In this award from the Special Projects Program, the Division of Chemistry will provide partial support for a Presidential Commission on Graduate Education in the Chemical Sciences, which was convened recently by the American Chemical Society (ACS). This Commission is examining issues that affect the recruitment, retention, and development of high-quality graduate students. Its goal is to consider innovative models in graduate education in the chemical sciences and make actionable recommendations for enhancing the quality of graduate research and education. The Commission will solicit input to inform its work through listening sessions at ACS National and Regional Meetings, along with targeted feedback from graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, early career faculty, underrepresented groups, industrial representatives, and other stakeholders. The report of the ACS Presidential Commission on Graduate Education in the Chemical Sciences will be distributed in hard copy to chemistry departments and will be freely available online through the ACS website.
, appointed by 2012 ACS President Bassam Shakhashiri, in 2011. The work of the Commission was guided by two major goals: 1) to consider fundamental, comprehensive, and systemic changes in graduate education in the chemical sciences, and 2) to suggest actionable approaches for enhancing the quality of graduate research and education at all institutions. The Commission issued its report in December 2012. The report presented five major conclusions accompanied by specific recommendations: Current educational opportunities for graduate students, viewed on balance as a system, do not provide sufficient preparation for their careers after graduate school. The system for the financial support of graduate students, as currently operated by private, institutional, state, and federal funds, is no longer optimal for national needs. Academic chemical laboratories must adopt best safety practices. Such practices have led to a remarkably good record of safety in the chemical industry and should be leveraged. Departments should give thoughtful attention to maintaining a sustainable relationship between the availability of new graduates at all degree levels and genuine opportunities for them. Replication in excess is wasteful of resources and does injustice to the investment made by students and society. Postdoctoral training and education is an extension of graduate education that is important for success in a variety of career paths, particularly for faculty appointments. Postdoctoral associates should be treated as the professional scientists and engineers they are. A postdoctoral appointment should be a period of accelerated professional growth that, by design, enhances scientific independence and future career opportunities. The summary and full reports are available at www.acs.org/gradcommission. The findings and recommendations contained within the report were shared with government entities, including the National Science Foundation, the Office of Management and Budget, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, and the Office of Science and Technology Policy; the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and other academic institutions; and at professional society meetings, including the American Association for the Advancement of Science and ACS national and regional meetings. In September 2013, an invitational conference engaged 30 chemistry department chairs in exploring implementation strategies for the recommendations contained within the report. In addition, the ACS Graduate Education Advisory Board is considering how the American Chemical Society can address the Commission’s recommendations. Complementary to the Commission report, the ACS conducted in 2013 a survey of its graduate student members. The Commission and survey reports provide both faculty and student perspectives, and serve as the basis for enhancing graduate education in the chemical sciences.
