“ Primum non Nocere ”: A Restorative Approach to Access and Success for ALL in Graduate Education

Graduate education in the United States continues to follow a model imported primarily from Europe which was designed by men for men from economically and socially advantaged backgrounds. This model is harmful to those who do not share these advantages but have the resilience, ability, and desire to pursue doctoral degrees at a broad range of institutions in our nation. The objective of the work described is to develop a curriculum grounded in Restorative Inclusive Excellence (RIE) to illuminate the harm present in the US graduate education system and to invite those who participate in the professoriate to develop tools and strategies to mitigate, prevent, and repair harm that may be experienced by today’s diverse mix of US doctoral students. This approach is informed by the experience of the author, an African American female scientists and scholar who comes from a socioeconomically disadvantaged background and received graduate training from top US and European universities. Her experience laid the foundation for topics of conversations with doctoral students from historically marginalized groups who shared the harm they have and continue to experience.