New Deans Institute

The New Deans Institute (NDI) kicks off at 8:15 a.m. and wraps up at 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 11, with the day concluding in lively Dine Arounds beginning at 7:00 p.m. Designed especially for those who have served in a graduate dean role for two years or less, the Institute also welcomes others from the graduate education community who are eager to engage. Attended before and thinking about coming back? We’re glad to say that return participants are warmly welcomed. While the overall format may feel familiar, the program builds on past conversations and introduces new perspectives to ensure a meaningful and rewarding experience for everyone.

 

Summer Workshop

The Summer Workshop officially begins on Sunday, July 12 at 1:00 p.m. and continues through Tuesday at 1:30 p.m., followed by three in-depth technical workshops running until 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday. This dynamic program features insightful plenary sessions alongside ample opportunities for networking and interactive dialogue; all centered on the most pressing issues facing today’s graduate education community.

Topics and formats included this year are below.

Plenary Sessions

The Summer Workshop plenary sessions address the most pressing topics in graduate education.

This year’s plenaries include:

  • Graduate Education Disrupted: Navigating and Building our Future
  • The Provost Perspective: Engaging Change Management Practices in Building a Strong Graduate Education

Hot Topics

These sessions are designed to provide a small, interactive setting for members of the graduate education community to discuss pressing issues. “Hot Topics” facilitators are CGS board members, staff, and others knowledgeable in these topic areas.

This year’s topics include:  

  • Breaking News: Public Policy Hot Topic 
  • Supporting International Students the Current Visa Policy Environment
  • The 3-year Baccalaureate 

Graduate Leader Dialogues – New This Year! 

Graduate Leader Dialogues are unique opportunities for meeting participants to learn more about graduate education issues in a distinctive, interactive format. Graduate Leader Dialogues are 90-minute sessions that combine formal presentations and group discussion. All sessions are selected from submitted proposals and include formal presentations and interactive, discussion-based activities. Graduate Leader Dialogues will occur on Sunday and Monday afternoons with two different Dialogues running concurrently.

This year’s dialogues are:

  • Designing Graduate Education for Tomorrow: Systems, Students and Institutional Resilience 
  • Strategic Levers for Transforming Graduate Mentoring and Programmatic Innovation 
  • Addressing Gaps in Graduate Student Career Development Through Enhanced Faculty Mentorship  
  • Strategic Leadership in Graduate Education: Building Vision, Managing Change, and Developing Teams 

Dean’s Toolboxes

CGS’s “toolbox” sessions are one-hour workshops designed to give you specific information and/or resources that you can use immediately. Led by deans with expertise on the topic, they will focus on at least three key concepts, lessons, or skills. Four different “toolbox” sessions will run concurrently. 

This year’s toolboxes include:

  • Beyond the Faculty Track: Evolving the PFF Model for Career Success 
  • Low-cost/No-cost Strategies for Graduate Enrollment Management
  • Building AI Literacy: Principles, Partnerships, and Practical Implementation

Technical Workshops

Workshops are designed to provide attendees with “nuts and bolts” strategies for dealing with pertinent issues facing the graduate education community. 

Tuesday 2:00 – 4:00 pm

Beyond the Dissertation: Holistic Approaches to Doctoral Student Success  
This transformative workshop is designed for leaders in graduate education who seek to elevate the experiences and outcomes of doctoral students. Drawing on research and best practices from a decade of work with underrepresented doctoral students, the session will spotlight systemic barriers and innovative strategies that foster equity, resilience, and belonging in graduate education for the benefit of all graduate students regardless of personal demographics or discipline.

From Teaching Preparation to Career Readiness: Graduate Professional Development at Scale 
Graduate deans face mounting pressure to deliver scalable, high-impact professional development for graduate students. This workshop highlights credit-bearing teaching academies and cross-institutional models that strengthen teaching, transferable skills, and professional agency. Using examples from multiple universities and the Center for the Integration of Research, Teaching and Learning (CIRTL) Network, presenters showcase adaptable curricula, partnerships, and measurable outcomes. Attendees will gain practical strategies to expand opportunity and implement sustainable models that advance graduate success and career readiness at their institutions.

 

Wednesday 9:00 – 11:00 am

Being a Catalyst for Improving Graduate Assistantships: Collaborative Solutions for Strategic Change 
Graduate assistantships play a critical role in supporting graduate students and recruiting top talent, yet their structures and policies vary widely. In this interactive workshop, presenters will share strategies for organizing and aligning GA positions and policies across institutions. Participants will engage in small-group discussions and activities to exchange best practices and develop action plans around policies, contracts, funding, and unionization—leaving with concrete steps to strengthen GA administration at their institutions.