Florida Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (FL-AGEP) Transformation Alliance:
Improving Pathways in the Professoriate for Underrepresented Women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)
Our goal Our goal is to develop, implement, study, evaluate, disseminate, and sustain a model focused on increasing the number of underrepresented women faculty in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields.
Our objectives are:
- Objective 1: Develop an alliance model that supports stage‐appropriate transitions and advancement of underrepresented women in STEM as faculty
- Objective 2: Implement a programmatic model that includes annual research bootcamps, online mentoring, annual research symposia, and longitudinal faculty development opportunities across alliance institutions
- Objective 3: Study and refine the model and its key design components for doctoral students, postdoctoral scholars, and early-career faculty
he alliance seeks to disseminate research and sustain a national model in Florida, which can be replicated in other areas to increase and enhance strategies to recruit and retain underrepresented faculty women in STEM within the professoriate.
Our partnership combines efforts to provide a structured mentoring and professional development program model that facilitates the transition and advancement of doctoral candidates, post-doctoral, and early-career underrepresented women faculty in STEM disciplines.
Our participants are doctoral candidates, post-doctoral, and early-career underrepresented women faculty, along with senior scholars (tenured faculty) who will learn new strategies for advising and mentoring these individuals, constituting an overall impact of 300 STEM-engaged individuals over four years (2019-2023).
Our programs are designed to provide expertise and leadership in implementing, adapting, and sustaining an innovative Research Bootcamp (RBC) pathway model to be implemented at each alliance institution.
The RBC pathway is inclusive of an intensive, one-week program and continuous mentoring, coaching, and networking designed to assist women doctoral candidates, post-doctoral scholars and early-career faculty members in developing the skills necessary for success in the academy.
Our professional development activities include:
- The Sisters of The Academy (SOTA) Research Bootcamp curriculum
- An annual research symposium that provides a platform for participants to present their research to the scholarly community, promote recruitment and retention within the academy, and catalyze research collaborations
- Memberships to the National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity (NCFDD). This program provides tools and strategies that help participants to thrive in academia; achieve writing and research goals; and establish a network of mentors, sponsors, and collaborators.
- Senior Scholars to provide mentorship grounded in Culturally Relevant Mentoring (CRM) practices. CRM approach include training the career and psycho-social connections beyond the career.
