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The Council of Graduate Schools provides benchmarking and consultation services to assist member and nonmember institutions, boards, and state agencies in making strategic decisions about the administration of graduate education. CGS’ benchmarking and consultation services draw upon its deep best practice and benchmarking research as well as the insights of experienced graduate deans from around the country.
CGS provides two types of services:
Strategic Consultation
To help institutions gain expert recommendations about structure, staffing, operations, or programs, CGS arranges for a one to three person review team to develop detailed recommendations in response to a particular charge. The reviewers are experts in the consultation topic and have experience in institutions that are peers of the requesting institution. The findings and recommendations are based upon background material provided by the client and interviews undertaken during the on-site visit and are delivered as a written report.
Strategic Benchmarking
To help institutions compare aspects of graduate education on their campus to other institutions, CGS provides customized benchmarking data to inform strategic decision-making processes. Using in-house best practice and benchmarking data sources, as well as national surveys and comprehensive datasets, CGS provides the client with a written report which includes data tables, charts, etc., as appropriate, in response to a particular charge.
Prior benchmarking and consultation services have addressed such topics as:
- Effective organization of the graduate school
- Building an inclusive graduate community
- Administration of graduate fellowship and assistantship programs
- Organizing effective program review systems
- Graduate enrollment and degrees at peer institutions
- New graduate program development
- Preparing for and responding to accreditation
- Integrating research administration with the graduate school
- Developing responsible conduct of research guidelines
- Organizing efficient graduate admissions process
- Ph.D. completion and attrition management
- Preparing Future Faculty
For more information on strategic consultation, please contact Robert Sowell, Vice President, Programs and Operations, at (202) 223-3791.
For more information on strategic benchmarking, please contact Jeff Allum, Director of Research and Policy Analysis at (202) 223-3791.
The benchmarking and consultation services fee schedule is as follows:
| Member Rate | Non-Member Rate | |
| Consultation Fees | ||
| Per consultant, including report | $1,250/day on site | $2,000/day on site |
| Travel/meals/accommodations | Actual expenses | Actual expenses |
| Administrative fees | $2,000 | $5,000 |
| Benchmarking Fees | ||
| Hourly rates | $200/hour | $400/hour |
| Data retrieval costs | Actual expenses | Actual expenses |
As the national advocate for graduate education, CGS serves as a resource for policymakers and others on issues concerning graduate education, research, and scholarship. Based in Washington, DC, the organization provides its members with regular updates and analyses of legislative and regulatory proposals and policies that affect graduate education.
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