Conversations about career diversity, doctoral training, departmental cultures, program outcomes, and professional development in the midst of a sea-change in academic employment have been swirling around every annual meeting and disciplinary conference for the last five years. Social media, new publishing venues, and legacy media outlets overflow with first-hand accounts and well-meaning meditations on the challenges of crafting a career with a PhD in the 21st century. The emotional tolls and losses increasingly are well-documented and well-articulated. But where are we in understanding the bigger issues that provoke the plans, programs, and problems? Focusing on the many categories of loyalty that inform graduate student aspirations and behavior, the panelists will explore the challenges that may prevent career diversity initiatives from having a sustained impact. Loyalty to a discipline, to a faculty career, to an advisor, to an identity, to an imagined lifestyle - these and other loyalties shape the current graduate experience as much, if not more, than the state of the academic job market. Two of the panelists are members of the Graduate Career Consortium (GCC), a national organization of professionals supporting the career and professional development of graduate students. All panelists will share their experiences with honoring and breaking these loyalties. They will also share their insights as university administrators on the role departments and disciplines can play in modeling and cultivating healthy and mutual loyalties before opening up the discussion to the audience.