The Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP) is a National Science Foundation initiative created by Congress to increase the number of underrepresented (UREP) minority students (African American, Hispanic, American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander) earning PhDs in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). AGEP is particularly interested in increasing the number of minorities who will enter the professoriate in these disciplines.
Each AGEP alliance engages in substantive partnerships to develop and implement innovative models for recruiting, mentoring, and retaining minority students in STEM doctoral programs and helping those interested in academic careers to transition successfully.
The four State University of New York (SUNY) Centers that make-up the SUNY AGEP alliance are: • The University at Albany • Binghamton University • The University at Buffalo • Stony Brook University (which is the lead institution).
We work with partners in various programs, such as the SUNY Louis Stokes Alliance Minority Participation (LSAMP), the New York State funded Graduate Diversity Fellowship, and Brookhaven Science Associates, the organization that runs Brookhaven National Laboratory.
The initial SUNY AGEP grant was awarded in November 1999 for $2.5 million. In 2005, the project was renewed at an impressive $5.6 million to cover Phase II, marking our tenth anniversary this year.
SUNY AGEP seeks to enrich students’ academic experiences by creating an effective network of faculty, students, and administrators who embrace academic excellence and diversity. We provide a wide range of services to underrepresented minority doctoral students STEM fields as well as to the STEM departments and graduate programs.
Our goals include: • Raising awareness within the campus community about the need to address the historical under-representation of minorities in STEM disciplines; • Promoting success of underrepresented minorities in doctoral education and academic careers; • Providing a platform on which to discuss issues related to minority graduate education, and obtaining resources to implement emerging ideas; • Creating an effective network of faculty, students, and administrators who embrace academic excellence and diversity, both on and off-campus; • Facilitating transition from the baccalaureate and masters into the Ph.D.; and also the Ph.D. to postdoc and the professoriate; • Serving as a catalyst for change in practices related to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minorities by examining issues building collaborations, and spearheading new strategies.
