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

1. Rice-Houston Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) Program Theresa Chatman NSF PI Meeting March 19, 2009

2. 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

3. Project Overview Union of: • Rice Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) • Houston Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (HLSAMP) Program

4. Alliance SuccessesSummer Program • Research Projects • Community Building Activities • Professional Development Initiatives • Mentoring Part of AGEP Culture

5. 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)

6. Alliances SuccessesDistinguished Speakers & Guests 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

7. Alliance SuccessesAGEP Ph.D. Recipients 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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)

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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. Alliance SuccessesEvaluation and Assessment Methods and Design Pre- 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

16. Alliance SuccessesEvaluation and Assessment AGEP Graduate Survey Surveyed 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

17. Alliance SuccessesEvaluation and Assessment AGEP Graduate Survey • 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%)

18. Alliance SuccessesADVANCE/AGEP Interactions • Annual Negotiating the Ideal Faculty Position Workshop • Bi-monthly Postdoc Luncheons • Dean’s Lecture on Leadership and Diversity

19. 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

20. 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.”