Dear Susan,

>I would like to see an environment where taking chances on the new knowledge
produced was not seen as a potentially career ending move.<

I suggest that perhaps that's what the PhD is for (speaking as one 
engaged in such an endeavour). And I would also suggest, with that 
the growth of doctoral student numbers, combined with a small pool of 
suitably qualified, experienced and published supervisors in design 
fields (in Australia), who are also attempting to publish new work, 
the master-apprentice model is perhaps not the only model to be 
considered. I recall a conversation when I first joined this list 
about poor supervision and its results - disgruntled students, poor 
research work and poor candidate outcomes (other than the thesis). 
There are possibly other models that might go someway toward 
addressing this context, such as co-supervision, group supervision, 
peer supervision. After all, team work is fairly common in design 
practice, and while the master-apprentice model has been the 
historical model in design, you have all identified issues with it.

This is also what makes doctoral program reform such an enticing area 
- what can universities do to initiate candidates into rich and 
creative research cultures, that also goes beyond one close working 
relationship with one academic. It may encourage PhD research to 
arise and develop more creatively and collaboratively from 'felt 
difficulty' to innovative practice. Given the problem with timely 
completion of doctorates across disciplines, institutional support is 
necessary in these times, along with the appropriate supervisor.

Also, internal faculty and institutional conferences within each 
university, and across universities that present students' work in 
progress is becoming more prevalent. These conferences are an example 
of institutional support, run by students, for students, with papers 
peer reviewed by doctoral students and academics alike, and published 
online (to cover the publishing requirements). Having just come from 
one of these at University of Queensland in a Faculty of Cultural 
Studies, I co-presented with another doctoral student, wrote separate 
papers, and received some wonderful feedback and support from the 
students and academics present. And the published paper will 'count' 
as a double peer reviewed onine journal publication, while it 
contributes towards my thesis. These such instances both reduce the 
reliance on the supervisor, while encouraging local, intralocal, and 
national peer support networks. And this may go someway to addressing 
Chris's original proposition.

best wishes, teena