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Elizabeth A. Colucci is project coordinator for the SUNY Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) program at UB.
What is the SUNY AGEP?
AGEP, the Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, is a National Science Foundation-sponsored program whose mission is to increase the number of underrepresented minority students pursuing doctoral degrees and subsequent academic careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. SUNY AGEP is a consortium of the four SUNY doctoral degree-granting institutions—UB, the University at Albany, Binghamton University and Stony Brook University—as well as the SUNY Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP), a related program targeting undergraduate students, and Brookhaven Science Associates at Brookhaven National Laboratory. At UB, the services, activities and funds provided through the AGEP program are important means of support for underrepresented students who are interested in, or currently pursuing, graduate study in a STEM field and subsequent careers in the professoriate. The goal is to enrich their academic experience and promote their success.
I understand the National Science Foundation has renewed the SUNY AGEP project for another five years. How much is the funding? What is UB's share?
We currently are in the middle of the third year of Phase 2 of the SUNY AGEP grant. SUNY AGEP was awarded more than $5.5 million in total for that second five-year period of support, of which UB received almost $1 million. The major difference in Phase 2 funding for UB was the inclusion of budgetary support for the project coordinator position. SUNY AGEP is in the process of comprehensive internal review to prepare for a potential Phase 3 of AGEP. Based on recent announcements from the NSF's Division of Human Resource Development concerning increasing support for STEM diversity initiatives, we are hopeful that AGEP will have a third phase.
How many UB students are served through AGEP?
There currently are 71 AGEP-eligible graduate students—master's and doctoral—at UB. To be AGEP-eligible, a student must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident; enrolled in a STEM degree program; and be a member of one of the following ethnic groups: Black/African-American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Alaskan Native (Native American) or Pacific Islander (Native Hawaiian). The number of AGEP-eligible doctoral students at UB has increased from 28 in fall 2004 to 38 in fall 2007. Approximately 90 percent of our AGEP-eligible doctoral students participate in AGEP programming and/or receive AGEP funding of some sort. AGEP students at UB are wonderful individuals from all over the country. A great number were UB undergraduates who did research and were mentored through such programs such as LSAMP and the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP). We also have a large group of students from Puerto Rico in the chemistry department who were recruited by Luis Colón, professor of chemistry. Other students were recruited by individual faculty members or came to UB for graduate school after participating in a Research Experience for Undergraduates program here during the summer. All are grateful for the support and community provided by the AGEP program.
What kinds of support are provided through AGEP? Are fellowships awarded?
AGEP is not a fellowship program. It provides eligible graduate students a range of funding opportunities designed to help alleviate some of the financial burdens of graduate study and includes such things as stipend supplements, professional conference attendance reimbursements, reimbursement for course- and degree-related books and supplies, a laptop lending program, business cards and reimbursement for student membership in professional organizations. It also provides a variety of supportive programming for students, including research lunches, professional development workshops, trips and conferences, and "community building" events. The research lunch and "lunch with the dean" programs have been very well received across the AGEP community. Each month, a senior-level AGEP student presents his or her research during an AGEP-sponsored lunch program. These occasions give AGEP students the opportunity to share their research across disciplines and build relationships with students from other STEM fields for future collaborative work. During the lunch with the dean program, invited guests share information regarding their teaching and research careers and give AGEP students the opportunity to learn about the professoriate. Bruce McCombe, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, Harvey G. Stenger Jr., dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and Jorge V. José, vice president for research, have contributed their insights and experience to this program. AGEP also hosts workshops designed to assist students with professional development skills and connect them with services on campus that can support their goal of joining the professoriate. We have offered workshops focused on securing external funding, making the most of the postdoctoral experience and balancing life and work in academia. Because our students are located on the North, South and downtown campuses, AGEP hosts activities that foster a sense of community, dispel feelings of isolation and alienation, and empower students to support one another. Activities throughout the year enrich the lives of AGEP students by providing opportunities to network with each other at such events as welcome receptions, holiday parties and even ice skating. The AGEP program also supports departments as they recruit AGEP-eligible students into doctoral programs. Funds are available to underwrite the cost of a campus visit by an admitted AGEP-eligible student, as well as supplement support packages that can be influential in the student's decision to accept admission to UB. AGEP is partnering with UB schools and departments to attend national conferences, such as the annual meeting of the Society for Advancement of Chicanos and Native Americans in Science, the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students and National Society of Black Engineers in a collaborative effort to recruit highly qualified students into doctoral programs at UB. More information about AGEP Program is available at the Web site.
Although the AGEP program is for graduate students, do undergraduates benefit in any way?
The AGEP program works collaboratively with UB undergraduate units. Our efforts are designed to increase opportunities for undergraduates to be exposed to graduate work, research and graduate school. AGEP co-hosts the Biennial Minority Student Graduate School Awareness Conference that provides students with essential information about graduate school. More than 300 underrepresented minority students from across New York State attend workshops, hear keynote speakers and attend a graduate fair. AGEP works with LSAMP to provide funds for undergraduates to undertake research with faculty during the academic year and underwrite the participation of undergraduates in the summer research internship program. Undergraduates from the LSAMP, CSTEP and the McNair Scholars Program also participate in the AGEP research lunch and lunch with the dean programs and all AGEP workshops. AGEP works with its undergraduate partner programs to co-host events and workshops of relevance to underrepresented students in STEM disciplines. I also am a co-chair of UB's undergraduate research team, along with Tim Tryjankowski from the Center for Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities. This team of faculty, staff and students is working to increase the quantity and quality of undergraduate research experiences on campus. The team is hosting workshops for undergraduates, as well as faculty. As we strengthen research opportunities for undergraduates, we strengthen our pool of potential graduate students.
AGEP is targeted toward students in the STEM fields. What is the Graduate School doing to attract underrepresented students in other disciplines?
The Graduate School hosts an annual diversity visit to which underrepresented minority students in all disciplines are invited to come to campus and learn about graduate and professional school programs and study opportunities at UB. This December, the Office of Graduate Enrollment Management Services will host a meeting of the Committee of Graduate School Recruitment Officers where AGEP will facilitate a discussion of the best practices for recruiting underrepresented minority students. Representatives from departments that have effective recruiting strategies also will share their approaches.
What question do you wish I had asked, and how would you have answered it?
Tell me about any new initiatives at UB. This fall, UB received a supplement to the LSAMP grant under the NSF's "Bridge to the Doctorate" (BD) program. The "bridge" initiative funds 12 graduates of the LSAMP program during their first two years of a graduate-degree program (master's) at UB. This special NSF program provides each student with an annual stipend of $30,000, in addition to cost-of-education allowances for tuition, health insurance and other normal fees. The goal of this program is to successfully move students from the master's to a doctoral program. The BD program, administered by Letitia Thomas from the Center for Academic Development Services and by the AGEP program, is providing students with academic and personal support to successfully matriculate into a doctoral program. A component of the BD is a requirement that the project ensure that a substantive number of its participants apply to NSF's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP). Thus, we will be working to provide information, guidance and support to our students as they pursue GRFP funding and other nationally competitive fellowships, such as the Ford Diversity Fellowship and National Institute of Health (NIH) Training Fellowships. Faculty mentors of "bridge" students, representatives from NSF and NIH, and Hadar Borden from the University Honors College's fellowship office will collaborate with us in the spring and summer to ensure that our students develop strong fellowship applications.