CGS webinars provide members with an interactive environment for learning about important issues in graduate education and research. Led by CGS staff and other experts on the webinar topic, webinars are designed to help participants gain useful background information as well as tools and resources that support their institution’s goals in a particular area. Participation is open to individuals listed as representatives of their institution as well as other staff at member institutions. Beginning March 2012, CGS member institutions also benefit from access to all webinar presentations and audio recordings. Please log in to visit the CGS Webinar Recordings page for access.

Invitations to participate in CGS webinars are sent to all CGS member institutions.

Upcoming Webinars

Preparing Graduate Research Fellowship Applications
(Event postponed)

This session will be an overview of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) and the program updates for the FY2014 competition. Gisele Muller-Parker, GRFP Program Director, and Henning Schroeder, CGS/NSF Dean in Residence, will engage participants in a discussion about how they can help applicants to be competitive.

Past Webinars

Occupational Resources for the Graduate Community: An overview of O*NET
(August 14, 2013)

Pamela Frugoli, Team Lead for O*NET/Competency Assessment at the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration, will describe O*NET information, free online tools containing hundreds of occupational definitions and related information to help students, job seekers, businesses and others understand the skills and knowledge needed of American workers. Her presentation will include information on what types of data are available, how these data were collected, and how graduate deans and graduate students can access and use these data. Click here to access the webinar recording.

Completion and Attrition in STEM Master's Programs
(May 2013)

Master’s education is the fastest growing and largest part of the graduate education enterprise in the United States, yet until recently, there was a lack of key information regarding master’s completion and attrition rates and factors contributing to student success. This webinar will share data and insights from the CGS project designed to address these gaps, Completion and Attrition in STEM Master’s Programs, funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Click here to access the webinar recording.

Using National Data to Examine Trends in US Graduate Education
(April 2013)

Dr. Nirmala (Nimmi) Kannankutty, acting Deputy Director of the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES) of the National Science Foundation, will describe data, resources, and key indicators on graduate education and the workforce as offered by the NCSES. The NCSES is the central federal clearinghouse for the collection, interpretation, analysis, and dissemination of objective data on science, engineering, technology, and research and development. Her presentation will include information on how graduate deans can access and use these data. Click here to access the webinar recording.

Benchmarking Graduate Education for the Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR): New Tools for CGS Members 
(December 2012)

This webinar introduces members to the PSI Dashboard and other tools for developing robust and comprehensive RCR programs for graduate students. In 2012, CGS concluded a multi-year Project for Scholarly Integrity, funded by the U.S. Office of Research Integrity, to identify strategies for institutionalizing RCR. The six universities in the project agreed to adopt common tools to assess their graduate programs’ policies and practices and their institutions’ organizational climate for research integrity. Participants will learn about strategies for using the tools to assess campus needs and to communicate with faculty, staff, and students about research integrity needs on campus. Click here to access the webinar recording.

Preparing Future Faculty to Assess Student Learning: Preparing a Successful Proposal
(July 2012)

This webinar provided details about the background, objectives and RFP criteria of a new grant opportunity to embed skills in assessing undergraduate learning into PFF or similar programs. See Preparing Future Faculty to Assess Learning for more information about this Best Practice project funded by the Teagle Foundation and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Click here to access the webinar recording.

Ethics Education in International STEM Collaborations: Preparing a Successful Proposal
(July 2012)

In this webinar, CGS staff provided information about the background, objectives and RFP criteria of a new NSF-funded Best Practice grant opportunity, Modeling Effective Research Ethics Education in Graduate International Collaborations: A Learning Outcomes Approach. Please click here to access the webinar recording.

Transitioning Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Affiliation Process to the Keck Graduate Institute (KGI)
(June 2012)

In January 2006, the Council of Graduate Schools, supported of the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, assumed primary responsibility for the growth and promotion of the Professional Science Master’s (PSM) Initiative, with the goal of making the PSM a regular feature of U.S. graduate education. CGS will transfer the PSM Affiliation review process to the Keck Graduate Institute by July 2012. This webinar provided an update regarding the transition planning by CGS and the new PSM Office at KGI as well as the plans for CGS to promote the PSM going forward. Participants in this webinar gained perspective regarding the value of PSM affiliation, information on planning for sustainability of PSM programs, and a timeline and instructions on submitting new applications to the PSM Office at KGI.

Introduction to CGS Career Portal
(May 2012)

This webinar introduced you to the new CGS Career Portal, the only online employment resource for graduate education professionals. Employers of graduate education professionals learned about opportunities for managing job postings and promoting awareness of their institutions and companies via the site. The webinar included a live job posting demonstration and a Question and Answer session.

CGS Benchmarking and Consultation Services
(March 2012)

CGS staff provided details about CGS’ revamped Benchmarking and Consultation Services. Building on CGS’ deep best practice and benchmarking research, as well as the insights of experienced graduate deans, CGS’ Benchmarking and Consultation Services provided fee-based consultation and research to assist institutions in making strategic decisions about graduate education. Click here to access the webinar recording.

The Fiscal Year 2013 Federal Budget and its Implications for Graduate Education Programs
(March 2012)

This webinar provided details about graduate education programs in the FY 2013 Federal Budget and strategies for supporting these programs going forward. CGS’s statement on the FY 2013 federal budget is available here. Click here to access the webinar recording.

Doctoral Initiative on Minority Attrition and Completion (DIMAC)
(January 2012)

This webinar introduced the background and RFP for DIMAC, a Best Practice project funded by the National Science Foundation. Webinar participants were provided with a project overview and proposal details, and project staff responded to questions from participants. Click here for the webinar presentation.

The Federal Budget Control Act of 2011:

Implications for Graduate Education
(September 2011)

This webinar presented elements of the Budget Control Act of 2011 (the Debt Ceiling Deal), an overview of the process ahead, and what graduate deans should be prepared to do to support graduate education programs going forward. A statement CGS issued in response to passage of the Budget Control Act of 2011 is available here.

The Federal Budget for Fiscal years 2011 and 2012:

What Does it Mean for Graduate Education?
(March 2011)

This webinar provided information on the federal budget situation for fiscal years FY11 and FY12, including specific proposals that impact graduate education. A statement CGS issued in response to the President’s FY 12 Budget Request is available here.