Retention & Progress to the STEM PhD Enrique Barrera Rice-Houston Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate Houston, TX RICE-HOUSTON ALLIANCES FOR GRADUATE EDUCATION AND THE PROFESSORIATE

Four Bridges The key elements to a successful program involved aggressive recruitment, dedicated training and education efforts, community building, and fostering of professional development.

Recruitment A multi-prong approach –Minority Conferences –Research Conferences –Direct visits –On demand –Our own “Old Boy” Network –Through our new alliance Individuals with deep convection. Understanding the student profile that works best. We interface with 300 students and receive 50 applicants for 10 new spots each year. Theresa Chatman

Threshold Admissions Rice University practices Threshold Admission practices. Each department sets priorities on the use of the GRE and focus is on a broader evaluation. Numerous successes show this approach to be successful. John Daniel Olivas, Astronaut

Go Out of Your Way Chasing them down the Halls. Create opportunities for them. Erica Corral was sought out at a technical conference to come to Rice for graduate study. Ph.D. and at Sandia Nat. Lab. Jerry Very wanted to work with Astronaut Franklin Chang-Diez, placed there on Rice Support.

Do What Their Advisors Will Not Do Build on what they don’t know. Build on their ability to succeed. Build on their confidence. Build an eagerness and a love for their work. Build caring and giving soles.

Exposure, Exposure, Exposure Consider levels of preparedness. Summer stays at other institutions. Running with the Big Boys. Ed Djerejian Neal Lane Mr. AGEP

Create A Caring Community Let the helping hand come from each other.

The Best of the Best Ask them to be the best in their class. Create a pathway for them to do so. We too easily don’t expect the best.

We Need to Change the Culture The Dean's office will reimburse departments for up to $1,000 of actual expenses associated with visits by faculty candidates to campus for interviews. This is limited to no more than three candidates per authorized position. In an effort to assure that we give well-qualified candidates from underrepresented minority groups (African American, Hispanic American, Native American) every consideration, the Dean's office will also reimburse departments for up to $1,000 per visit for up to two such individuals per authorized position, provided that these individuals are not among your top three applicants but still recognized as potentially viable faculty candidates. A nicer approach would have be to say, The Dean's Office will support $1500 per candidate when one of your choices is one or more minority candidates. Or if you have only been able to narrow your pool to four or five candidates where one or more is a minority candidate, the Dean's Office will support the costs to bring all five.

Four Bridges to Overcome 1 st -High School: All too easily turned back. 2 nd -There’s always at least one time that we are turned back in college. 3 rd -very few are encouraged to go to graduate school. 4 th -Very very few are encouraged to go on to the professoriate.

Who Can Take So Much Negativity Our pathways will not be routine. Richard Tapia A Role Model’s Role Model.