Graduate Council Workshop: Future of Graduate Education at UCSC

Graduate Council will be holding a winter 2026 graduate director brown bag workshop on the future of UC Santa Cruz graduate programs

When: Friday, February 20, 2026 from 11:30am–2:00pm
Where: University Center Alumni Room (this is an in-person only event)
Who should attend: All current and former graduate program directors. Interested faculty who are not graduate directors may also RSVP to the event, but space is limited.
Format: Brown bag workshop (please bring your own lunch)

GC’s goal is to learn how graduate programs are affected by the changing financial climate and career landscapes for graduate training, and to strategize how best to adapt. The workshop will begin with opening remarks from the Senate and Graduate Division, followed by breakout groups with faculty graduate directors to strategize the changing graduate landscape within their departments. The session will culminate in a collective discussion to define potential action items.

In preparation for this workshop, we ask that you engage in conversation with your departments around the following questions: 

• What curricular issues, if any, are your graduate programs facing? Are creative solutions possible, such as shared courses across disciplines and/or streamlining of curriculum? Are there other partnerships across disciplines that could assist your program in delivering graduate training?
• What innovations have helped to decrease time-to-degree, particularly for your doctoral programs? What resources would be required to decrease normative time in your different disciplines?
• How has your program’s training mission changed over the last 5-10 years? What innovations have departments adopted to prepare students for careers? Could your program envision internship/residency as part of graduate training and/or relationships with industry, the private sector, or government organizations?
• How has your program adapted to changes in admissions and/or funding? What novel admissions process ideas could help to stabilize programs? What innovations might help your programs adapt to smaller cohort sizes?
• Are there any initiatives that your program is interested in piloting?
• How can campus and divisional administrators provide support to help existing students through their programs? What is the administrative role in innovations that will secure the future of graduate education on our campus?

Departments may also wish to discuss the following reports:

• Future of Doctoral Programs at the University of California: Challenges, Opportunities, and Potential Paths Ahead
• Systemwide Academic Senate Task Force on UC Adaptation to Disruptions (UCAD) Interim Report & Recommendations
• Implementation Task Force for Inclusive Excellence in Graduate Education

Faculty may submit questions or issues they would like to discuss at the workshop through the RSVP form.  Please contact Graduate Council at gc@ucsc.edu if you have any questions about the event.