2026: A Year for Meeting the Moment in the Graduate Education Community
2026 presents graduate education with a moment of profound consequence, and one that calls upon us to lead with clarity, depth of purpose, collaboration, and an unwavering commitment to the students, faculty and staff who rely on us to lead with both principle and resolve.
This is the year we undertake the deliberate and necessary work of reimagining graduate education for a world in transformation. Shifts in the policy landscape, funding environment, workforce needs, and the realities of changing global engagement compel us, as leaders in the graduate education community, to respond not merely with adaptation but with courage. We must rise to this moment with urgency, intellectual courage, and a shared sense of purpose equal to the challenges before us.
The challenges we face are not merely obstacles, but they also represent an invitation to lead. Yet, leadership of this magnitude cannot be undertaken alone. We need to be a community united in purpose and collective resolve. That is why 2026 will be defined by three foundational priorities: the advancement of our strategic planning process, the intensification of our advocacy efforts, and the deepening of the community bonds that gives CGS its strength and enduring relevance.
CGS Strategic planning
As we announced in our Annual Meeting in December, CGS will be embarking on a new vision for graduate education. To do that, we need your input on our 2027-2030 strategic plan. The strategic planning process has already started with the launch of the member survey and focus groups. If you receive the survey or are invited to participate in a focus group, we hope you share your insights and feedback. There will also be a town hall later this year that will be open to all. We have launched a webpage to provide you with details about this process and we remain committed to keeping you up to date on progress. This is your opportunity to shape the future direction and the landscape of graduate education.
Advocacy
This year we must come together as a community and expand our advocacy for graduate education at every level: local, national and international.
The CGS Government Relations and Public Policy (GRPP) team has launched the CGS 2026-2027 Federal Policy Agenda for you to use in your advocacy efforts. The Federal Policy Agenda outlines CGS’s policy principles and priorities impacting graduate education and is great to share with your campus leaders and government relations teams.
The GRPP will also host peer-to-peer listening sessions to hear about the top federal and state policy issues on your campus, how we can help you in advocacy work and what resources you need to be successful.
The 2026 Annual Advocacy Day this spring will bring graduate leaders and students to Washington D.C., making a direct impact on policy decisions affecting our entire enterprise. Together we can advance policies that support graduate education and our students.
Bringing Our Community Together
Registration is now open for our reimagined Summer Workshop and New Deans Institute in Chicago this July 11-15, bringing together graduate deans, faculty, graduate school staff, and student support professionals for unprecedented cross-institutional collaboration. Please be sure to join us and share your ideas and experience in our workshop sessions.
We are continuing to plan webinars and meetings with our global partners, maintaining the critically important global connections that we know you value.
These in-person gatherings, along with our virtual events like webinars and Presidential Office hours, will provide you with opportunities to be involved in our community. Now more than ever we need all voices and experiences to help us elevate graduate education and remind our communities that it is a public good.
Through our strategic planning, advocacy and our convening opportunities, we invite you to join in and grow your presence within CGS. Connect with your peers and share your knowledge and ideas for improving graduate education.
At CGS you are more than just a member, you are part of a network of dedicated leaders working to improve graduate education. I can’t wait to work with you.