'Statement of Support'

A group of higher education leaders from 16 countries led by the Council of Graduate Schools and the University of Hong Kong has agreed on a set of principles "to strengthen and create pathways from graduate school to careers," the co-sponsors announced. Among the principles they've outlined, delegates for the upcoming Strategic Leaders Global Summit have agreed to "support the recognition of (post)graduate education as the basis of economic progress," strengthen doctoral education through "the integration of essential transferable skills," and to support academic institutions' efforts "to track career patterns and outcomes for (post)graduate students over time." Over at the Science Careers blog, Beryl Benderly says that "merely stating principles provides neither the incentives nor the wherewithal for universities and faculty members to make the needed cultural, attitudinal, and practical changes," though she adds that such "a statement of support can help get ideas circulating in academic conversation."