BPC-DP: Academic Mentoring Workshops for Underrepresented Participants

Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station, College Station TX

Investigators

Abstract

Texas A&M University, together with Portland State University and Rice University, proposes a set of mentoring activities for minority faculty. Mentoring is critical for successful promotions in the professoriate, and it is especially important for faculty who often find themselves one of very few ethnic minorities at their institution. Further, it is important to have interactions with mentors who have similar experiences and background. There are, however, very few minority researchers in the professoriate who can serve as role models and mentors. To address this problem, the PIs will run a series of Academic Career Mentoring Workshops, targeted toward junior faculty from underrepresented ethnic communities. The workshops will be scheduled annually over a three year period. Their goal is to work with underrepresented junior faculty around the tenure and promotion process, thereby increasing the number of underrepresented minorities at the associate and full professor ranks. Topics will include starting a research program, networking, and navigating the tenure and promotion process, as well maintaining one's identity and overcoming misconceptions. The speakers will include senior faculty from the underrepresented ethnic groups who can serve as role models and present proven strategies. The proposed workshops complement the CRA-W Workshops, which focus on gender, and CRA Workshops, which do not target issues faced by women or ethnic minorities. The workshops will also provide an environment for networking and establishing multi-institutional and interdisciplinary research collaborations to advance the knowledge base of computer science. The attendees will be invited to join the ongoing mentoring groups of the PIs.