This page provides resources that faculty can use to learn more about diversity in STEM, and tools that shape the PROMISE AGEP. The PROMISE AGEP was established to increase the numbers and diversity of Ph.D.s in STEM fields, with the purpose of preparing diverse graduate students and postdoctoral scholars for the STEM professoriate.

In September 2015, STEM faculty from UMB, UMBC, and UMCP were recognized as “PROMISE Mentors” after receiving nominations from graduate students and administrators. The 12 faculty members participated in a workshop on broadening participation in STEM, along with deans from the schools around the University System of Maryland. The article detailing the event can be found here: http://news.umbc.edu/workshop-examines-diversity-in-stem-graduate-education/

The Mentors are as follows:

UMB:
Dr. Joseph Stains – physiology
Dr. Eileen Barry – microbiology and immunology
Dr. Denise Orwig – epidemiology
Dr. Jacques Ravel – genomics

UM College Park:
Dr. Jeffrey Herrmann – mechanical engineering
Dr. Hugh Bruck – mechanical engineering
Dr. Jeffrey Klauda – chemical and biomolecular engineering
Dr. Sreeramurthy Ankem – materials science and engineering

UMBC:
Dr. Kathleen Hoffman – mathematics
Dr. Stephen Miller – biological sciences
Dr. Ravi Kuber – information systems
Dr. Carlos Romero-Talamas – mechanical engineering

Additional faculty who have engaged in work on diversity and were also invited to be recognized and contribute to the conversation included:
Dr. Michael Summers (biochemistry, UMBC)
Dr. Tim Oates (computer science and electrical engineering, UMBC)
Dr. Shawn Bediako (psychology, UMBC)
Dr. David Tilley (environmental sciences and technology, UMCP)
Dr. Siddhartha Das (mechanical engineering, UMCP)
Dr. Bret Hassel (microbiology & immunology, UMB)
Dr. Eduardo Davila (microbiology & immunology, UMB)
Dr. Greg Carey (microbiology & immunology, UMB).

Dr. Daryl E. Chubin, keynote speaker for the workshop, presented on the topic: Making Good on the PROMISE: Academic Interventions for STEM Ph.D.s. Dr. Daryl E. Chubin, who served in leadership positions at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Science Foundation, and the White House, serves on the External Advisory Board for PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), sponsored by the National Science Foundation. His training materials can be found below, and can be accessed by clicking the images.

1. SLIDES: Making Good on the PROMISE: Academic Interventions for STEM Ph.D.s.

PROMISE-AGEP External Advisory Board Meeting and Workshop on Enhancing Faculty Understanding of Diversity Issues in Graduate and Postdoctoral Education

By Daryl E. Chubin

September 11, 2015

Abstract:

This slide presentation tells a story of current challenges to STEM PhD-granting institutions, departments, and educators. It draws on the presenter’s federal and nonprofit policy experience, as Center Director at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and as a consultant to university clients.

National data and perspectives are offered as inputs for local actions that prepare doctoral students for an uncertain academic job market. The presentation should provoke discussion of variations by discipline, race/ethnicity, and gender, and the tailoring of strategies to anticipate legal, financial, and workplace biases. All of these affect career prospects.

The presentation concludes with suggestions for guiding interventions that are practical and effective. These will be subsequently be discussed in small groups and the slides will be available.

Select Topics Examined in the Slides:

• Context
• Faculty Demographics & PhD Completion Disaggregated
• Gender & Discipline
• Legal Matters
• Debt & Support
• The Academic Market & Workplace
• Interventions: What You Can Do
• Other Resources

Excerpt from page 33:

Assessing Student Preparation for the Professoriate

Each STEM graduate program should collect and maintain quantitative and qualitative data for students focusing on activities related to preparation for the professoriate, leading to demonstrated competence in:

• Writing papers for peer-reviewed journals and preparing patent applications,
including understanding how journal articles and patent applications are
reviewed.
• Grant writing and management.
• Teaching and learning, including: understanding research on teaching and
learning; how to develop curriculum and student assessments; use of student
centered teaching strategies; use of technology for classroom management and
teaching; and issues of adult learning and cognition.
• STEM student career counseling and advising, including advising and mentoring
across cultural and sex lines and mentoring students with disabilities.
• Managing a research laboratory and teams, including understanding research
ethics.
• University citizenship, including: understanding types of universities;
requirements for promotion and tenure; navigating departmental politics; and
time management skills for balancing time for teaching, research, service—and
life (italics added).
source: Measuring Diversity: An Evaluation guide for STEM Graduate School Leaders, 2011, http://www.nsfagep.org/

2. ARTICLE: Talking to foreign-born STEM faculty about diversity

The article, Talking to foreign-born STEM faculty about diversity, is located here on the AAAS website.

3. VIDEO: Dr. Daryl E. Chubin, Sept. 15, 2015

Dr. Chubin’s talk: “Making Good on the PROMISE: Academic Interventions for STEM Ph.D.s” is featured here. The introduction is presented by Dr. Janet C. Rutledge, Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Dean of the Graduate School at UMBC.

More about Dr. Chubin:

Daryl E. Chubin – Leading the Way – Mythbuster (WEPAN – Women in Engineering ProActive Network article.)

Dr. Daryl E. Chubin – BioSketch/Profile

Dr. Daryl E. Chubin’s 110+ Publications

4. Resources and Statistics from the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS)

a. Supplement to the DIMAC Study

Okahana, H.,  Allum, J.,  Felder, P. P.,  and Tull, R. G. (2016). Data Sources PLUS: Implications for Practice and Research from Doctoral Initiative on Minority Attrition and Completion. The Council of Graduate Schools (CGS Online Publication: http://cgsnet.org/data-sources-plus-implications-practice-and-research-doctoral-initiative-minority-attrition-and).

b. Case study showcasing 10 “Lessons Learned: Shepherding Doctoral Students to Degree Completion,”  made possible with support from the (CGS)/Peterson’s Award for Promoting an Inclusive Graduate Community, and a grant from the National Science Foundation’s Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring (PAESMEM) program.

 The University as Mentor – Council of Graduate Schools’ Publication

5. Resources from the PROMISE Director (R.G. Tull):

a. The Mentor Mirror

The Mentor Mirror is a “reverse” individual development plan (IDP) for the advisors of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. The traditional IDP is focused on the actions of the student/mentee. This document allows the professor/advisor/mentor to reflect upon her/his goals for the mentee’s success. The full explanation can be found here: https://renettatull.wordpress.com/2015/11/06/the-mentor-mirror-a-reverse-idp-for-mentors-srebdocschomotempowered-thinkbigdiversity/.

The Mentor Mirror (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283517238_The_Mentor_Mirror

b. Engineering PhDs & Diversity in the U.S. – Disparity by the Numbers: 129 out of 3,926 #THINKBIGDIVERSITY

Blog post by Renetta Tull: https://renettatull.wordpress.com/2015/10/07/engineering-phds-diversity-in-the-u-s-disparity-by-the-numbers-129-out-of-3926-thinkbigdiversity/

6. The PROMISE Papers and Critical Publications that Shape PROMISE

a. Publications list (comprehensive)

https://promiseagep.wordpress.com/publications/

b. The PROMISE Paper

Tull, R. G., Rutledge, J.C., Warnick, J. W., & Carter, F. D.　(2012).　PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate Enhances Recruitment and Retention of Underrepresented Minority Graduate Students.　Academic Medicine, 87(11), p. 1562-1569.

c. The Jessica Effect

Tull, R.G., Ordóñez, F. C., Zayas, Z., Byars-Winston, A., & Cortes-Rodriguez, M. (2014). The Jessica effect: valuing cultural and familial connections to broaden success in academe. AAC&U Peer Review, 16, 13.

d. The importance of involving students from all disciplines in STEM support programs

Tull, R. G., Williams, A. Y., & Hester, S. (2015). An NSF AGEP Program’s Unintended Effect on Broadening Participation: Transforming “Non-STEM” Graduate Students into Engineering Education Faculty, Researchers, K-12 Educators, and Advocates.　Paper presented at the American Society for Engineering Education(ASEE): 122nd ASEE Annual Conference Exposition, Seattle, WA: American Society for Engineering Education.

e. The PROMISE Professional Development Book can be purchased on Amazon, PROMISE AGEP: Professional Development Workshops for Graduate Students Summer Success Institute (SSI)

IMPORTANT UPDATE 5/6/16: DUE TO WEATHER CONDITIONS, THE COOKOUT WILL BE HELD TOMORROW, SATURDAY, MAY 7, AT THE UMBC CAMPUS, COMMONS BUILDING, 2ND FLOOR, GAME ROOM.

You are invited to come, bring your friends, family, and anyone who supports your journey through graduate school. This event is free. Graduate students from all schools within the University System of Maryland (USM) are invited!

Here is a list, if your school is listed, you are invited! http://www.usmd.edu/institutions/

Alumni, faculty, and staff are invited.

Friends and family members of students who have participated in PROMISE are invited. 

If you are from another school, e.g., Howard, Hopkins, GW, and have come to a PROMISE event in the past such as SSI, you are also invited to participate.

Please register below.

Register for the PROMISE Friends and Family Cookout and Celebration of Graduates:

If you are graduating from a USM institution with an M.S. or Ph.D., please send an email to promisestaff@gmail.com with your name, school, department, and degree, by 9 AM, Friday, April 29, 2016, so that we can recognize you at the event.

Date & Time: 

• Saturday, May 7, 2016
• 1:00 – 4:00 PM (Honoring Graduates at 3 PM)

Location UPDATE 5/6/16:

UMBC Campus

1000 Hilltop Circle

Baltimore, MD 21250

Commons Building, 2nd Floor

Game Room

Directions:

PDF | Google Maps

Parking:

Parking is free on weekends. The permits are not enforced. The nearest parking lot is the Commons Drive Garage. PDF | Google Maps

This event provides food, fun, connections, and networking. Come join the PROMISE Cookout!

YM

Congratulations to the Graduate School at UMES, and their Graduate Student Association for their plans to hold UMES’ first, independent, PROMISE Workshop, as part of their Graduate Student Week. Kudos to the team at UMES!

This week, PROMISE is visiting schools around Maryland for meetings and workshops. The key feature will be the PROMISE annual workshop, “When Faculty Say ‘X’ …”

Description of the lecture:

Understanding professors’ expectations shouldn’t be a mystery. However, sometimes, there are disconnects between what a faculty member wants a student to produce for a project, and how the student interprets the instructions. In many cases, the expectations of faculty are clearly articulated, either in written or oral format. However, in other cases, there are situations where a faculty member’s feedback or outcomes from discussions regarding progress may not be as clear because they involve aspects of non-verbal communication such as eye contact, gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, and eye contact.

Addressing the Needs of Graduate Students

We draw particular attention to the needs of graduate students for our “When Faculty Say X” success seminar series. Graduate students have several forms of faculty interaction that have their own sets of nuances. For graduate students, the faculty member is a teacher, a mentor, an advisor, and a future colleague. There are several phases through which one must pass to navigate the transitions. During coursework, there is the phase where one follows the syllabus, turns in the homework, and takes the exam. During the qualifying exam and proposal stages, it can be difficult for a student to determine what they are supposed to know on the journey toward building expertise in a discipline or particular area of research. In addition to becoming a contributor to the field, a professor may have a methodology that must be employed by all in her lab, or a set of theories which need to be used set the foundation for all work that comes out of the research group. There may be bibliographies that one must reference, techniques that must be mastered, and simple “unwritten rules” that must be followed. Some of the rules may include attending every group meeting and each departmental colloquium. Other rules may extend to writing, i.e., explicit use of a citation style, paragraph structure, or drafting process.

The PROMISE AGEP launched the “When Faculty Say X …” series to answer some of these burning questions. The facilitator will be Dr. Renetta G. Tull, Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Student Development and Postdoctoral Affairs at UMBC, and Director of the University System of Maryland’s National Science Foundation’s PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP). Dr. Tull will present a series of scenarios that graduate students have experienced, along with responses from STEM faculty from the USM and other schools around the nation. Time will be set aside for students’ real-time Q&A, which is often the most important part of the program.

This week:

Monday, April 4, 2016 – Salisbury

Students are invited to read the responses that were shared at an earlier event.

Answers from the virtual event in 2015

Tuesday, April 5, 2016, 11 AM – UMES

Location: Suite 3046, the new Engineering and Aviation Building

PDF link on UMES’ website:

https://www.umes.edu/cms300uploadedFiles/new_Dr.Tull_flyer.pdf

Thursday, April 7, 2016, 3 PM – Bowie State

Bowie State:

Thursday,  Apr 7, 2016 3pm – 4pm (EDT)
14000 Jericho Park Rd., Bowie, MD 20715,

Center for Business and Graduate Studies (CBGS), Room 3201

Friday, April 8, 2016, 12 Noon – Towson

12:00 Noon

Graduate Student Lounge (Room 205)

Psychology Building

Closest Parking: Towsontown Garage (on Towsontown Blvd and University Ave)

Any member of the PROMISE community (student, staff, postdoc, faculty) is welcome to attend any of the events.

The Summer 2016 Dissertation House is coming to UMBC (July 5, 2016 to July 8, 2016)!  Students who participate in this program will spend each day thinking, writing, and sharing ideas about their doctoral dissertations.  Students will learn effective time-management skills; learn how to set small manageable goals, and will meet with a dissertation coach in one-on-one consultations to discuss and address obstacles that might prevent them completing their degrees.

HOW TO APPLY

Graduate students who plan to participate should follow the application procedure below: 

PART I:

I. Submit a brief description (maximum 2 pages, font size 11-12 point 1 inch margins) that describes the project that you wish to accomplish during the Dissertation House period.  Applications will neither be reviewed nor accepted outside of the application enrollment period.

PART II:

II. Please use the following guidelines  for the application:

(1) Summary of the project, including research question(s), data or texts, and method

(2) Amount completed on the project to date

(3) Any obstacles that you are encountering that hinder completion of the dissertation.

(4) Include the following header information with the description:

• Name
• Address
• Telephone numbers (home, office, and fax)
• E-mail address
• Academic Program and Year in the program

Open application period: May 5, 2016 – May 19, 2016 

(Please note that there are only 12 to 15 slots for this event, consider applying early) 

Applications received after May 19, 2016 will be considered for the DH waiting list. More information about the Dissertation House: https://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/about/

• The Dissertation House runs from 9 AM – 5PM, for four days, Tuesday, July 5th through Friday, July 8th.
• Students must plan to attend the full session, for each of the 4 days. 
• Daily schedule includes 2 mini-lectures, and 5 hours of writing per day.
• Breakfast, Lunch, and a snack will be served daily.
• The Dissertation House is free for UMBC’s graduate students.
• There are 15 to 18 spaces available for the Dissertation House. 
• Details regarding eligibility can be found on the application page of the website for the Dissertation House.

Read about The Dissertation House in UMBC’s Alumni Magazine: Byrne, R.  (2011, Fall) “The Write Stuff”, UMBC Magazine. p. 12

Dr. Autumn Reed, Director of STRIDE and Coordinator of Faculty Diversity Initiatives at UMBC, invites PROMISE to a play on UMBC’s campus with the CRLT Players of the University of Michigan. Dr. Reed has served as a PROMISE Mentor-in-Residence, and facilitator for the 2016 PROMISE roundtable on faculty diversity that was part of the Research Symposium at College Park. She notes the following:

 As part of UMBC’s continued efforts recruit and retain a diverse and inclusively excellent faculty, we are actively seeking ways to improve departmental climate. Bringing the University of Michigan’s CRLT Players to perform “Navigating Departmental Politics” on March 31st from 10-12pm and from 4-6pm is central to our efforts. This interactive performance provides an opportunity for us to reflect and participate as community in a facilitated discussion on this topic.

THURSDAY, March 31, 2016

Performance #1: 10 AM – 12 noon

Performance #2 (Repeat): 4:00 PM – 6 PM

Location: University Center Ballroom, UMBC. Directions. The University Center (UC) is in the center of the campus. The Building houses the Chik-Fil-A and Starbucks cafes, on the first floor, the College of Natural and Mathematical Sciences Dean’s Office, the English Language Center, and the Discovery Center. The ballroom is on the 3rd floor of the UC. The back of the UC leads to the Engineering Building. The front of the UC faces the Biology and Math/Psychology buildings on UMBC’s main walkway. The UC is adjacent to the Chemistry building.

The play (sketch) is based on events that occur during a faculty meeting. (See the CRLT description.) All members of our PROMISE community are invited to this event. We hope to see graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty there. A group from the UMBC PROMISE team will be at the 10:00 AM performance.  Feel free to sit with us! Leave a message in the comments if you have questions.

REGISTER: Free

If you have a UMBC ID, please RSVP here via MyUMBC:

http://my.umbc.edu/groups/facultydiversity/events/38419.

VISITORS: If you are coming from another institution, you can register by posting your name and affiliation in the comment section of this email.

This event is open to faculty, staff, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and friends. Thank you to Dr. Reed for inviting the PROMISE community-at-large to experience this event.

PROMISE at the University of Maryland College Park  and the Graduate School’s PhD Completion Series invites you to come to campus for two important talks that will help you with your dissertation.

If you have questions, please contact PROMISE at the University of Maryland College Park. 

Christopher Perez

Associate Director of Diversity and Inclusion

The Graduate School | University of Maryland

2123 Lee Building | College Park, MD 20742

301.405.0763 | cperez6@umd.edu | gradschool.umd.edu | @UMDGradSchool

Advancing graduate education. Enhancing the graduate student experience.

The PROMISE AGEP enjoys a partnership with the Ana G. Méndez University System in Puerto Rico, with campuses in Florida (Orlanda and Tampa Bay), and Maryland (Wheaton). The Ana G. Méndez University (AGMUS) offers a unique degree program for adult learners, using a dual language model of Spanish and English. You can read more about the Capital Area Campus on Veirs Mill Road in Wheaton, Maryland here: http://www.suagm.edu/capitalareacampus/. The Maryland Capital Area Campus is a hub or center for three universities in Puerto Rico, offering particular courses and degrees from each campus. In this way, professionals who want to have careers that utilize two languages, can receive their undergraduate and/or graduate degrees using the Dual-Language degree model here in Maryland without having to go to Puerto Rico.

The Chancellor of AGMUS, Dr. Carlos Padin and other faculty from the Puerto Rico campus, along with the Capital Area Campus Director (president) Silvia Navarro and the Academic Director, Ivette Cruz, have participated in SSI, and have been great supporters of PROMISE. The Capital Area Campus came to UMBC last semester to  provide a system-wide seminar that discussed the opportunities at the AGMUS campus in Maryland. AGMUS is offering additional courses for teaching, and they offer these to you. You may take the asynchronous courses online, or come to the Capital Area Campus in Wheaton, Maryland to attend in person. Course dates, times, and the opportunity to create an account for complementary registration can be found here, http://agmus.gosignmeup.com/Public/Course/Browse.

Ivette Cruz, Academic Director of the Capital Area Campus Invites You!

The list below was provided by Ivette Cruz, Academic Director – CAC, who thought that these courses would be of interest to you. She is looking forward to having graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from our institutions participate! AGMUS offers these opportunities to PROMISE in hopes of providing professional development and interest in becoming a bilingual professional, and toward inviting you to apply for their faculty job openings, as available.

Courses Developed for AGMUS Faculty are Offered to Participants of PROMISE 

The courses below are provided for the AGMUS faculty. They are being offered to you as part of the “and the professoriate” part of the PROMISE: Maryland’s Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP). The PROMISE AGEP also has as a sub-program, PROF-it: Professors-in-Training, and we participate in the CIRTL network for research and teaching. We encourage our graduate students and postdocs to take advantage of this generous offer from AGMUS.

• March 16-20, 2016 Introduction to Blackboard 9.0
• April 6-10, 2016 Constructivist Assessment
• April 13-17, 2016 Intermediate Blackboard 9.0
• May 11-15, 2016 Cognitive Academic Language Learning Approach: CALLA
• May 25-29, 2016 Advanced: Using Blackboard 9.0 in Class
• June 1-5, 2016 Searching, Evaluating, and Selecting Dual Language Internet Resources
• June 15-19, 2016 Designing Constructivist Activities
• June 22-26, 2016 Instruction and Assessment
• July 6-10, 2016 Constructivist Assessment
• July 13-17, 2016 Searching, Evaluating, and Selecting Dual Language Internet Resources

Course Descriptions

Dual Language Workshops with descriptions (Download PDF)

For more information on the courses, you can contact the Campus’ Academic Director, Ivette Cruz,  (301) 949-2224, Ext. 8404, and cc Mayra Marenco-Fuente:  maymareno@suagm.edu. Finally, please cc promisestaff@gmail.com. Include your name, department, and school, in all email messages.

REGISTRATION, Dates and Times

Register for either the asynchronous online courses, or the Capital Area Campus courses. You can take the online course anywhere, but you will need to come in person for the Capital Area Campus courses.

http://agmus.gosignmeup.com/Public/Course/Browse

You will have to create a free account to register. Use CAC (Capital Area Campus) as your campus during the registration process. 

The Campus Catalog provides additional information about the courses that are taught and the university’s structure.

MORE from our PROMISE -AGMUS Information Session in 2015:

https://promiseagep.wordpress.com/2015/10/06/bilingual-teaching-opportunities-and-faculty-positions-at-the-ana-g-mendez-university-in-wheaton-md/

Here’s how courses at AGMUS work for their students. You can consider being a professor, or benefit from the professional development opportunities (above) that are provided for their faculty.