School Notes: Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
May/June 2009

Application numbers break all records

Historically, when the job market tightens, more people apply to graduate (and professional) schools, and 2009 was no exception. This year broke all previous records for the Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, with approximately 9,550 applicants vying for about 500 slots. Close to 8,400 sought admission into PhD programs and over 1,150 into master's programs. Last year, 8,766 candidates applied to the Graduate School, and the year before that, the total was 8,542. The previous record was set in 2003, when 9,046 students applied.

Associates in teaching

Graduate School dean Jon Butler recently announced a pilot program designed to expand the range of teaching experiences for advanced PhD students to make the students more competitive in the job market, while preserving Yale College's commitment to courses taught by faculty. In its first year, the pilot program will include two courses in the sciences, two in the social sciences, and two in the humanities.

According to the dean's description of the program, a participating student will work closely with a faculty member as an Associate in Teaching (AT) to design or redesign, plan, and deliver an undergraduate course. ATs will also play a significant role in classroom teaching, delivering lectures or leading seminar discussions up to 20 percent of the time. Whenever possible, faculty members and their ATs will co-lead discussion sections and share in the delivery of lectures.

Alumnus heads Yale Day of Service

David R. Sanchez ’84MA/MPhil (political science) is coordinating the first-ever global Yale Day of Service, which will take place May 16. On that day, alumni will join together to volunteer in their local communities. This is the first time the university has organized a world-wide volunteer effort. Alumni from Alaska to Florida and California to Maine, as well as from Canada, China, England, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, and Turkey will participate.

"Yale's founding principles included a commitment to service, a commitment that has been lived out individually by alumni for over 300 years," said Sanchez, who is managing director of Stonehaven, LLC, an investment counseling firm. "I am delighted to be chairing this effort . . . as we give back where we live. Yale's greatest resource lies with its people: students, alumni, families, parents, faculty, and staff. It is our hope that the first Yale Day of Service will engage a record number of alumni and their families in projects that are meaningful and rewarding to both alumni and recipients."