LSAMP BD: Tennessee State University TLSAMP

Tennessee State University, Nashville TN

Investigators

Abstract

Tennessee State University (TSU), a Historically Black University (HBCU) and lead institution for the Tennessee LSAMP, has been chosen by the TLSAMP Alliance to serve as the host site for the second cohort of LSAMP Bridge to the Doctorate participants during 2018-2020. A cohort of 12 LSAMP BD students will engage in STEM research, academics and professional development leading to acceptance and completion of the doctoral program. The Tennessee LSAMP graduate BD program at TSU will have the potential to continue to promote systemic change in graduate education practices and policy, in ways that increase the success of individual students on the doctoral pathway and the effectiveness of STEM graduate programs with a goal of diversifying America's STEM workforce. Building upon the success of the first Tennessee LSAMP BD program at Vanderbilt University (VU), TSU will employ VU's proven "toolkit" with components for innovative recruitment, engagement, retention, student tracking and dissemination that will include a mentoring e-dashboard to advance the practice of mentoring formatively and real-time tracking student progress and development. The toolkit also accommodates interview protocols that has the potential to transform traditional graduate education practices. The program includes collaborations and linkages with other STEM networks and resources as well as other graduate programs, such as NSF's Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), and institutional resources to ensure students successful completion of the STEM doctoral degree. The program will be externally evaluated and students tracked through the program and into STEM careers following completion of STEM doctoral degree programs. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.