Annual Report

Transcription

1 Annual Report

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3 Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. This quote, attributed to Helen Keller, exemplifies the foundational concept of the Leadership Alliance that has shaped a culture of collaboration and withstood the test of time. This past year marked the 20th anniversary celebration of the Leadership Alliance and its mission to develop underrepresented minority students into leaders and role models in the academic, public and private sectors. During this year, we took the opportunity to reflect on our accomplishments. At the 2012 Spring Business Meeting, we paid homage to our leaders and founding coordinators who had the foresight to establish inter-institutional collaborations and pursue a path of innovation to ensure measured growth and success. The 2012 Leadership Alliance National Symposium provided another occasion during which current coordinators were recognized for their contributions and new Doctoral Scholars were celebrated. We invite you to review the many additional activities and accomplishments that are highlighted in this annual report: Associate Membership The Alliance welcomed its first organizational member through a new process to enhance and expand Alliance partnerships with organizations from the public and private sectors. Faculty Retreats This new initiative was developed to engage faculty at Alliance member institutions and provide opportunities to establish research collaborations, work collectively on Alliance-based funding opportunities and share best practices. Medeva Ghee, PhD Executive Director The Leadership Alliance Innovative Programs and Professional Development Alliance members leveraged the intellectual resources of our faculty and institutional programs to provide evidence-based research experiences and professional development that promote the progression of students throughout their academic and career pathways. Doctoral Scholars In less than five years, the number of Alliance alumni who have obtained PhD and MD-PhD degrees has more than doubled from 116 to 276, with more than 300 in the pipeline to obtain their degrees. Our progress and accomplishments demonstrate that together we have done so much and we are ready to do more! Strengthening our partnerships with new members and reinforcing a solid network of distributed institutional relationships will cement the foundation of Alliance programs and secure our future of developing the next generation of leaders and scholars. John Rose, JD Interim Chair, Executive Committee Dean for Diversity & Compliance Hunter College 1

4 COLLABORATIONS... that add value for more than twenty years Sustained for more than two decades, the Alliance has effectively established a collaboration infrastructure to implement time-tested programs and activities in support of the academic and career development of young scholars. The sharing of best practices, resources and expertise ensures that efforts to promote diversity as a value and advance institutional transformation benefit from a national dialogue of diverse institutional perspectives. The Alliance s vision of promoting diversity and enriching the academic world is leveraged by the distinct strengths and resources of its member institutions and organizations. Our partnership is characterized by the long-standing, trusted relationships established among scholars and administrators at predominantly undergraduate institutions, many of whom are among the leading producers of Black doctoral degree earners in the life sciences and physical sciences, and major research intensive institutions. Of the many collaborations that have been established over the years, the Brown University-Tougaloo College Partnership is the longest lasting partnership that was formalized in 1964 during the Civil Rights era. Celebrating its 50th anniversary, this relationship has transformed and inspired lives through student and faculty academic and cultural exchanges, collaborative research ventures, and administrative initiatives. The Alliance has reaped the benefits of these institutional collaborations. More than 70% of Alliance alumni who have completed a PhD or MD-PhD were recruited from Alliance undergraduate serving institutions. More than 40% of this top talent enrolled and matriculated into competitive doctoral degree programs at Alliance member institutions. In addition to the recruitment, training and mentoring of diverse talent, the Alliance membership enjoys value-added benefits through access to an established, evidence-based national research mentoring program, coordinated fundraising efforts to sustain programs and initiatives, centralized evaluation and research activities to monitor outcomes and inform program improvement, and partnership development initiatives. These partnership initiatives have been instrumental in fostering faculty collaborations that promise to enhance Alliance-wide opportunities for research collaborations and grant development activities. Partnership and collaborative engagement serve as the defining features of our consortium and will enable the Alliance to both leverage the unique and various resources of its members and advance its mission of promoting diversity. The goals of the Alliance are pivotal to the health of society and the scientific process because as we know from Nature diversity is essential for strength. Marc Walters, PhD, New York University 2

5 ... and innovate on the Leadership Alliance Partnership Committed to mentoring and exposing diverse scholars to careers in academia, the public and private sectors, the Alliance has throughout the years partnered with companies such as Eli Lilly and Company, Schering-Plough, Citicorp, and IBM. In 2012, the Leadership Alliance took this concept to a new level by welcoming Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) as its first Associate Member. Efforts to create more sustainable relationships with organizations in the public and private sectors prompted the Alliance to develop the associate membership opportunity for new groups of potential partners whose goals and missions are closely aligned with that of the Alliance. Associate memberships will enrich the Alliance s organizational infrastructure by embracing a dynamic blend of organizations whose combined capacity will build awareness of the academic and professional skills required to prepare students for various career trajectories. In addition, opportunities to network, share best practices and leverage resources and expertise benefit each organization and synergistically contribute to accomplishing our mutually beneficial goals. The Leadership Alliance shares NIBR s commitment to facilitating the training and career development of historically underserved scientists in biomedical research. Comprised of more than 6,000 scientists, physicians and business professionals around the world, NIBR is the pharmaceutical research arm of Novartis, a global healthcare company. To support innovation in drug discovery, NIBR is committed to fostering an open and inclusive culture and welcomes talent from diverse backgrounds. This mutually beneficial partnership between the Leadership Alliance and Novartis is tailor-made to leverage each organization s resources and expertise to create a diverse and skilled workforce. Together with Leadership Alliance, NIBR hopes to pioneer new ways for academia and industry to work together, strengthening mentorship and scientific excellence for the next generation of scientists. Anastacia Berzat, PhD, NIBR Scientific Program Manager 3

6 PURPOSEFUL COLLABORATIONS... and cross mentoring between Leadership Alliance institutions The Alliance partnership has successfully advanced the interest of a diverse pool of students in pursuing graduate degrees and provided ongoing mentorship to ensure their engagement as leaders and professionals in the workforce. To sustain and innovate on these efforts, the Alliance has developed a new initiative to leverage the intellectual expertise across member institutions. Central to this initiative are biannual meetings to engage faculty across Alliance member institutions to facilitate relationship building, promote joint research and programmatic activities and identify resources to build capacity and support collaborative ventures. Goals of these activities: Promote an open and honest dialogue to address how faculty from member institutions effectively communicate and work towards constructing equitable and productive relationships with mutually beneficial outcomes Promote a networking opportunity among faculty from Alliance member institutions Generate and develop ideas that have the potential to inform proposal development activities through collaborative and synergistic efforts Share best practices on developing and sustaining faculty collaborations that would inform potential collaborations Current strategic faculty collaborations among member institutions have been established through the Alliance partnership and serve as models. As an example, Dr. John Hall, chair of Chemistry at Morehouse College, established a research collaboration with faculty in the Chemistry Department at the University of Chicago. Establishing and reinforcing a solid network of faculty collaborations will cement the foundation of Alliance programs and secure the fulfillment of our mission to enhance the excellence of academia and the research workforce through diversity. This collaboration provides a distinct opportunity for me and my students to gain new experience. I learned something new that I can apply to my research. John Hall, PhD, Morehouse College 4

7 COLLABORATION profile While devastating, the residual effects of Hurricane Katrina offered up a unique research environment that catalyzed a collaboration between two Alliance institutions: Dillard University in New Orleans, a Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and the University of Colorado Boulder (CU-Boulder), a research intensive institution enrolling a primarily majority-race population of students. Researchers, Mark Hernandez and Bernard Singleton seized this research opportunity to engage teams of undergraduate students and postdocs from both institutions in elite air quality sampling campaigns and subsequent analyses. Working onsite at both institutions, the collaboration brought together the researchers, postdocs, graduate and undergraduate students for training and preparation of experiments. The teams conducted fieldwork in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana gaining hands-on research experience at the CU-Boulder environmental and Dillard University microbiology laboratories. We met soon after Hurricane Katrina (2005), and have been collaborating on several projects ever since in a purposeful manner. This collaboration has been extraordinary for both institutions. Bernard Singleton, PhD Dillard University As a result of this collaboration, Professors Singleton and Hernandez have together written four grants to NSF s Engineering and Human Resources Divisions, all of which have been funded. Two grants are direct awards to Dillard, and two are direct awards to CU-Boulder. In total, the grants amounted to more than $500K, which has been evenly distributed between Dillard and CU-Boulder. All of the Dillard students who participated for the last seven plus years presented at numerous local, regional, and national conferences. All of the students won awards at these conferences. More importantly, all of the students who participated have either received or are pursuing advanced degrees. Our interactions proved to be very valuable both scientifically and culturally and we believe we have created a connection, which will lead to a future of successful collaborations between the two groups. Mark Hernandez, PhD University of Colorado Boulder 5

8 COLLABORATIONS... to mentor the next generation of researchers, leaders and role models The Leadership Alliance partnership facilitates unique opportunities for students to conduct research with nationally recognized faculty who are the frontiers of their disciplines. The Alliance s established and evidence-based Summer Research-Early Identification Program (SR-EIP) offers competitive research internships in all academic disciplines at more than 20 member institutions. Faculty mentors note the benefits of mentoring Alliance students both for themselves and the student participants Jason Sello, a Leadership Alliance Doctoral Scholar and newly tenured associate professor in chemistry at Brown University, has hosted undergraduate researchers from his alma mater, Morehouse College. Knowing the value of the SR-EIP to his early academic experience, Sello is making sure more students have this experience. Bringing my Leadership Alliance connection full circle is a way to give back and... seeing the success of the program encourages me to stay involved. Jason Sello, PhD, Brown University Benson Farb, professor of mathematics at the University of Chicago agrees that the Alliance s SR-EIP plays not only an important role in the development of minority students for graduate school but also in the recruitment of these students to Chicago s PhD programs. Summer research experiences in mathematics are hard to come by, so we are able to get outstanding students with whom we train and build personal relationships. This makes it more likely that they will apply to our program, that they will be admitted to our program, that they will accept an offer of admission, and that they will be successful once they are here. Benson Farb, PhD, University of Chicago 6

9 ... to enhance academic and professional development growth With support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Alliance has expanded the number of summer participants interested in the humanities and social sciences. Eleven Alliance institutions comprise the Leadership Alliance Mellon Initiative (LAMI) cohort and support a variety of activities and resources across institutional programs to stimulate research discussions, networking and entry into graduate school. Harvard University hosted the Humanities and Social Sciences Day, bringing together social science and humanities program participants from Harvard, Tufts, Yale, Columbia, New York University, University of Pennsylvania, Princeton and Brown. Students shared research interests and discussed strategies for pursuing graduate education and academic careers. LAMI INSTITUTIONS: University of Chicago University of Pennsylvania Washington University in St. Louis New York University Informed by LAMI institutional partners, this new resource is used in professional development and shared on the Alliance website. TIPS ON PREPARING FOR AND APPLYING TO GRADUATE SCHOOL: A Guide For The Social Sciences And Humanities Disciplines Brown University Columbia University Harvard University Princeton University Stanford University Tufts University Yale University Online webinars and the National Symposium allowed students to meet participants at other sites and discuss the topics of their research. My most positive experience was meeting with other students...and learning about their projects. The symposium also helped me to feel like a part of a community of scholars. LAMI participant 7

10 COLLABORATIONS... to provide a resourceful network The Leadership Alliance National Symposium (LANS) is designed to... build trainees confidence in their research communication skills clarify knowledge about applying for and succeeding in various training pathways share information about different academic and career paths experience this learning within a trusted network of peers, role models and senior administrators Each year the LANS assembles undergraduates and reunites alumni who are in graduate training programs and alumni who have completed doctoral training programs. Comments from LANS participants describe a supportive learning community that motivates, inspires and encourages each participant to persist and pursue their academic and career goals. The LANS ALWAYS sparks new motivation for me to continue my career path and not to quit and undercut my value and abilities. LANS helps me continue on to strive for more success! My previous LANS experiences tremendously impacted my career trajectory. It was due to my connections at the LANS that I decided to attend graduate school and conversations at these events that kept me encouraged through the grad school experience. These relationships have continued to guide me in my career pursuit and professional development. 8 My attendance as an undergrad encouraged me to apply to grad school. My attendance as a grad student facilitated my desire to enter academia and helped with my professional development.

11 ...to diversify the nation s workforce In less than five years after celebrating its first 100 scholars, the next 100 Doctoral Scholars were featured at LANS The number of SR-EIP participants who go on to complete their PhD or MD-PhD and the Alliance pipeline of these scholars continues to grow... doctoral scholars as of summer PhDs 30 MD-PhDs sr-eip participants currently enrolled in graduate studies 319 in Doctoral programs 152 in Masters programs 324 SR-EIPs will receive undergraduate degrees in the next 3 years 53% of SR-EIPs, on average, continue on to graduate training More about the Alliance s current 276 Doctoral Scholars 55% are African American 40% are Hispanic 71% completed undergraduate degrees at Alliance institutions 19% are Multi-racial 63% are Female 45% completed doctoral degrees at Alliance institutions what their disciplines are... where they are working... their roles in academia... 18% social sciences 14% physical sciences 53% life sciences 46% higher Education 11% industry 11% govt/public 11% admin/ program 30% research/teaching/ technical 59% tenure track 15% humanities 20% postdoc/resident 7% medical/biosciences 5% other 9

12 Profile of SR-EIP 2012 Participants 217 Participants undergraduate race 60% Female 39% Hispanic 25% white 35% black/african american 67% Seniors 24% Juniors 24% multi-racial 6% asian 9% Sophomore 6% not reported 2% pacific islander/ hawaiian 2% native american/ alaskan undergraduate discipline 41% life sciences 34% humanities & social sciences 12% math, engineering, computer science 10% physical sciences 3% other 38% of SR-EIP 2012 participants reported being first generation college students 28% qualified for federal loans 38% were Pell recipients 10

13 Financial Highlights In 2012, the Alliance outlined a new financial plan to review budget priorities and plan resources for the next three years. The plan incorporated a new differentiated membership fee structure as well as recommendations for increased partnerships with corporate and private sectors and extended faculty collaborations across member institutions. Funding for Alliance programs is provided through institutional resources and membership fees, grant awards from federal agencies and private foundations, private gifts and conference fees. Expenditures focus predominantly on programming for undergraduates and continued professional development and networking for graduate student and Doctoral Scholar alumni, partnership development, evaluation and central office operations. fy12 alliance revenue ($3,154,679) 5% conference fees 50% institutional 11% private gifts/ sponsorship 9% federal/private grant awards 25% membership fy12 alliance expenditures ($2,464,877) 62% sr-eip 21% lans, professional development, networking 12% operational 3% partnership development 2% evaluation/research 11

14 Shared Governance The institutional and organizational members of the Leadership Alliance and the Executive Office work collaboratively to carry out the mission of the Alliance to establish programs and policies to support the mission, create and implement the strategic plan, and stimulate support and ongoing advancement of Alliance goals. LEADERSHIP ALLIANCE COORDINATORS Brooklyn College Louise Hainline Professor of Psychology Brown University Jabbar Bennett Associate Dean Graduate School Chaminade University of Honolulu Patricia M. Lee-Robinson Associate Provost and Director of the Office of Student Opportunities Claflin University Roosevelt Ratliff, Jr. Assistant Vice President for Leadership Development Columbia University Carlos Alonso Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences Cornell University Laurel Southard Director of Undergraduate Research Dartmouth College F. Jon Kull Dean, Graduate Studies Dillard University John E. Wilson Co-Director, Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center Harvard University Sheila Thomas Assistant Dean for Diversity and Minority Affairs Howard University Wayne A. I. Frederick Provost and Chief Academic Officer Hunter College John Rose Dean for Diversity & Compliance Johns Hopkins University William Egginton Vice Dean for Graduate Programs Montana State University Julian Collins Director of AIRO Program Morehouse College Anne Watts Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs Morgan State University Pamela Scott-Johnson Interim Dean, College of Liberal Arts New York University Debra Szybinski Executive Director, Office of Faculty Resources/Faculty Resource Network Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research Anastacia Berzat Scientific Program Manager Princeton University Karen Jackson-Weaver Associate Dean for Academics and Diversity Spelman College Cynthia Neal Spence Associate Professor, Sociology and Director, UNCF/Mellon Programs Stanford University Chris Golde Associate Vice Provost for Graduate Education Tougaloo College Candice Love Jackson Associate Provost/Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Tufts University Yvette Dalton-McCoy Associate Director, Graduate Diversity Programs University of Chicago William A. McDade Deputy Provost for Research and Minority Issues University of Colorado Boulder Mark Hernandez Professor, Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering University of Maryland, Baltimore County Earnestine Baker Assistant to the Vice President, Institutional Advancement, and Executive Director, Meyerhoff Scholarship Program University of Miami Michael S. Gaines Professor of Biology and Assistant Provost of Undergraduate Research ad Community Outreach University of Pennsylvania Arnaldo Diaz Associate Director Recruitment & Special Programs, BGS Adjunct Assistant Professor of Pharmacology University of Puerto Rico Luis Raul Camara Dean, Academic Affairs University of Virginia Cheryl Apprey Director, Graduate Student Diversity Programs Vanderbilt University Don C. Brunson Assistant Dean, Graduate School Washington University in St. Louis Shelley Milligan Associate Provost Xavier University of Louisiana Gary Donaldson Chair, American History Yale University Michelle Nearon Assistant Dean and Director of the Office for Diversity and Equal Opportunity 12

15 Leadership Alliance Members INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERS Brooklyn College Brown University Chaminade University of Honolulu Claflin University Columbia University Cornell University Dartmouth College Dillard University Harvard University Howard University Hunter College Johns Hopkins University Montana State University-Bozeman Morehouse College Morgan State University New York University Princeton University Spelman College Stanford University Tougaloo College Tufts University University of Chicago University of Colorado Boulder University of Maryland, Baltimore County University of Miami University of Pennsylvania University of Puerto Rico University of Virginia Vanderbilt University Washington University in St. Louis Xavier University of Louisiana Yale University ASSOCIATE MEMBER Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research

16 Executive Office 133 Waterman Street Box 1963 Providence, RI