FSU Dean becomes chair-elect of the prestigious Council of Graduate Schools BOD

http://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2016/01/07/fsu-dean-line-shape-national-focus-grad-school-education/78408006/

"Nancy Marcus, dean of The Graduate School at Florida State University, first became enamored with science as a youngster. Encouraged by her parents, she enrolled in Goucher College, graduating with a degree in biology."

"Marcus’ achievements in science research and academia fill a 29-page resume that outline a successful academic career from those early days as an undergraduate to an impressive record in research, teaching and directing academic programs at Florida State University, where she chaired the department of oceanography before being named dean of The Graduate School in 2005.
Today, Marcus, 65, prepares for her next challenge as she becomes chair-elect of the prestigious Council of Graduate Schools board of directors. She has held other leadership roles within the organization for the past 10 years. This means she will assume the board’s presidency, held this year by M.J.T. (“Mark”) Smith, dean of the Graduate School at Purdue University, in 2017.
The election not only is a testament to Marcus’s reputation among her peers, who direct graduate programs at most of the country’s premier institutions, but it also means Marcus will represent Florida State University, as she leads the board in addressing the future of graduate school education.
She is also expected to bring back fresh ideas and best practices to Tallahassee, where FSU has its goal set on being recognized as one of the country’s top 25 universities.
Marcus' accomplishments at FSU have impressed members of the council.
“Nancy Marcus is a compelling advocate for graduate education,” said Suzanne Ortega, president of the Council of Graduate Schools, based in Washington, D.C. “She is always working to demonstrate how graduate programs contribute to the research and teaching missions of the FSU campus and to the health of the workforce.”
A key component of reaching that goal is offering robust graduate programs that are recognized for their academic offerings, research, prominent faculty appointments and successful graduates.
The Graduate School at FSU has 7,819 students enrolled in master’s or doctoral programs and professional students in the colleges of law and medicine. There are over 70 doctoral programs. Under Marcus’s leadership, FSU has been awarding hundreds of doctoral degrees annually, reaching the goals set by the Board of Governors.
“We’re way above 400,” Marcus said. “When I started as dean 10 years ago, we were in the high 200s.”
Marcus said FSU and other universities face many challenges in maintaining successful graduate programs. Among them: defining the role of graduate studies. In the past, seeking a PhD was solely pursued by those who wanted to teach on the college level. But today, there are opportunities for doctoral students in private industry, research and government agencies.
“We have to change that attitude among our students and among our faculty, too,” Marcus said, regarding new opportunities for doctoral students.

"As dean, Marcus has created several programs within The Graduate School, including:
Establishing the Fellows Society, to foster better communication and an exchange of ideas among students from various academic programs.
Instituting a professional development program that prepares graduate students for their post-graduate positions.
Creating the Office of Graduate Fellowships and Awards. This is designed to work with students in identifying grants and contracts they can apply for to continue their studies. It generates $1 million to $1.5 million annually to assist students financially."