Community Voices: Leading Graduate Education in Challenging Times

The challenges deans face today are unique, multifaceted, and complex. However, graduate deans have faced difficult challenges before and will undoubtedly do so again in the future. Wojtek J. Chodzko-Zajko, Dean of the

Wojtek Jan Chodzko-Zajko, professor of kinesiology and community health

Graduate College at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, recently contributed to CGS’s blog, exploring strategies graduate deans can use during times of change. He argues that some of the lessons learned from leading during the COVID-19 pandemic can offer valuable insights into how to approach our current dilemmas.

Chodzko-Zajko says the COVID-19 pandemic presented higher education with unprecedented challenges, forcing universities to pivot rapidly in response to a global crisis. Graduate deans played a crucial role in this transformation, safeguarding their communities, ensuring the continuity of education, and supporting students through uncharted territory. Now, as we face a different set of challenges, he notes, the strategies and principles that guided us through the pandemic can be repurposed to address today’s complex issues.