Rice-Houston Alliance for Graduate Education and the

Professoriate (AGEP) Program

Theresa Chatman

NSF PI MeetingMarch 19, 2009

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Project Overview AGEPHistory

• Spend a Summer with a Scientist Program: 1989 - 1999

• Rice Minority Graduate Education (MGE) Program: 1998 - 2003

• Rice-Houston Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Program:

2004 - 2009

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Project Overview

Union of:

• Rice Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP)

• Houston Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (HLSAMP) Program

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Alliance SuccessesSummer Program

• Research Projects• Community Building

Activities• Professional

Development Initiatives

• Mentoring Part of AGEP Culture

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Alliance SuccessesLecture Series

2007• Ruth J. Simmons, President of Brown University (Rice)• Valerie Taylor, Chair of Computer Science, Texas A&M University (UH)2008• Sylvester James Gates, Professor of Physics, University of Maryland (Rice)• Jennifer West, Professor of Bioengineering, Rice University (UH)2009• Warren Washington, National Center for Atmospheric Research (UH)

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Notable speakers give talks and interact with students

• Hector Ruiz, CEO, President and Chair of the Board, AMD

• Marta Tienda, Princeton, Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs• Arlie Petters, Duke University, Professor of Mathematics• Raymond Johnson, University of Maryland, Professor of Mathematics• Neal Lane, former Science Advisor to the President• Edward Djerejian, former Ambassador to Israel

Alliances SuccessesDistinguished Speakers & Guests

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Former AGEP students give talks and interact with students• Cassandra McZeal, Senior Research Mathematician, ExxonMobil• John Rodriguez, Member, Technical Staff, Silicon Technology

Development, Texas Instruments• Illya Hicks, Associate Professor, Rice University• Juan Meza, Department Head,

Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory• Amanda Mosola, Research Scientist, ExxonMobil

Alliance SuccessesAGEP Ph.D. Recipients

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Alliance SuccessesDepartment Interactions

• Close relationship to campus admissions committees and departmental representatives

• Meetings with faculty to demonstrate AGEP success

• AGEP Websites, AGEP brochures, department-specific materials, general graduate brochure

• Students moved to research dollars--frees up $ for additional students

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Alliance SuccessesDepartment Interactions

• Financial support management by AGEP Steering Committee

– Negotiate student support with faculty and department heads

– Track supporting profiles of faculty– Provide leverage for student recruitment– Provide summer mentors with $500 cost of research

supplement– Provide conference participation support

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Alliance SuccessesLessons Learned

Faculty assistance with troubleshooting• Summer evaluations of students by faculty (twice)• Pumpkin grades for first-year graduate students• Tutors provided as needed (early intervention)

Number of Underrepresented Ph.D Recipients in All STEM Disciplines at Rice University

25

1617

14

11

26

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

2001/02 2003/04 2005/06 2007/08

PhD Recipients

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Alliance SuccessesInfrastructure Changes

Presidential Mentor Award at Rice

• Recognizes faculty with a strong commitment to mentoring, especially minority students

• Institutionalized• Recognition at Spring faculty meeting by

President • Carries monetary award

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Alliance SuccessesInfrastructure Changes

Rice Presidential Mentor Award - Yin Zhang, CAAM, AGEP Mentor

• First awardee (2003)• In four years, eight female Ph.D. graduates; two Mexican American, two African

American

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Alliance SuccessesEvaluation and Assessment

Provide data on the progress of the Rice-Houston AGEP Program meeting its overarching goals of increasing recruitment, retention, and production of minority undergraduates and graduates in STEM fields

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Alliance SuccessesEvaluation and Assessment

Methods and DesignPre- and post-surveys and interviews to assess:

• Implementation of the Rice model at the University of Houston (formative evaluation)

• Impact on alliance student participants of cross-institutional community and overall program

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Alliance SuccessesEvaluation and Assessment

AGEP Graduate SurveySurveyed all Rice AGEP graduate participants from 1991-2003

Findings: 80% respondents - AGEP had positive or very

positive impact on motivation to obtain doctoral degree

92% respondents - experiences in AGEP Program had positive or very positive impact on desire to remain in graduate school and complete degree

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• Students rated the following AGEP Program components as having a positive or very positive impact on their desire to remain in graduate school:

– AGEP Program overall (88%)– Interactions with other students in program (90%)– Being in company of minority students from other

ethnic groups besides their own (88%)– Being in company of students from their ethnic

group (86%)– Being involved in AGEP community (88%)

Alliance SuccessesEvaluation and Assessment

AGEP Graduate Survey

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Alliance SuccessesADVANCE/AGEP Interactions

• Annual Negotiating the Ideal Faculty Position Workshop

• Bi-monthly Postdoc Luncheons

• Dean’s Lecture on Leadership and Diversity

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University Commitment• High level of university commitment

– Dean of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies – AGEP PI– President established Presidential Mentor Award and

President’s Lecture Series of Diverse Scholars– President’s Minority Council– AGEP positions institutionalized – project manager, project

administrator– Stipend support for AGEP students– Partial support for faculty summer salaries– Office space and meeting space– Campus support for activities

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Rice President David Leebron

“The Rice-Houston AGEP program is a sterling example of what progress can be made with the support of two university administrations, dedicated faculty, exemplary staff, and impassioned students.”