Sowell said talking about the project and its outcomes thus far have “inspired institutions that aren’t participating to change their culture in terms of Ph.D. completion. It gets them to start collecting data about their students.”
Among the most promising practices, Sowell said schools are employing writing assistants for doctoral students to eliminate the trepidation that comes with starting a major writing assignment such as the dissertation. In some cases, senior Ph.D.s train newer students early on to prepare them for the dissertation process.
In other cases, graduate schools are retooling the pre-enrollment process by offering summer research programs, using alumni of color to meet with prospective students, and organizing campus visits for them.
Schools are also trying to fit students with advisers and programs by paying more attention to their needs and goals. These and other practices are being evaluated by the Ph.D. Project’s staff, and they will release a report in the coming months assessing their impact.
