Faculty members at the University of Oklahoma, in collaboration with partners at Purdue University, Virginia Tech, and The Ohio State University, have launched a resource to support graduate students enrolled in higher education institutions nationwide. Half of the students who enter a doctoral program in the U.S. do not complete their degrees, according to The Chronicle of Higher Education. According to survey respondents, most do not complete their program because they feel isolated and are unable to find resources and support.
In response, a multi-institution GradThriving faculty team developed a website to serve as an all-inclusive resource aimed at increasing graduate student retention. Gradschoolthriving.com provides information for those currently enrolled in a program and those applying for graduate school. Liz Karr, Ph.D., associate dean of the Graduate College at the University is one of the faculty members leading the project. At OU, Karr works with graduate students from across the university that are facing a variety of challenges. Through this work, she has identified areas that often lead to attrition.
"Graduate students often don’t know where to go for resources when they struggle with advisors, or need support in their graduate degree program,” said Karr. “If you reach out to the right person or find a resource to help you navigate the problem, that can make it or break it for students deciding to continue.” In the Gallogly College of Engineering, Professor Steven Crossley, Ph.D., works closely with graduate students in the OU chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. The insight of Karr and Crossley, along with that of other members of the GradThriving team, into graduate student challenges provided the foundation for the project.
The idea for GradThriving developed from a panel focused on supporting underrepresented students in engineering at the National Academy of Engineering conference. NAE funded the website concept. Karr continues to offer confidential consultation and resource connection to students at OU, utilizing her expertise to help the GradThriving website evolve to include faculty resources in Spring 2023. The project continues to grow, and the team plans to work with more colleges and universities to improve resources on the website.
