The aggregate data still tell a compelling story. We are trying to scale the research enterprise and balance that with legitimate educational goals. There are mismatches that are created by trying to match the research needs of the national scientific agenda with the purer aims of an educational institution. Simply, time to degree in Ph.D.s is ridiculous and ought to be brought down by two years or more. As a parent, Faulkner was concerned about programs providing information up front, helping to set realistic Expectations for prospective students.
Young people ought to know what they want from grad school before they start.
Providing better information to prospective students before they enroll about exactly what they are getting themselves into is a simple way to set realistic student expectations, the panel agreed. Some went even further, asserting that helping prospective students to make informed decisions about their careers is an academic duty. In the U.S., we've got large amounts of government-funded research and the need for folks to do the work, so size is being driven by other elements of the university and the size of the research agenda. We've got lots of research being funded in life sciences, so we need research students, but then there is no market for Ph.D. instructors once they finish. Vice President Sullivan echoed his comments.