health and Well-Being and our innovative Well-Being Advocate Program among other recommendations. The Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program Graduate training today requires more than exceptional academic preparation. The Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program allows doctoral candidates to pursue a fully supported internship as part of their training. Internships offer students a mentored experience in non-academic settings that is tailored to meet the needs of partner organizations. This initiative provides a crucial experiential learning opportunity for students, while demonstrating the value of their advanced abilities and knowledge to employers in a wide array of fields. Holistic Admissions in Graduate Education Holistic admissions practices evaluate the skills, experience, knowledge, and potential of an applicant by considering the academic, professional, and personal record along multiple dimensions. Through these practices, components of the graduate application that are most reflective of an applicant’s accomplishments and promise are identified and used for admissions decisions. Advancing New Directions (Faculty Initiative) The Advancing New Directions faculty initiative at Rackham aims to guide and support faculty in reimagining the academic experience in graduate programs. Participants join a cohort of faculty teams working on similar issues, through which they exchange ideas and learn from each other. Advancing New Directions currently focuses on the early doctoral experience and integrating professional development into the graduate curriculum, but can address other challenges raised by programs. Bridges to the Doctorate The Bridges to the Doctorate programs aim to increase the number of graduate students from diverse backgrounds and equip them to be highly competitive candidates for admission to Ph.D. programs at U-M or other peer universities. Students are admitted to Bridge programs who plan to pursue a Ph.D., are eligible for the Rackham Merit Fellowship (RMF), and meet the RMF evaluative criteria. Additional academic and professional development support is provided to ensure Bridge students have a successful transition to Ph.D. programs at the University of Michigan and beyond. Minority Serving Institutions Initiatives The University of Michigan has a long tradition of working towards being a gateway to academic opportunity for diverse student populations in graduate education. Strengthening pathways between minority serving institutions (MSIs) and U-M is an important and underexplored way to expand opportunities for diverse students into graduate and professional education at U-M. Our MSI initiatives support and collaborate with programs and departments to attract, recruit, and retain students from MSIs. Michigan Doctoral Experience Study (MDES) Rackham implemented the Michigan Doctoral Experience Study (MDES) to examine the doctoral-student experience over the entire trajectory of graduate study and into early career development. The goals of the study are to inform Rackham programming and policies to better meet student needs and to contribute to the scholarship on doctoral-student success. The study is longitudinal, surveying continuing students each fall and expanding to include a new entering cohort each year. Mentoring Plans in Doctoral Education The role of mentoring in graduate student mental health cannot be denied. Setting clear expectations and communication lines are key to a healthy mentoring relationship, and the role written mentor agreements can play in creating such a healthy relationship is clearly documented. Rackham is currently working with programs and its Mentoring Others Results in Excellence (MORE) Committee to create a normative expectation for the presence of written mentoring plans in all doctoral programs. Public Scholarship and Engagement Initiatives Rackham public scholarship programs support collaborative scholarly and creative endeavors that engage communities and co-create public goods. We believe that the work of scholars and artists can enrich civic and community life. Pursuing such work, in dialogue with the public, enriches university research, teaching, and creative expression. We support students’ academic and professional development through programs designed to cultivate the next generation of public scholars. Statement of Rackham Graduate Faculty Values, Privileges, and Responsibilities The statement, which was adopted in October 2023 after broad consultation with the Rackham community, serves as a positive expression of the professional standards of the Rackham graduate faculty. The graduate faculty have distinctive academic and professional responsibilities for guiding their students in advanced study, research, and creative activity, and for preparing them as scholars, researchers, teachers, creative artists, and professionals in many fields. In connection to the adoption of this statement, the graduate school also organized annual orientations for newly hired faculty and developed a process to address allegations that a graduate faculty member has consistently or egregiously failed to uphold these standards.
Graduate Student Mental Health and Well-Being In June 2019, Rackham set up a task force on graduate student mental health. The charge of the task force was to identify major factors that influence graduate student mental health, with a goal of identifying changes that Rackham, graduate programs, faculty mentors, and graduate students can make to better support graduate student mental health and well-being. Faculty, staff, mental health professionals, and students worked collaboratively to develop plans for Rackham to pursue, resulting in the formation of our standing Rackham Committee on Graduate Student Mental Health and Well-Being and our innovative Well-Being Advocate Program among other recommendations.
The Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program Graduate training today requires more than exceptional academic preparation. The Rackham Doctoral Intern Fellowship Program allows doctoral candidates to pursue a fully supported internship as part of their training. Internships offer students a mentored experience in non-academic settings that is tailored to meet the needs of partner organizations. This initiative provides a crucial experiential learning opportunity for students, while demonstrating the value of their advanced abilities and knowledge to employers in a wide array of fields.
Holistic Admissions in Graduate Education Holistic admissions practices evaluate the skills, experience, knowledge, and potential of an applicant by considering the academic, professional, and personal record along multiple dimensions. Through these practices, components of the graduate application that are most reflective of an applicant’s accomplishments and promise are identified and used for admissions decisions.
Advancing New Directions (Faculty Initiative) The Advancing New Directions faculty initiative at Rackham aims to guide and support faculty in reimagining the academic experience in graduate programs. Participants join a cohort of faculty teams working on similar issues, through which they exchange ideas and learn from each other. Advancing New Directions currently focuses on the early doctoral experience and integrating professional development into the graduate curriculum, but can address other challenges raised by programs.
Bridges to the Doctorate The Bridges to the Doctorate programs aim to increase the number of graduate students from diverse backgrounds and equip them to be highly competitive candidates for admission to Ph.D. programs at U-M or other peer universities. Students are admitted to Bridge programs who plan to pursue a Ph.D., are eligible for the Rackham Merit Fellowship (RMF), and meet the RMF evaluative criteria. Additional academic and professional development support is provided to ensure Bridge students have a successful transition to Ph.D. programs at the University of Michigan and beyond.
Minority Serving Institutions Initiatives The University of Michigan has a long tradition of working towards being a gateway to academic opportunity for diverse student populations in graduate education. Strengthening pathways between minority serving institutions (MSIs) and U-M is an important and underexplored way to expand opportunities for diverse students into graduate and professional education at U-M. Our MSI initiatives support and collaborate with programs and departments to attract, recruit, and retain students from MSIs.
Michigan Doctoral Experience Study (MDES) Rackham implemented the Michigan Doctoral Experience Study (MDES) to examine the doctoral-student experience over the entire trajectory of graduate study and into early career development. The goals of the study are to inform Rackham programming and policies to better meet student needs and to contribute to the scholarship on doctoral-student success. The study is longitudinal, surveying continuing students each fall and expanding to include a new entering cohort each year.
Mentoring Plans in Doctoral Education The role of mentoring in graduate student mental health cannot be denied. Setting clear expectations and communication lines are key to a healthy mentoring relationship, and the role written mentor agreements can play in creating such a healthy relationship is clearly documented. Rackham is currently working with programs and its Mentoring Others Results in Excellence (MORE) Committee to create a normative expectation for the presence of written mentoring plans in all doctoral programs.
Public Scholarship and Engagement Initiatives Rackham public scholarship programs support collaborative scholarly and creative endeavors that engage communities and co-create public goods. We believe that the work of scholars and artists can enrich civic and community life. Pursuing such work, in dialogue with the public, enriches university research, teaching, and creative expression. We support students’ academic and professional development through programs designed to cultivate the next generation of public scholars.
Statement of Rackham Graduate Faculty Values, Privileges, and Responsibilities The statement, which was adopted in October 2023 after broad consultation with the Rackham community, serves as a positive expression of the professional standards of the Rackham graduate faculty. The graduate faculty have distinctive academic and professional responsibilities for guiding their students in advanced study, research, and creative activity, and for preparing them as scholars, researchers, teachers, creative artists, and professionals in many fields. In connection to the adoption of this statement, the graduate school also organized annual orientations for newly hired faculty and developed a process to address allegations that a graduate faculty member has consistently or egregiously failed to uphold these standards.
