Recent diversity and inclusion initiatives at Vanderbilt University:
- See page 3 of the Academic Strategic Plan for Vanderbilt’s diversity statement before this all started.
- Crucial Conversations (Peabody) was established in Fall 2013.
- Hidden Dores started in Spring 2014.
- The university established an Office of Inclusion Initiatives and Cultural Competence.
- Zeppos called diversity the most important issue.
- A Vanderbilt-Wide diversity committee was created to deliver a list of recommendations to the Chancellor.
- The Chancellor established a Chief Diversity Officer.
- Graduate students across Vanderbilt created a Diversity and Inclusion committee.
- Provost established Vice Provost for Inclusive Excellence(2017)
- Divinity School launches three-year Public Theology and Racial Justice Collaborative (2017)
The GRE: Articles troubling its role in graduate admissions
Miller, Casey, and Keivan Stassun. “A Test That Fails.” Nature 510, no. 7504 (June 12, 2014): 303–304.
This article, co-authored by Vanderbilt’s Keivan Stassun, advocates for diminishing reliance on the GRE as a reliable measure of ability, potential for doing well in graduate school, and long-term success as a scientist. The authors offer that one of the main reasons for getting rid of the test, in favor of other reliable measures of potential success, is the high levels of racial and gender disparity reflected in test scores. They highlight the finding that GRE scores are only predictive of first-year-graduate course grades at best, and, in fact, the GRE is a better indicator of sex and skin color than of ability and academic success. The article includes a few alternatives to using GRE scores for admission selection including considering indicators of previous achievement and interviews that examine college and research experiences and leadership. Two programs have successfully adapted these strategies, one of which is the Fisk-Vanderbilt Bridge Program. The authors contend more widespread adoption of admissions processes that do not rely on the GRE will result in a more diverse STEM workforce that is prepared to tackle today’s scientific and technical challenges
Moneta-Koehler, Liane, Abigail M. Brown, Kimberly A. Petrie, Brent J. Evans, and Roger Chalkley. “The Limitations of the GRE in Predicting Success in Biomedical Graduate School.” PLOS ONE 12, no. 1 (January 11, 2017).
This study, authored by faculty and students in Vanderbilt’s Peabody College and its School of Medicine, analyzes the level to which GRE scores correlate with a variety of measures of progress and productivity within the Vanderbilt’s biomedical PhD programs. The authors analyzed data from all students who matriculated in those programs between 2003 and 2011, hence their data is quite current. The authors demonstrate and argue that the GRE provides very little information about whether a prospective student will be successful in a PhD program, and that it also seriously impairs the institution’s goal to diversify both its student body and the biomedical research community at large. Specifically, while the GRE does moderately predict first semester grades, and minimally predicts overall GPA and faculty evaluation of a student’s coursework, this test provides no significant information regarding who will graduate with a PhD, pass qualifying exams, have a shorter time to defense, produce conference presentations and publications, or earn grants or fellowships. Thus the GRE moderately predicts students’ competence in didactic coursework, but does not predict other more important program outcomes. The study concludes that over-reliance on the GRE provides very little benefit in selecting highly qualified students. Its more significant effects are in causing harm to students from underrepresented minority groups, and to the institution as a whole, by keeping too many of those students out of PhD programs. The study shows that undergraduate GPA is far more useful in predicting student success in these programs, and suggests that admissions processes also place more weight on letters of recommendation and personal statements.
Hall, Joshua D., Anna B. O’Connell, and Jeanette G. Cook. “Predictors of Student Productivity in Biomedical Graduate School Applications.” PLOS ONE 12, no. 1 (January 11, 2017).
This article concerns a study conducted by Hall and colleagues (2017), in which they followed the productivity of graduate students attempting to earn PhD degrees in the Biological and Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP) at the University of North Carolina (UNC) – Chapel Hill. The authors’ primary objective was to assess the validity of admission metrics (e.g. undergraduate GPA, GRE scores, etc.) as predictors of productivity for graduate students who matriculated through BBSP. This study examined the admission data of 280 students who were admitted between 2008 through 2010. The authors used undergraduate GPA and research experience, GRE scores, and letters of recommendation (including a qualitative ranking of student’s aptitude). Hall and colleagues defined graduate student “productivity” by the number of publications produced by the end of the students’ tenure at UNC. Through this study the authors showed that GRE scores (as well as undergraduate GPA) were not successful in predicting the productivity of the graduate students involved in this study. Surprisingly, undergraduate research experience was not a successful predictor in productivity. By their methodology, Hall and colleagues showed that letters of recommendations were the best and only successful admissions predictor of student productivity in the BBSP. The authors do not recommend that admissions staff and faculty rely solely on recommendations but they do suggest that the opinions of those who spend a great deal of time with candidates have a good understanding of how they may fare in graduate studies.
Campbell, Patricia B., and Sandra L. Petersen. “Predicting PhD Attainment: The Efficacy of the GRE.” Campbell-Kibler Associates, Inc. (2016).
The Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) are used by institutions as a common objective measure to evaluate the credentials of an applicant, but studies suggest correlations between GRE scores and PhD attainment are not positively linked. This study explores this relationship between GRE scores and PhD completion by exploring approximately 2000 STEM graduate students from four state universities between 2000 and 2015. The findings suggest that GRE verbal and GRE quantitative scores did not predict PhD attainment. Higher GRE scores were even tied to lower PhD attainment. Authors hypothesize that the following explanations may be a factor in the poor GRE prediction power: (1) STEM students with higher GRE scores may leave PhD programs for more lucrative jobs, (2) GRE scores may not predict successful laboratory or field skills, and (3) applicants with lower GRE scores may be admitted to programs because of other special qualities. Nevertheless, GRE scores may not be helpful in predicting PhD attainment.
Clayton, Victoria. “The Problem With the GRE.” The Atlantic, March 1, 2016.
This concise article in the popular press summarizes recent research on the efficacy of the GRE, framing the story through the experiences of an individual student for whom the GRE was a barrier to graduate study.