At Michigan State University (MSU), the AGEP learning community features the participation of over 70% of the African-American, Latinx, and Native-American under-represented minorities (URM), also referred to as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) doctoral students in fields sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF). Monthly learning community (LC) meetings allow AGEP participants to create dialogues across disciplines through informal oral presentations about current research. The learning communities also offer opportunities to share key information regarding graduate school success and experience; thus providing a social network that extends beyond the academic setting. At MSU, AGEP also provides an interdisciplinary and multigenerational environment that includes graduate students, faculty members, post-docs and prospective graduate students. Using monthly surveys over a 4-year period, we evaluated the impact of this AGEP initiative focusing on the utility of the program, perceptions of departmental climate, career plans and institutional support. Findings indicate that AGEP participants consider their experiences in the program as vital elements in the development of their professional identity, psychological safety, and career readiness. Experiences that were identified included networking across departments, focus on career placement, involvement in minority recruitment and professional development opportunities. Additionally, AGEP community participants resonated with the “sense of community” that is at the core of the MSU AGEP program legacy. In this article, we proposed a variation of Tomlinson’s Graduate Student Capital model to describe the AGEP participants’ perceptions and experiences in MSU AGEP. Within this 4-year period, we report over 70% graduation rate (completing with advanced degrees). More than half of Ph.D. students and almost 30% of master’s degree students decided to pursue academia as their careers. In addition, we found a high satisfaction rate of AGEP among the participants. Our analysis on graduate student capital helped us identify motivating capital development by years spent at MSU and as an AGEP member. These findings may provide some insight into which capitals may be deemed important for students relative to their experiences at MSU and in AGEP and how their priorities change as they transition toward graduation.
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Twenty‐First‐Century Climate Education: Developing Diverse, Confident, and Competent Leaders in Environmental Sustainability
With climate change impacting systems globally at alarming rates, the need for educating the next generation of environmental stewards is necessary. The Rocky Mountain Sustainability and Science Network (RMSSN) is an immersive field experience for undergraduate and graduate students interested in climate change and sustainability within National Parks. The program was established to educate and cultivate a diverse audience of future leaders, environmental guardians, and sustainability advocates with a focus on engaging underrepresented minorities (URM) in science. Participants were evaluated through efficacy instruments and focus groups to determine how a short‐term research experience could impact a student's future outlook and perceived ability to impact science and sustainability. Findings indicate URM, and majority students were more confident in their abilities, and more motivated to continue within their studies. RMSSN provides a framework that is translatable to other field‐based curriculums. This paper addresses specific engagement mechanisms for educating future science leaders.
more » « less- Award ID(s):
- 1930417
- NSF-PAR ID:
- 10457852
- Publisher / Repository:
- Wiley Blackwell (John Wiley & Sons)
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- The Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America
- Volume:
- 101
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 0012-9623
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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