The previous two NCGSL conferences were immensely successful. Over 120 graduate student delegates, deans, and administrators from all fourteen institutions that participated in the 2000 Woodrow Wilson Responsive Ph.D. Initiative and representatives of four professional associations attended the first NCGSL in 2003. Representatives of 20 institutions, including the original fourteen members of the Responsive Ph.D. group and six schools added subsequently, met again in 2005 in St. Louis to learn what graduate student leaders think are the important issues in graduate education in the 21st century. There have been significant post-conference outcomes from both meetings. Written proceedings were produced for both Conferences, including local campus follow-up reports and assessment essays on the benefits of the conference process.

The 2007 Conference is designed to provide an opportunity for graduate student delegates (three per institution) to exchange their perceptions of the important current issues in doctoral education and propose solutions to those concerns, to meet with other graduate student leaders nationwide and learn from each other, and to bring conference ideas and promising practices back to their own local campus.

The active participants in this conference - panelists, moderators, reporters - will be the doctoral student leaders selected from participating institutions. These student leaders will set the agenda by suggesting important issues in higher education about which they have experience that they would be willing to share. Themes for a series of panel discussions will be developed from these suggested topics. A summary of the salient points and their implications will be subsequently distributed to all participating institutions.

Background information for delegates can be found in the Proceedings of the previous NCGSL available at ncgsl.wustl.edu and serves as useful background for student delegates and administration representatives.