The University of New Mexico |
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PRESS RELEASE
Contact : Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821, scarr@unm.edu
October 12, 2005
UNM RECEIVES NIH PREP GRANT DESIGNED TO HELP MINORITIES SUCCEED IN GRADUATE STUDIES
The University of New Mexico has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to help support post-baccalaureate research and education (PREP). The three-year, $856,000 PREP grant will support six minority scholars the first year, eight the second and 10 in the third year. The program is aimed at recruiting students who recently graduated in biomedical or engineering programs but have not yet committed to continuing their education.
“This is a really exciting NIH funded program and follows on the heels, and is totally complementary, to other highly successful research and education programs at UNM,” said Chemistry Associate Professor and Program Director Jim Brozik. “The program is designed to help minority students that have recently graduated with a baccalaureate degree from a biomedical science or engineering program.”
The goals for the PREP program include identifying a cadre of qualified post-baccalaureate scholars, specifically minority BS/BA graduates, who chose to postpone graduate studies and to recruit them into the PREP program before they give up the idea of pursuing a graduate level career; provide these scholars with research and training opportunities that will give them the skills, confidence and time needed to prepare for graduate studies; and facilitate application and acceptance into a biomedical related graduate program.
“UNM, the NIH and many other governmental agencies and state institutions across the country are keenly aware that a baccalaureate degree from a biomedical related science or math program is no guarantee of acceptance into a graduate program or a job offer in the private sector,” said Brozik. “Moreover, many students with BS/BA degrees in science or math will never work or attend graduate school in a field related to their undergraduate studies. The reasons for this are as varied as there are individuals who fall into this category.”
Brozik says UNM and many other academic institutions are currently not structured to serve post-baccalaureate students who are not officially enrolled in graduate school and, therefore, many-especially minority students-will simply fall through this gap.
“Our PREP program specifically targets those students who have decided to postpone application to a Ph.D. program for a variety of individual well thought out reasons. The program will fill the gap for as many as 24 underrepresented minority students between receiving a baccalaureate degree and entering graduate school in a biomedical related field,” he said. “Our PREP program will provide a meaningful, focused and personalized experience that is designed to provide a seamless transition from a BS/BA degree to entrance into a Ph.D. program.”
Theresa Lopez, of the PROFOUND office and the program coordinator for the new PREP program, and will work closely with other campus programs such as the Initiative for Minority Student Development (IMSD), Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC), McNair, Research Opportunity Program, NMMESA, PURSUE, Upward Bound and others, and state programs such as Alliance for Minority Participation or AMP program.
Other key on-campus laboratories that have used the PROFOUND office to hire undergraduate researchers that would also qualify as a PREP scholar after graduating with a BA/BS degree will also be utilized.
Several important recruiting strategies have been developed for appropriate candidates to the PREP program including: personal recruitment by faculty, who have come to know the students as undergraduates in their classes, and have received information through flyers and by e-mail about the program and application procedures; information (brochure and application materials) that is distributed by e-mail, and face-to-face by the PREP program coordinator, who will meet with participants from other UNM undergraduate programs; and information that is posted on the PROFOUND web site, which is frequently consulted by students across campus who are seeking a research laboratory appointment, as well as a link on the web home-page of each relevant department.
A brochure that describes the PREP program and application information will be created and sent by e-mail to faculty in relevant departments at UNM and to undergraduate students on list serves of relevant departments at UNM and participating in various training programs. Relevant departments and student development offices at other institutions in the New Mexico and the Four Corners region will also be targeted.
The PREP program is complementary to similar programs at UNM such as the IMSD program, coordinated by Professor Maggie Werner-Washburne, and the MARC program, directed by Professor Mary Anne Nelson, both of the Biology Department.
“We anticipate that UNM's PREP program will have a big impact on minority enrollment and success in graduate studies and will specifically target those students who typically slip through the cracks by putting off graduate school for a year or two,” said Brozik.
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