Dive Brief:

• University of California President Janet Napolitano made the case for the value of graduate schools in a speech Thursday.
• College administrators need to also make the case to policy makers and the general public, Napolitano said in her address to the Council of Graduate Schools, Inside Higher Ed reported.
• Graduate schools are essential for competing with other countries and creating the economic and innovation hubs that often surround universities, such as in Silicon Valley, she said.

Dive Insight:

Napolitano had an interesting piece of advice for college administrators when touting grad schools: Ditch the flowery speech and jargon for clear, concise messages. Also: Take the lobbying effort directly to Washington lawmakers, because federal funding has been lacking. And use positive anecdotes, in addition to numbers, to drive the message home. By 2020, according to Napolitano, 2.6 million new jobs will require graduate degrees.