HRD-0639678 Southern Regional Education Board Ansley Abraham
The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and the National Science Foundation (NSF) Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) formed a partnership in 2002. This partnership resulted in the SREB-AGEP Doctoral Scholars Program. This program will continue and expand the participation of all AGEP programs in the Compact for Faculty Diversity Institute on Teaching and Mentoring, along with other services.
The Institute began in 1994 and is the largest gathering of underrepresented minorities seeking a Ph.D. and who plan a career in postsecondary education. This grant will permit selected AGEP scholars representing all AGEP Alliances to attend the Institute for the next funding cycle. One hundred and seventy seven scholars will be supported for each of the first and second years of the cycle and two hundred and seven for each of the next three years. These scholars will be provided the full array of services and program activities that have contributed to the success of previous scholars attending the Institute.
The Institute focuses on helping scholars build their teaching and mentoring skills and network with other scholars and faculty representatives. Scholars attend a large variety of workshops that enhance their skills and knowledge as they prepare for entry into the ranks of college and university faculty. Selected AGEP scholars have the opportunity to participate in the Institute with scholars from other programs with the same goal of entering academia. Other agencies that participate are the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Minority Ph.D. Program, and the Ronald E. McNair Post baccalaureate Achievement Program.
The Compact for Faculty Diversity Institute on Teaching and Mentoring has become the centerpiece activity that combines the strengths of national and regional programs. As a national program, each fall the Compact convenes an Institute on Teaching and Mentoring which brings together all participating students and faculty for three days of intensive experiences. The Institute has been successful in attracting faculty and minority doctoral scholars from every state and Puerto Rico. Since it was initiated in 1994, over 6,000 attendees have participated in the Institute. The Institute is the largest gathering in America of racial/ethnic minority Ph.D. scholars seeking faculty careers in academia.
Intellectual Merit... The intellectual merit of this program is demonstrated by the inclusion of the SREB-AGEP Doctoral Scholars Program in the AGEP community since 2002, and has resulted in a value-added component experiences for AGEP scholars. The participation of AGEP scholars in the annual Institute has provided them with experiences that have helped address a number of the problems as cited in many studies that minority graduate students often encounter as they pursue the Ph.D.
Broader Impact... This unique partnership between SREB and AGEP will achieve two broad goals: 1) provide AGEP scholars with the knowledge, skills, and support that will increase the likelihood of success in graduate school; and 2) enhance preparation of AGEP scholars for a career as a college or university faculty member.
