Janet Weiss University of Michigan Ann Arbor
SES-0549054 Steven Salley Wayne State University
SES-0548971 Karen Klomparens Michigan State University
The City University of New York (CUNY), the University of Michigan (U-M), Michigan State University (MSU), and Wayne State University (WSU) are among the Top 25 Institutions awarding baccalaureate and doctoral degrees in the social, behavioral and economic (SBE) sciences to underrepresented minorities. In addition, these institutions have documented success in meeting AGEP goals in the STEM (science, technology engineering and mathematics) fields. CUNY is currently part of a MAGNET/STEM AGEP alliance partnered with the New Jersey Institute of Technology, Polytechnic University and Stevens Institute of Technology. U-M, MSU and WSU partner with Western Michigan University to form the Michigan AGEP Alliance (MAA). Now CUNY and the Michigan AGEP Alliance (MAA), consisting of the University of Michigan, Michigan State University and Wayne State University, will combine efforts in a new regional alliance to advance the goal of the National Science Foundation to promote efforts that will increase the production of underrepresented minorities (i.e., African American, Hispanics, American Indians, Asian/Pacific Islanders) in the social sciences at the B.S. through Ph.D. and early career levels. By both sharing resources and best practices across the alliance and including SBE fields in existing AGEP programs, the CUNY/MAA Alliance for the SBE sciences will increase participation in summer research programs, expand recruitment and research opportunities for social sciences students, further develop targeted relationships with minority-serving institutions, provide across the alliance student mentoring and mentoring training for faculty, coordinate skill building workshops to help ensure graduate study success, expand student support groups, enhance fellowship support, increase teaching opportunities and expand teacher training workshops, increase the support of students attending professional workshops, and expand postdoctoral and early career education. The intellectual merit of the project will focus on the advancement of education by enhancing existing excellent educational programs and providing SBE students at the graduate, postdoctoral and early career stages with additional experiences that they would not normally receive. The impact of these interventions will be evaluated and best practices shared widely. Our experiences will enhance knowledge on the methodologies critical to the process of the professionalization of social and behavioral scientists.
Broader Impact. The broader impact of the project will develop through the institutionalization of a larger pool of individuals studying and conducting research in the social sciences through the utilization of effective strategies that will attract, motivate, and train domestic talent, especially among underrepresented minorities, women and persons with disabilities. The result of these activities will be to advance understanding of the role of the social sciences in the nation, as well as to strengthen the national workforce.
