Doctoral Education: Challenges Ahead

DOCTORAL EDUCATION AND THE FACULTY OF THE FUTURE
Ronald G. Ehrenberg (Editor); Charlotte V. Kuh (Editor)
Cornell University Press, 2008
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American colleges and universities simultaneously face large numbers of faculty retirements and expanding enrollments. Budget constraints have led colleges and universities to substitute part-time and full-time non-tenure-track faculty for tenure-track faculty, and the demand for faculty members will likely be high in the decade ahead.
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This heightened demand is coming at a time when the share of American college graduates who go on for PhD study is far below its historic high. The declining interest of American students in doctoral programs is due to many factors, including long completion times, low completion rates, the high cost of doctoral education, and the decline in the share of faculty positions that are tenured or on the tenure track. In short, doctoral education is in crisis because the impediments are many and the rewards are few; students often choose instead to enroll in professional programs that result in more marketable credentials.
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In Doctoral Education and the Faculty of the Future, scientists, social scientists, academic administrators, and policymakers describe their efforts to increase and improve the supply of future faculty. They cover topics ranging from increasing undergraduate interest in doctoral study to improving the doctoral experience and the participation of underrepresented groups in doctoral education.

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Contributors
Linda Abriola, Tufts University
Charles Becker, Duke University
Emily Blanchard, University of Virginia
John Bound, University of Michigan
Myles Boylan, National Science Foundation
Sharon M. Brucker, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Andrea Conklin Bueschel, Spencer Foundation
Carlos Castillo-Chavez, Arizona State University
Carlos Castillo-Garsow, Arizona State University
Margery Davies, Tufts University
Daniel Denecke, Council of Graduate Schools
Ronald G. Ehrenberg, Cornell University
Helen S. Frasier, Council of Graduate Schools
Chris M. Golde, Stanford University
M. R. C. Greenwood, University of California, Davis
Jeffrey Groen, Bureau of Labor Statistics
Jong-on Hahm, George Washington University
Cynthia Johnson, Rice University
Laura Jones, Stanford University
Charlotte V. Kuh, National Research Council
Cheryl Leggon, Georgia Institute of Technology
Robert J. Lemke, Lake Forest College
Catherine M. Millett, Educational Testing Service
Maresi Nerad, University of Washington
Michael T. Nettles, Educational Testing Service
Michael A. Olivas, University of Houston
Willie Pearson Jr., Georgia Institute of Technology
Gregory Price, Jackson State University
Kenneth Redd, Council of Graduate Schools
Richard Tapia, Rice University
Sarah Turner, University of Virginia
George E. Walker, Florida International University
Harriet Zuckerman, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation
Liang Zhang, Vanderbilt University

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Reviews

"Ronald G. Ehrenberg and Charlotte V. Kuh bring together a rich collection of papers related to growing and nurturing the doctoral workforce. The book is a must-read for anyone concerned about the doctoral experience, be they students, graduate coordinators, deans, provosts or policy makers. The book also makes a strong case for the importance of collecting and analyzing data on the doctoral experience and career outcomes."—Paula Stephan, Georgia State University
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About the Author

Ronald G. Ehrenberg is Irving M. Ives Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations and Economics, Director of the Cornell Higher Education Research Institute, a Cornell University Trustee, and a former Vice President for Academic Programs, Planning, and Budgeting at Cornell. His books include Governing Academia, also from Cornell. Charlotte V. Kuh is Deputy Executive Director of the National Academy of Sciences. She is the author of Assessing Research-Doctorate Programs: A Methodology Study

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