DEAN'S MEMO
The following message was originally shared via the January 12 IU Graduate School Bloomington email newsletter.
Happy New Year and welcome to the Spring 2024 semester! I hope that you had an enjoyable and restorative holiday break.
As we begin the new semester, we will continue to strengthen the graduate student experience, provide updates on ongoing work to address the IUB 2030 strategic plan, and ensure that Indiana University Bloomington is a national leader in graduate education.
Academic Excellence
A focus of our academic efforts this year has been in helping faculty build new, innovative online and hybrid masters degrees that fit the unique expertise of Bloomington faculty and in the development of new graduate educational opportunities, particularly for accelerated masters programs (AMPs) that customize pairings of bachelors and masters level training. Lead by Assistant Dean Jeff Rutherford, 15 new AMP pathways have been approved or are in the approval process.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The best research and learning can happen only in an environment in which diverse voices and perspectives are welcome. Our commitment to diversity in all of its aspects is unwavering. Although this summer’s Supreme Court decision has limited how we can use race and ethnicity in admissions decisions it has not affected our recruiting and funding programs for prospective and current underrepresented students.
This spring will see a renewing of our staff to assist graduate programs more effectively in recruiting and retaining a diverse student population. We hired Tracy Bradley, an experienced recruiter in the College, this fall and she now works half-time in our office. Our new Recruiting and Outreach Coordinator, Katie Tish, will fill a currently vacant position later this month, and we are in the final stages of hiring a new Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion to replace Dr. Howard Simms, who recently left IU for a position with the State of Indiana.
Supporting Student Development
As highlighted in our fall newsletters, we have increased our capacity and capabilities for providing career and professional development services, both within the graduate school and in collaboration with other campus units. Our new Director of Graduate Career Coaching, Brandi Smith, has been in high demand for one-to-one coaching sessions and Assistant Dean Trevor Verrot is heading up a number of professional development programs, including the Future Faculty Teaching Fellowship program and our annual Three Minute Thesis event.
Enhanced Financial Support for SAAs
The campus has taken steps in recent years to improve funding for student academic appointees through raising minimum stipends and eliminating fees, while prioritizing efforts that reduce time to degree. As announced in the fall of 2022, the Provost has charged me with regularly benchmarking stipends against our peers to ensure that minimum stipends for student academic appointees remain in the top half of public Big Ten institutions. Based on preliminary data, I have recommended, and the Provost has approved, a new minimum stipend of $23,000 for a half-time (20 hours/week) 10-month appointment, effective July 1, 2024.
We will continue with additional benchmarking this spring in collaboration with the Bloomington Faculty Council SAA Affairs Committee and IU Institutional Analytics. Results will be presented in fall 2024 to the Provost and the Bloomington Faculty Council.
Finally, as reflected in regular announcements in our newsletter, we continue to promote opportunities and facilitate applications for external fellowships, awards, and internship opportunities for graduate students.
We will have additional updates on these and other initiatives throughout the spring. In the meantime, I hope you have a wonderful semester.
Sincerely,
David Daleke
Dean, IUB Graduate School