This grant provides three years of continued support for the Sloan Scholars Mentoring Network (SSMN), a robust network for alumni of the Foundation’s Minority Ph.D. and UCEM programs (“Sloan Scholars”).  The SSMN serves many important aims. First and foremost, it provides an opportunity for the Sloan Foundation to continue to invest in Sloan Scholars after they have completed graduate study and are transitioning into professional life, thus increasing the likelihood that scholars will stay in STEM careers. Second, the network fosters community amongst scholars, understanding that community connections are especially important to those underrepresented in STEM. Third, the SSMN nurtures mentoring connections between alumni and current scholars—a connection both groups have been eager to engage in. Grants funds will support a strategic mix of workshops, grants, and networking opportunities during the grant period, including an Academic Job Market, a New Faculty Bootcamp, and an awards program that provides more research seed funding, mentoring grants, and travel awards to scholars. Additional activities supported under this grant include an expansion of target populations to include alumni beyond those in academe; strengthened efforts to connect current scholars and alumni; greater coordination and an initiative to expand network activities to include alumni of the Sloan Indigenous Graduate Partnership. All enhancements and adjustments to network activities are informed by feedback received from alumni, current scholars, and the SSMN advisory committee.

This grant supports efforts by the Council of Graduate Schools to provide services to the higher education community in the wake of the United States Supreme Court’s decisions in Students For Fair Admissions v. Harvard and Students For Fair Admissions v. University of North Carolina, two cases challenging the constitutionality of the use of race as one factor in college and university admissions decisions.  Grant funding will allow CGS to understand the ways in which the SCOTUS decisions are impacting graduate admissions and broader graduate education DEI efforts; to educate the graduate community about strategies for pursuing equity in the post-decision environment; and to build consensus about legally sound admissions practices for graduate education across key communities.

This grant supports professional development opportunities for graduate teaching assistants in the biology departments at the University of New Mexico and University of Colorado Denver, with a focus on inclusive teaching practices and equitable campus policy and practice. Under the leadership of Samantha Levine, this pilot program will build on learnings from the Student Experience Project, a national collaborative that engaged over 400 college STEM instructors to implement new equity-focused teaching practices in the classroom and measure subsequent changes in student experience and academic outcomes. Specifically, funds will allow Levine’s team to design and pilot training for 20-25 graduate teaching assistants per campus and design mechanisms that provide participants with course credit and/or payment for their participation. The insights gained from this pilot will be disseminated and used to inform similar programs at other higher education institutions.