Effecting Institutional Change

Physics departments throughout the United States are working to increase the effectiveness of graduate programs, not just on questions linked to academic reputations, but also to admissions metrics, methods for broadening recruitment demographics, and strengthening retention. There are many challenges to effecting meaningful institutional change, often linked to overall department culture, attitudes of university administration, and difficulties in assembling sufficient funding and faculty/staff time to initiate and support the change. The panelists will discuss examples of effecting change in their home institutions, including starting post-baccalaureate bridge programs, implementing more holistic admission criteria and evaluation, and introducing additional mentoring and support infrastructure for enrolled students.