• Purpose	• Structure Year 1	• Benefits to ASU
• Guiding Questions	• Communication Strategy	• Outcomes Year 1

Purpose
The purpose of ASU's initiative is to provide a forum for students, faculty, administrators, and community leaders to explore ways to make the Ph.D. at ASU a more valuable asset. The first year will focus on information gathering from Ph.D. students, faculty, administrators, and community leaders. It will also be marked by a series of national speakers (e.g., the Changing Landscape Series) addressing issues related to doctoral education and preparation. The second year will focus on the integration of perspectives and the development of strategic action plans to implement change.

Guiding Questions
The following questions will guide the project:

1. How might the Ph.D. degree be made a more valuable asset at ASU for students, faculty, the institution, and the community?
2. What educational policies, practices, and structures might be changed to maximize doctoral preparation at ASU?
3. What initiatives, innovations, or new directions should be undertaken in doctoral preparation to construct a more valuable Ph.D. at ASU?

Structure Year 1
The Graduate College will orchestrate two levels of activity:

1. College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. CLAS has been invited to take a guiding role in engaging their students, faculty, administrators, and community leaders in focus groups/roundtables to address how selected programs/departments in their college might better construct a more valuable Ph.D. CLAS is in the process of identifying what strategies they will use to accomplish this goal.
2. The Graduate College. The Graduate College, in collaboration with its constituent groups including Dean's Advisory Council, Ph.D. graduate student groups (e.g., PFF. PFP), Interdisciplinary directors, Graduate Council) will host a series of focus groups to identify ways that the ASU Ph.D. might be made more valuable. A Steering Committee with representatives from each constituent group will oversee the project.

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Communication Strategy
The Graduate College will develop an interactive website to update university participants of the on-going activities of the project and solicit additional perspectives from the university community related to constructing a more valuable Ph.D.

Timeline Year 1
October 2001	Develop teams, disseminate literature, develop plans for focus groups
November/December 2001	Host preliminary discussions
January/February 2002	Continue discussions; meet to gather/summarize information
March/April 2002	Panel discussions (reports from groups disseminated; panels developed to discuss findings/propose strategies for change)

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Timeline Year 2
Fall semester 2002	Bring panelists together to discuss scope of findings and strategies for change; develop final report and disseminate findings to university community
Spring 2002	Disseminate findings to national audience

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Benefits to ASU

1. an opportunity for the university community to examine the current practices, policies, and structures and discuss future directions of the Ph.D. at ASU.
2. an opportunity for groups of faculty, students, administrators, and community leaders to explore together the contributions of the Ph.D. at ASU.
3. an opportunity to develop future fundable opportunities to enhance Ph.D. preparation at ASU.

Outcomes Year 1
The initial outcome will be a comprehensive overview of the findings of the focus group sessions. This comprehensive report will form the foundation for subsequent discussion and an action plan that may be used by faculty, students, administrators, and community leaders to work more effectively to enhance the value of the ASU Ph.D.