What is the most important issue in graduate education today?
There are many, but these are two issues that I think are most prominent. First, we need to engage a broader spectrum of graduate students. By broader spectrum, I mean increasing the number of underrepresented minorities and women, especially in science and engineering. Second, we need administration and faculty to ensure success through mentoring and guidance, so that these students can complete their degrees. Completion rates for doctoral students are not high. Too often, life issues or lack of resources intervene and students leave their programs. In response to that, a UC Davis task force was established one year ago to examine this issue and promote better retention. If you weren’t doing what you do now, what would you be doing? Perhaps working at Sea World. When I was younger, I worked there during my summer vacations. Did you swim with the animals? No, I swam with people! I imagined myself in some type of park management position. It wasn’t a career, but working at Sea World, in
