UF receives five-year grant to increase diversity in graduate programs

March 31, 2005

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The University of Florida has been awarded a $6.9 million grant from the National Science Foundation to lead a coalition of universities and colleges throughout the Southeast as part of a program to increase the number of domestic minority students earning doctorates in science, engineering and mathematics.

The Southeast Alliances for Graduate Education and Professoriate program will target groups underrepresented in these fields, such as African-Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska natives, native Hawaiians or other Pacific Islanders.

SEAGEP particularly wants to increase the number of minorities who will pursue academic careers.

The grant will be awarded over the next five years to develop and start innovative methods for recruiting, mentoring and retaining students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics doctoral programs. The program also is expected to develop strategies for supporting and preparing all students who are interested in academic careers.

UF will lead the program that includes two primary partners, Clemson University and the University of South Carolina. Together, they offer doctoral degrees in more than 50 technical fields. The alliance includes two NSF Engineering Research Centers, the Particle Engineering Research Center at UF and the Center for Advanced Engineering of Fibers and Films at Clemson, providing students cutting-edge research opportunities in a multidisciplinary setting.

“Diversifying the pool of graduate researchers in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics at the University of Florida will ensure that UF reaches its vision of becoming one of the world’s top research institutions,” said Anne Donnelly, Director of the SEAGEP Program and Associate Director for Education and Outreach Programs with the Particle Engineering Research Center.