Howard University and the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP) are being funded to jointly develop an Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) project to address the issues of producing underrepresented minority Ph.D. recipients who are prepared to become future members of the professoriate. The objectives of the Howard-UTEP Alliance are to: 1) increase the numbers of underrepresented students entering doctoral education at Howard and UTEP through "Introduction to STEM Graduate Study" workshops; 2) decrease time-to-degree and prepare entering STEM doctoral students through a Summer Pre-Doctoral Research program; 3) prepare underrepresented doctoral students for future faculty careers through the PFF program; 4) increase the likelihood that underrepresented doctoral students will complete their degrees through systematic and structured retention and mentoring services; 5)increase opportunities for underrepresented students to obtain research university faculty positions and their familiarity with post-doctoral fellowships through annual "Introduction to the Post-Doctorate" workshops;6) enhance a sense of institution-wide STEM community engagement among doctoral students through interdisciplinary activities, distance learning, and a STEM honor society; 7) improve the oral and written communications skills of STEM doctoral students through "Communications Skills for Scientists" workshops; and 8) encourage participation among STEM departments and faculty through the AGEP Faculty Advisory Council.
Intellectual Merit: These activities address NSF's Intellectual Merit criteria by addressing the preparation of doctoral students and the educational process in an innovative and creative manner, and through the expertise of the faculty and administrators who will be engaged in the project.
Broader Impact: The program addresses NSF's Broader Impact criteria in any number of ways, most generally in its attention to underrepresentation in doctoral education and the professoriate, and its intended impact on that issue.
