To the Editor:

The Yale Daily News’ article on the Diversity Plan demonstrates that the Yale administration is taking the lead in creating a more diverse University (11/8). But the article did not mention Yale’s participation in a program sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, “The Responsive Ph.D.: Innovations in U.S. Doctoral Education.” The program calls for broad reform of Ph.D. programs, including “better recruitment and retention of doctoral students of color.” In the summer of 2005, the deans of the 20 Responsive Ph.D. institutions, including Dean Jon Butler, established four priorities, including their aim to “emphasize the K-12 pipeline in seeking to increase diversity in graduate education and the professoriate.” Yale is one of the 14 founding partners of the Responsive Ph.D. program.

Zach Victor GRD ’06

Nov. 14, 2005

The writer is the Chair of the Student Advocacy Committee of the Graduate Professional Student Senate.