Graduate Program Network

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CIC Graduate Program Network

“The concerns I have about the present graduate education climate, and the future of grad education in general, are not only founded but shared among my peers in similar roles across independent colleges.”

Joshua Legg, Dean of the School of Professional & Graduate Studies, Wilson College (PA)

A  recent survey of CIC member colleges and universities revealed that more than three-quarters offer post-baccalaureate degree programs. A large majority of survey respondents—a mix of provosts and other senior academic administrators—also reported that “graduate programs are vital or critical to the survival of the institution.”

This spring, CIC launched a new network to support graduate education at our member institutions. This is a dedicated place for the senior administrators who develop and manage graduate programs to gather and share expertise with their peers. It’s a place to dig deeply into common challenges and identify practical solutions. It’s a place to share data, evolving standards, and best practices. It’s a resource to help independent colleges launch and sustain graduate programs that are efficient, effective, and excellent. Learn more about the network operates from month to month.

The network is for institutions that are launching new graduate programs, growing or maintaining existing programs, or maybe struggling with or preparing to sunset existing grad programs.

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Benefits of Network Membership

  • Take a deep dive into essential topics; surface with practical solutions. Every two or three months, the network will launch a deep dive into a new topic. These programming blocks are designed to explore major topics in detail and generate practical solutions to common challenges. Each dive will include: one or more webinars or virtual workshops, moderated follow-up discussions, and the co-creation of new resources to help your institution and other colleges. The follow-up discussions will be grouped into “Launch Labs” for participants who are focused on launching new graduate programs and “Sustaining Seminars” for participants who are more focused on existing programs. The new resources will include case studies from member institutions, checklists and toolkits for implementation, a library of sample policies and forms, etc.
  • Become part of an exclusive community of practice. Join a community that understands the unique needs, opportunities, and challenges for independent colleges in the marketplace of graduate and professional education.
  • Learn from the experts. Peers from CIC member institutions, other practitioners, and consultants or commercial service providers with industry knowledge will share advice, strategies, and best practices.
  • Shape the future of graduate education at independent colleges. Contribute to the development of a new standards and best practices framework. Help CIC develop new data sharing tools. Help your stakeholders—everyone from faculty members and board members to regional employers to vendors and consultants—understand the role of graduate education at institutions with a tradition of student-focused undergraduate education.

Deep Dive Topics for 2026–27

The final list is still being developed, but we plan to dive deeply into the following topics:

  • Understanding the Market for Graduate Programs: What data do you need to understand the marketplace—and where will you find it? What is the (realistic) market for a new graduate program? What graduate program(s) make sense for your institution?
  • From Market to Marketing to Enrollment: Where are the potential students and how do you reach them? How does recruiting graduate students differ from enrolling undergraduates? Who’s in charge of marketing to and enrolling grad students? How can vendors help (or hinder)?
  • Business Models, Institutional Structures, and Governance: Some CIC members are creating new graduate divisions or deans for adult/graduate/professional education (with a variety of professional titles); others rely on the provost or another senior academic officer to oversee all graduate programs; others rely on a distributed governance model, with graduate programs spread across existing departments and divisions. Which structure is right for your institution?  
  • Retaining and Supporting Your Graduate Students: Do graduate students need different student services than undergraduates? What supports do your online and your on-campus graduate students need to succeed? Are they getting what they need? How can student services (including career services) help retain graduate students?
  • Graduate Programs and Institutional Sustainability: How to think strategically about graduate programs; balance the institutional imperatives of mission and money; clarify the importance of graduate programs for the future of your institution; and advocate for excellent graduate programs with board members, faculty members, donors, corporate partners, alumni, and other constituents.

Future topics may include:

  • Dealing with Accreditation
  • Faculty Development and Support
  • Distinctive Pedagogies for Graduate and Adult Learners
  • Graduate Degrees vs. Other Credentials
  • Selecting and Partnering with Vendors
  • Evaluation for Accountability and Sustainability
  • The Shifting Landscape of Federal Policies

Network Dues

  • Annual Network Dues: $2,400 per institution
  • Priority Deadline to Join the Network: Programming starts this spring, so we recommend that institutions register now to take full advantage of the network.
  • Eligibility: The Graduate Program Network is exclusively for CIC member institutions. Each institution will designate three primary campus contacts—typically the chief academic officer, the dean of the graduate school (or equivalent), or other senior academic administrators—and invite other staff and faculty members to participate in relevant program activities.

Network Members

Contact Information

For more information, contact Philip M. Katz, CIC’s senior director of projects, at pkatz@cic.edu.

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