Welcome to the Tennessee Conference of Graduate Schools

Message from the President

TCGS represents more than 40 member institutions and serves the purpose of considering topics of mutual interest related to graduate education and research. In addition, TCGS shares and disseminates information on best practices for the advancement and improvement of graduate education among member institutions.

Graduate education and research is the engine that drives innovation, prosperity, and economic mobility. In 2015, $1.1 billion was expended on Higher Education Research and Development in the State of Tennessee (primarily from federal and instutional funds), resulting in a total economic output of over $2.2 billion and state and local tax revenues of $53 million. The TCGS is therefore actively engaged in activities that improve the quality of the graduate education enterprise statewide to fuel the engine. We address the challenges that are faced in providing quality graduate education, including online degree programs, massively open online courses, increasing tuition costs, increasing student debt load, and reductions in federal and state funding for graduate education. The collective intelligence of the TCGS helps to address these issues in a concerted manner to continue to improve graduate education in the State.

Given that our state remains a net importer of graduate talent, our key priorities are state-wide advocacy for graduate education while we celebrate the 44th year of the TCGS. Please come and join us in these efforts.

Sincerely,
Evan Carver, Ph.D.
President

About The President

Dr. Ethan Carver

Ethan Carver, Ph.D.
Associate Dean, Graduate School
Associate Professor, Department of Biology
The University of Tennessee Chattanooga