Overall, the University has worked to maximize its human, financial and physical resources in support of accomplishing its mission of graduate education, building on the strengths of a solid research foundation and a strong graduate faculty. Most of the recommendations for improvement in graduate programs presented by the 1988 NCA Evaluation Team have been accomplished: increased graduate student enrollments, a larger percentage of doctoral students, plans to increase the number of underrepresented graduate students, and more support for graduate fellowships. These accomplishments have given Michigan Tech a significant graduate presence. As growth begins to slow, questions about supporting and improving existing programs emerge, requiring attention to funding, allocation of financial aid and other support services, and assessment practices which provide feedback for continuous improvement of instruction and mentoring. The infrastructure of the Graduate School is adequate to support current levels of quality and productivity of programs and graduate faculty. However, continued rapid growth will strain existing resources. Recruitment and retention strategies, and computing and other academic support systems (e.g., the library and office space), demand centralized attention from the Graduate School.

In summary, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats with regard to graduate education are as follows:

Internal Assessment of the Organization
Strengths Mission statement Internal financial support for graduate programs Qualified faculty Qualified staff Innovative programs Standards balanced by flexibility Commitment to research in MS and PhD programs	Weaknesses No vision statement No coordinated recruitment strategy Heavy recruitment from MTU undergraduates No regular external review process Inadequate space, benefits, and professional development for graduate students Lagging recognition of programs Little diversity in student body Unclear policies on research integrity Climate for women and underrepresented groups Limited General Fund dollars for graduate education
Opportunities Electronic information delivery Growing pool of women and underrepresented undergraduates Growing pool of supported international graduate students	Threats Inadequate external funding for growth
External Assessment of the Environment

Action Plan

To take advantage of opportunities and remedy concerns with regard to graduate education, the following action plan is recommended. Responsible parties for implementing the recommendations are identified.

This action plan will be integrated into the strategic planning process for 1998/99.

ENDNOTES

1. Statistics cited here include total headcount for full- and part-time students, cited in the BIDs, but exclusive of headcount under the category "other." BACK

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