Dr. Jenny Phelps has more than 20 years of experience as a senior academic administrator, at ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà and previously with the University of California, San Francisco.ÌýShe is a co-founder of ÑÇÖÞÌìÌÃ’s Public Scholars Initiative and has been deeply involved in work related to reimagining the PhD, exploration of concurrent graduate-level microcredentials, and nearly all aspects of graduate education policy and strategy.ÌýJenny most recently served as Director of Transformation and Change Management with the ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà Integrated Renewal Program.
Ìý
WHY DID YOUÌýJOINÌýG+PSÌýAS A MEMBER OF THE LEADERSHIP TEAM?Ìý
Like many people, I both fret about the daunting challengesÌýimperiling theÌýwelfare of the world, and marvel atÌýtheÌýpower of human ingenuity and the amazingÌýdiscoveriesÌýthat can happen when well-intentioned people come together to share knowledge and ideas.ÌýFor me, graduate and postdoctoral education isÌýamong the most powerful levers we have as a society to equip us with innovative solutions and transformational leaders. I wantedÌýtoÌýjoin the team that isÌýelevating ÑÇÖÞÌìÌÃÌýas a premier environment forÌýcultivatingÌýdiverse, innovative, and impact-oriented graduate students and postdoctoral fellows.Ìý
WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM THE EXPERIENCE?Ìý
I worked for many years in graduate studies, then had a career chapter in a very different area of university administration. Now as I re-engage in this work, I’m learning howÌýmeaningfulÌýit is to have a passion and a strong sense of purpose for what one does in their work life.ÌýThat is why it is so important that we help our emerging graduate and postdoctoral scholars to connect their scholarly work to a larger sense of what they care about in the world.Ìý
WHAT MAKES ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà AN EXCITING PLACE FOR GRADUATE STUDY AND FOR POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWS?Ìý
ÑÇÖÞÌìÌÃÌýis at the forefront ofÌýa larger trend ofÌý‘thinking different’ about what graduate and postdoctoral education can include, how it can be structured, and what the outcomes can be – both in terms of diverse scholarlyÌýartifacts and a wide range of career paths. This willÌýempower impact-oriented emerging scholars to take new and more purposeful routes to fulfil their potential.ÌýÑÇÖÞÌìÌÃ’s investmentÌýin collaborative research clusters and other structures for transdisciplinary work means that graduate students and post-doctoral fellows will have more opportunities to learn from colleagues across many disciplines andÌýtogether,Ìýtackle complex problems from the multiple perspectives they require.ÌýÌý
WHAT SHOULD STUDENTSÌýOR FACULTYÌýKNOW ABOUT G+PS?Ìý
G+PS is a place full of dedicated staff and faculty whose work – all day and every day – is solely focused on how to make ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà a high-quality, fair, and supportive environment for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and the hundreds of staff and faculty across the university who are involved in their education.ÌýIf you reach out, a helping hand is here.Ìý
WHAT IS ONE CRUCIAL NEXT STEP IN ADVANCING GRADUATE EDUCATION AT ÑÇÖÞÌìÌÃ?Ìý
I’d like to see ÑÇÖÞÌìÌà establish more structures to build collaboration and transdisciplinary work as a normative dimension of graduate education. This is common in some disciplines, but many still largely work from either a ‘solo scholar’ or ‘sum of parts’ model, where students are encouraged to either work in relative isolation or just carve out a small piece of a larger project, without real engagement with broader questions and colleagues. Almost any research area worth exploring (and any student) can benefit fromÌýinvestigating their topic from the perspective of a related discipline, or collaborating with partners beyond the university to bring the work to life in new contexts.ÌýÌý