AGEP ALLIANCE
The AGEP Alliance Model for Advancing the Faculty Careers of Underrepresented Minority STEM Doctoral Candidates who are Instructors at Historically Black Universities
The goal of The AGEP Alliance Model for Advancing the Faculty Careers of Underrepresented STEM Doctoral Candidates who are Instructors at Historically Black Universities is to increase the number of underrepresented STEM faculty with PhDs in the professoriate.
The AGEP Alliance will develop, implement, study, and disseminate an AGEP Alliance model to provide faculty professional development and career preparation activities to African Americans and other historically underrepresented STEM doctoral candidates, who are instructors at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), for completion of their PhD degree and progression in early career faculty positions. The alliance team includes faculty from Virginia Tech (VT), Morgan State University (MSU), Virginia State University (VSU), Jackson State University (JSU) and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU). HBCU ABD candidates who are working as instructors will be supported in overcoming sociocultural professional barriers to completing their PhDs and continue on into the professoriate.
The Alliance’s HBCU Instructors Bridge to Academia Project (HI Bridge) consists of model activities identified from the literature as significant to supporting doctoral students in being fully socialized into the academy. These model activities include a peer cohort for collaboration, career preparation activities and alumni follow-up meetings. The HI Bridge project also includes a faculty mentoring component that in addition to their responsibilities of mentoring the ABD candidates, the faculty mentors participate in professional development sessions and potential networking with faculty mentor peers in their cohort groups. HI Bridge organizes the model activities into two programs, the HI Bridge to Academia Fellowship Program and the HI Bridge to Academia Faculty Mentoring Program.
HI Bridge Fellowship Program
The HI Bridge Fellowship Program is a cohort program in which, during each year, 12 ABD candidates who are instructors at HBCUs, will be engaged in career preparation activities such as research seminars, research advising, faculty mentoring, research presentations, peer collaboration, networking, early career professional development sessions, and alumni follow-up meetings. These activities are designed to support the candidates in completing their PhDs, and also prepare them for success in their faculty careers.
- Research Advising
- Faculty Mentoring
- $2,000 Yearly stipend ($4,000 across two years)
- Peer cohort
- VT Summer Institute travel and lodging
- Research presentations
- Professional development opportunities
- Networking opportunities
- Certificate of Completion
HI Bridge Faculty Mentoring Program
The HI Bridge Faculty Mentoring Program is a cohort program in which, during each year, 12 faculty members will provide the research guidance and professional mentoring necessary for supporting the ABD candidates in completing their PhDs and developing as scholars. Faculty mentors will participate in faculty mentoring professional development and faculty mentor peer collaboration sessions that are oriented toward developing effective strategies for mentoring doctoral students and early career faculty in achieving success in academia, with emphasis on faculty from underrepresented groups.
- $2,000 stipend
- VT Summer Institute travel and lodging
- Peer faculty mentor cohort
- Faculty mentoring professional development
- Networking opportunities
THE INSTITUTIONAL ADVISORY BOARD
- Dr. Karen Depauw
- Dr. Justina Osa
- Dr. Hongtao Yu
- Dr. Wilbur L. Walters Jr.
- Ms. Rachel Gabriele
THE EXTERNAL ADVISORY BOARD
- Dr. Andre Green
- Dr. John Weidman
- Dr. Chris Botanga
- Dr. Jarret Landor
If you have questions about the HI Bridge to Academia Program, please contact:
Brenda R. Brand
Professor
Director of Program
bbrand@vt.edu
Lezly Taylor
Project Coordinator
lezly8@vt.edu
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Award Number 2015286. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.