A Competitive System: Graduate Student Recruitment in STEM and Why Money May Not Be the Answer

• In Event: 67.067 - MTCC Roundtable Session 31
  In Roundtable Session: 67.067-11 - Recruitment, Admissions, and Networking in Graduate School

Abstract

This paper reports on an investigation of program approaches to graduate student recruitment in STEM fields. Qualitative data from interviews and surveys of program faculty and staff are considered alongside reflections from graduate students about their own decision-making processes. Drawing from DiMaggio and Powell (1983), we adopt a theoretical lens that considers balances between individuals’ values and institutional practices within a larger system. We also highlight the role of competition across peer institutions and its influence on program recruitment practices. Our findings can inform programs as they consider how best to allocate resources toward the recruitment of graduate student populations that are characterized by both academic quality and diverse representation.

Authors

• Whitney Elaine Wall Bortz, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• David Knight, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Timothy J Kinoshita, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• Nathan Hyungsok Choe, The University of Texas at Austin

• Kevin A. Nguyen, Sonoma State University

• Maura J. Borrego, The University of Texas at Austin

• Chelsea Haines Lyles, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University