Dear graduate students and postdoctoral scholars,

The Search Committee for a new Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (VPGE) is now beginning its work. The members of this committee are:

• Jenny Martinez, Provost & Committee Chair

• Sarah Billington, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering

• Shu-Ling Chen, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Graduate School of Education

• Jen Dionne, Professor, Materials Science and Engineering

• James Gross, Professor, Psychology

• Sydney Jordan, JD/PhD Student, Philosophy and Law

• Stephanie Kalfayan, Vice Provost for Academic Affairs

• Amalia Kessler, Professor, Stanford Law School

• Gary Shaw, Professor, Pediatrics

• Samuel Thompson, Postdoctoral Scholar, Genetics

• Jan Vondrak, Professor, Mathematics

The VPGE serves Stanford’s entire graduate student community of over 9,600 master’s, doctoral, and professional degree students in over 100 graduate degree programs across the seven schools, as well as over 2,500 postdoctoral scholars. A description of the current responsibilities of the Office of the VPGE can be found at the bottom of this message.

We welcome suggestions, not only about individual candidates, but about your hopes and concerns for the VPGE going forward and about the sorts of traits you think are generally important for the next Vice Provost. We value input from all the members of our community and urge you to send your thoughts our way. Please send your comments or nominations of Stanford faculty for the committee’s review as soon as possible to vpgesearch@stanford.edu. Please be assured that communications to the committee will be kept confidential.

I speak for the whole committee when I say that we will take this job very seriously and will work to ensure the best outcome for the future of graduate and postdoctoral education at Stanford. Thank you for your assistance, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Jenny Martinez
Provost and Committee Chair

The Vice Provost for Graduate Admissions and Postdoctoral Affairs (VPGE) works collaboratively across the university to ensure that every graduate student receives the best possible educational experience. VPGE’s initiatives and resources enrich students’ academic experiences at Stanford by advancing diversity, preparing leaders, and positioning Stanford at the forefront of innovation in graduate education. The VPGE office serves Stanford’s entire graduate student community of over 9,600 master’s, doctoral, and professional degree students in over 100 graduate degree programs within all seven Schools, as well as over 2,500 postdocs. The Office for Postdoctoral Affairs works with the VPGE in a dotted-line reporting structure to better serve postdoctoral scholars at Stanford.

The Office of the VPGE collaborates with Stanford’s schools, departments, and central offices to:

• Administer university-wide graduate fellowship programs

• Advance graduate student and postdoc diversity

• Foster interdisciplinary learning and inter-school networking opportunities

• Provide professional development resources and guidance to graduate students interested in pursuing a range of academic and non-academic careers

• Promote academic innovation, within and across graduate degree programs

• Recommend, promulgate, and interpret university-wide policy on graduate academics and postdoctoral training

• Facilitate collaborative problem-solving on university-wide issues

• Support the advising and mentoring of graduate students and postdocs

The Office of the VPGE is supported by 25 staff and oversees a budget of $65 million, the bulk of which provides for graduate fellowships.

The VPGE must have vision and leadership to foster innovation and excellence in research and education, and be responsive to current issues in graduate education. The VPGE also represents the graduate and postdoc community in major university decision-making arenas and in the external community and works with other university partners to foster good relations with the Stanford Graduate Workers Union.