Nanotechnology Minority Recuiting

Information

Students affiliated with the Center for Nanotechnology are first admitted to one of the nine participating academic departments and, the diversity of the Center depends on the diversity of students admitted to participating departments. The following information is intended to assist departments in their efforts to identify prospective minority graduate students. General recruitment principles as well as campus-based and national resources for minority student recruitment are included

General Principles

Tailor your message to appeal to minority students (focus on community of support available to minority students at UW, know how many minority faculty and students are on the UW campus and in your academic department).
Abandon traditional recruitment methods - personal contact matters. Sending a brochure about the program is not enough. You will need to make personal phone calls to faculty members and program directors who have access to minority students.
Identify key faculty members willing to serve as recruiting allies. Those faculty members should be willing to make phones calls, visit campuses with large numbers of minority students, go to conferences and recruit on behalf of the department.
Know where they are and then go where the students are. Hispanic-serving, Tribal Colleges and Historically Black Colleges produce the largest number of science and engineering degrees granted to minority students. For example, Xavier University, Howard University, Tennessee State University, Lincoln University and Jackson State University were the top five producers of physical science degrees earned by African Americans in 2001.
Form partnerships with UW and national programs that focus on increasing underrepresented group access to science and engineering graduate education.
Include diversity statements and issues on departmental web sites.
Use minority graduates and current students to help with recruiting. When prospective minority students visit your program, be sure to include current minority students in social and departmental events. Few students want to be in a program where they are the "only one" of a specific ethnic or racial group.

Resources at the University of Washington

Graduate Opportunities & Minority Achievement Program (GO-MAP): as a program within the Graduate School, GO-MAP's mission is to increase the number of minority graduate students at the University of Washington. The web site offers tips and resources to help departments with recruitment and retention issues related to students of color. GOMAP manages the National Name Exchange Program (http://www.grad.washington.edu/nameexch/national/) for the UW which provides departments with contact information for minority students interested in graduate school. Go to the web site for more information on how GO-MAP is available to help your department. http://www.grad.washington.edu/gomap/recruit.htm

Center for Workforce Development (CWD): CWD offers support services and mentoring to women and minority graduate students in science and engineering. The Center is also available to consult with departments about recruitment and retention issues for underrepresented students. http://www.engr.washington.edu/cwd/

Early Identification Program for Graduate and Professional Studies: Housed in the Office of the Vice President for Minority Affairs, the EIP program provides graduate school preparation services to UW undergraduates interested in applying to graduate school. http://depts.washington.edu/eip/

National Resources

There are many national programs focused on increasing access to graduate education for minority students. Although they may not be able to provide departments with specific names of prospective students, they can be excellent allies in developing relationships with institutions and faculty members who produce large numbers of minority science and engineering students. A few of them are summarized below.

IGERT National Recruitment Center: As the recipient of an Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship Grant (IGERT), the University of Washington is eligible for assistance from the IGERT National Recruitment Center. The Center helps students identify IGERT programs across the country and helps faculty members locate students with an interest in their research areas. The Center recently developed a minority student recruitment focus and offers information and expertise to academic programs. http://www.igert.org/

Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP): The National Science Foundation, which initiates various programs including AGEP, is particularly interested in increasing the number of minorities who will enter the professoriate in disciplines and receiving doctoral degrees. The specific objectives of AGEP are to: (1) develop and implement innovative models for recruiting, mentoring, and retaining minority students (African-American, Hispanic and American Indian/Alaskan Native students,) in doctoral programs and (2) develop effective strategies for identifying and supporting underrepresented minorities who want to pursue academic careers. http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5474&org=NSF

The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Program: LSAMP program is designed to develop the comprehensive strategies necessary to strengthen the preparation and increase the number of minority students who successfully complete baccalaureates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. This objective facilitates the long-term goal increasing the production of PhDs in STEM fields with an emphasis on entry into faculty positions. http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5477&org=NSF&from=fund

National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science, Inc. (GEM: GEM is a national fellowship program which offers opportunities for underrepresented minority students to obtain MS degrees in engineering and Ph.D. degrees in engineering and the natural and physical sciences through a program of paid summer internships and graduate financial assistance. GEM is a collaborative effort between universities, companies, government agencies, alumni and faculty. The University of Washington is a consortium member. http://www.gemfellowship.org