Graduate students

Seeing grim job prospects for its graduating Ph.D. students, a college at Vanderbilt offers stipends and ongoing teaching positions to help students buy some time.

SAN DIEGO -- In theory, these days, everyone agrees that attrition in Ph.D. programs is a real problem. Graduate students don't want to spend years in programs from which they will never graduate, and universities don't want to support those who won't complete their programs. Also in theory these days, most academics agree that it's crucial to expand the diversity of the Ph.D. pipeline so that the candidates for faculty positions represent a broader demographic than the current professoriate.

NYU floats idea of having doctoral students join adjunct union. University sees path to improved education and compromise on collective bargaining. UAW sees end run.

Harvard, Chicago and others will enroll smaller classes of doctoral students in the fall. Is recession forcing long-term change on graduate education?

National Research Council releases long-awaited methodology for still-awaited rankings. Is the system too complicated?

Analysis at chemistry meeting asks why some graduate departments are so much more successful than others at placing their female Ph.D.'s and postdocs in top positions.

Study of "peer assessment" of U.S. News's graduate and professional rankings suggests benefits for institutions being large and relying on standardized testing.

New Ph.D. recipients consider the factors that got them to the finish line and report gaps by discipline in extent of financial support.

Political scientists consider changes in criteria for hiring. Should ability to win grants count? Should more grad students be discouraged from staying in programs? Should search chairs get involved with job rumor Web sites?

AAUP releases plan to add due process and other rights -- including more information about renewal of assignments -- to its statement on academic freedom.