GradEdge: Spring 2025
CGS Announces Chevelle Newsome as New President
CGS is proud to announce Chevelle Newsome, currently Dean of Graduate Studies at California State University, Sacramento, as its seventh president.
Dr. Newsome will assume the chief leadership role at CGS 
beginning on July 1. Suzanne Ortega, CGS’ President since 2014, announced her plan to step down from the role in October 2024.
Dr. Newsome was chosen by a search committee appointed by the Board of Directors. Since 2008, Dr. Newsome has worked to advance academic excellence and support academic achievement across Sacramento State’s more than 50 programs and to ensure graduate education is accessible, student-centered and focused on successful outcomes.
A Message from Suzanne: Optimizing the Value of Graduate Education for Students and Communities
It has been a privilege of a lifetime to serve as the CGS president. Our students are our 
mission, and it is their curiosity, dedication, energy and determination to advance knowledge and make the world a better place that motivates me, and I know all of you, as well.
For this reason, we must address the central challenge that our country faces today– how to use finite resources to optimize the balance between access, affordability, program quality and student success. That is why CGS launched the Cost of Graduate Education Task Force back in the fall of 2023. I am proud to announce the release of the report this week.
CGS Relaunches GradSense, a Resource for Empowered Financial Decision-Making for Potential and Current Graduate Students
With financial support from TIAA, CGS has relaunched GradSense, a website designed to promote financial literacy and help students get a better understanding of the opportunities available to them when pursuing a graduate degree. Visit the new site and share it as a resource for your current and future graduate students.
CGS Releases News Resource for Supporting Fair and Inclusive Graduate Programs
Developed with support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, this resource synthesizes insights from legal experts, faculty, and graduate deans and offers actionable strategies in three areas: recruitment and admissions, program culture, and mentoring—grounded in both legal guidance and promising practices from institutions across the country.
CGS Members Visit Capitol Hill for 2025 Advocacy Day
On April 23-24, CGS graduate education leaders and students from across the country participated in Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. Attendees took part in a Pre-Advocacy Day Workshop where they learned how to be effective and impactful advocates for graduate education.
The following day attendees went up to Capitol Hill to meet with the offices of Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Shumer (D-NY); the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pension Committee; Senate Judiciary Committee; House Ways and Means Committee; and the offices of Representatives Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Jay Obernolte (R-CA) to discuss pressing topics in federal funding and the value of graduate education.
CGS Master’s Education and the STEM Workforce: Two New Briefs and a Data Dashboard
GradImpact: How Joseph Trujillo-Falcon is Reshaping Weather Communication for Multilingual Communities
Joseph Trujillo-Falcón’s journey from a bilingual student dreaming of a career in Spanish-language broadcast meteorology to a national expert in risk communication is grounded in his commitment to addressing language inequities in communities.
With a PhD in communication from the University of Oklahoma and an atmospheric science background, Trujillo-Falcón is pioneering how America talks about weather — particularly for the 68.7 million Americans who speak a language other than English at home.
Learn more about Joseph and how he went from “El Cazador de Tormentas” at a local radio station to influencing communication policy at the National Weather Service.
CGS Releases Comprehensive Report on PhD Career Pathways
This publication is designed to help universities better support their doctoral students through improved advising, professional development, and data-driven program enhancements. Ultimately, the project aims to inspire cross-campus collaboration that prepares PhDs for leadership across all sectors, aligning graduate education more closely with the evolving demands of today’s workforce.
Congratulations to the Regional 3MT Winners
In recognition of National Dissertation Day on April 26, CGS would like to acknowledge all the recent regional Three-Minute Thesis (3MT) winners. Congratulations on creating a compelling, 180-second version of your thesis for a wide audience. We look forward to seeing students give their presentations again at this year’s Annual Meeting in December, alongside winners from the Canadian Association of Graduate Studies (CAGS) and the Consejo Mexicano de Estudios de Postgrado (COMEPO), whose competitions will be held later this fall.
CGS is Accepting Nominations for 2025 Awards
There is still time to nominate innovative colleagues and students for CGS’ awards that will be presented at the Annual Meeting in December. Deadlines for the ETS/CGS Award, CGS/ProQuest Distinguished Dissertation Award and Assistant and Associate Dean Leadership Award are still open for submissions.
New CGS Leaders and Members
New Graduate Education Leaders
- Steven Beaupre, Dean of the Graduate School, Arkansas State University
- John Bennett, Interim President, Fielding Graduate University
- Steph Bernell, Dean of the Office of Graduate Education, Oregon State University
- Stefanie Brachfeld, Vice Provost for Research and Interim Dean of the Graduate School, Montclair State University
- David Darmofal, Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate and Graduate Education, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- Kenneth Goodson, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs, Stanford University
- Jeffrey Holm, Vice Provost for Strategic Programming, Analytics, & Effectiveness and Acting Dean, Graduate School, University of North Dakota
- Cindy Juntunen, Associate Provost for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies, California State University, Monterey Bay*
- Xinlu Liu, Vice President, Beijing Foreign Studies University*
- Elizabeth Lowham, Interim Dean, Division of Graduate Studies, California State University, Fresno
- Carl Mummert, Assistant Provost for Graduate and Interdisciplinary Studies, Marshall University*
- Annie Pilote, Dean, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies, Université Laval*
- Thamar Solorio, Senior Director of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence*
*Graduate education leader at new or returning CGS member institution
New Members
- Beijing Foreign Studies University, International Institutional Member, Beijing, China
- California State University, Monterey Bay, Regular Institutional Member, Marina, CA
- Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence, International Institutional Member, Abu Dhabi, UAE
Returning Members
- Marshall University, Regular Institutional Member, Huntington, WV
- Université Laval, Regular Institutional Member, Québec, Canada
