Key Ideas

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Key Ideas
University of Minnesota Graduate Program in
Neuroscience
Ginger Seybold Bill Engeland Neil
Schmitzer-Torbert
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University of MinnesotaGraduate Program in
Neuroscience

• Students
• first class admitted in 1987
• currently 60 students/year
• increasing numbers of MD/PhD students
• Graduate faculty
• 100 members
• 25 departments within 8 colleges

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Governance of the Program

• Steering committee
• Chair Director of Graduate Studies (DGS)
• Directors of Core Courses (5)
• Directors of Training Grants
• Chairs of committees
• Admissions Awards
• Curriculum Seminar/Colloquium
• Faculty Status
• Student
• 3 elected members of the faculty
• Past Directors of Graduate Study

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Outcomes of the first 10 years

• 90 matriculated
• 57 graduated 8 transferred 2 current
• Career outcomes
• 12 Clinical
• 5 Academic Research
• 6 Tenure track faculty
• 3 Private enterprise
• 13 Postdocs

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Path to the Carnegie Initiative on the Doctorate

• Time for reflection
• Good stewards of investment of the University
• Redirect focus from content to development of
  intellectual skills that are aligned with career
  outcomes
• Engage faculty and cultivate new leadership
• Increase success of recruitment

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Process

• Survey-based self-study by students and faculty
• Discussions among students
• Discussions of Steering Committee
• Initiative of program leaders

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Leadership Coordinating Committee

• Director of Graduate Studies
• Chairs of subcommittees (3)
• Student representatives (3)
• Head of Neuroscience Department
• 2 staff members
• Subcommittees 4-6 faculty 2-3 students
  0-1 postdoc

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Critical Issues

• Training goals
• right skills
• effective nurturing
• adequate assessment
• Implementation of a multidisciplinary approach
• whats in it for faculty
• responsibilities to the program
• engagement of a large, diverse group
• Strategy for optimal recruitment
• effective marketing
• first choice

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Engagement of the program in deliberations

• Colloquium
• Retreat
• Surveys

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Colloquium as a forum for engagement

• Lead by training committee on January 28th

• Issue 1 Written Prelim Exam
• Issue 2 Oral Prelim Exam
• Issue 3 Curriculum

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Format

• Lunch
• Small groups, vary order of issues
• Facilitators members of training cmte
• Recorders members of coordinating cmte
• Data
• Composition of group (faculty, students, PD)
• Comments and assessment of agreement

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Results

• (report at CID)