The submitted nomination package is in support of a Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics, and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) to recognize outstanding mentoring efforts or programs that enhance the participation of historically underrepresented groups in science, mathematics, and engineering.
The Mathematics Department of the University of Iowa has become the single largest producer of doctorates awarded to mathematical scientists from underrepresented communities. This outcome is the result of a departmental (and university) commitment articulated less than ten years ago to increase the numbers of minority graduate students, an effort that has attracted external support through a series of US Dept. of Education's Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) grants. The Department's success is based on: (1) a well-designed recruiting campaign to convince students that the environment is a welcome one; (2) a commitment to institutionalizing the effort; (3) and collaboration among faculty within the Department, between the Department and other components of the University as well as the Iowa state system. The Department clearly recognizes that the enrichment programs described in the proposal are of value to all graduate students, and by offering them in this way minimizes the risk of marginalizing minority students
