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DOCUMENT RESUME ED 365 198 HE 026 989 AUTHOR Aguirre, Adalberto, Jr.; Martinez, Ruben O. TITLE Summer Reading Opportunity Programs. Voices and Visions of Success in Pursuit of the Ph.D. Enhancing the Minority Presence in Graduate Education V. INSTITUTION Council of Graduate Schools, Washington, DC. SPONS AGENCY Ford Foundation, New York, N.Y. REPORT NO ISSN-0884-0040 PUB DATE 93 CONTRACT RI88062014 NOTE 118p.; A title in the Enhancing the Minority Presence in Graduate Education series edited by Nancy A. Gaffney. For other titles in the series, see ED 327 083 and ED 356 694-696. AVAILABLE FROMCouncil of Graduate Schools, One Dupont Circle, N.W., Suite 430, Washington, DC 20036 ($12.50 members; $16.50 nonmembers). PUB TYPE Information Analyses ERIC Clearinghouse Products (071) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC05 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Academic Achievement; *Academic Aspiration; American Indians; Black Students; College Faculty; College Students; Doctoral Degrees; *Graduate Students; Graduate Study; Higher Education; Hispanic Americans; *Institutes (Training Programs); Student Motivation; *Summer Programs; Teacher Student Relationship IDENTIFIERS Howard University DC; Purdue University IN; Stanford University CA; *Summer Research Opportunity Programs; Temple University PA; University of California Los Angeles ABSTRACT A study was done of Summer Research Opportunity Programs (SROPs) sponsored by graduate schools across the nation to encourage minority undergraduate students to pursue academic careers. Eight United States colleges and universities were selected for the study: Purdue University (Indiana), University of California at Los Angeles, Stanford University (California), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Temple University (Pennsylvania), Cornell University (New York), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Howard Uni-/ersity (District of Columbia). All have SROPs as well as graduate departments that have enrolled alumni of these programs. At each institution two SROP alumni were profiled (one a beginning doctoral student and another advanced candidate), along with at least one faculty member who had served as advocate and mentor to the students, and an administrator who managed the SROP. The report provides narrative summaries of each interview with a photograph of the individual and personal and academic data appearing at the beginning. An appendix is a directory of SROP programs across the nation. 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OERI 001111Orl 0, octhey "....">...,.... .."... 2 Enhancing the Minority Presence in Graduate Education Series Previous Series Titles Enhancing the Minority Presence in Graduate Education I. 1988 Enhancing the Minority Presence in Graduate Education II: Assessing Progress. 1992 Enhancing the Minority Presence in Graduate Education HI: Institutional Partnership Programs. 1992 Enhancing the Minority Presence in Graduate Education IV: Models and Resources for Minority Student Recruitment and Retention. 1992 University Representatives for Minority Graduate Student Recruitment and RetentionDirectory 1992-1994 Nancy A. Gaffney, CGS Editor Copyright 1993 Council of Graduate Schools, Washington, D.C. 3 Enhancing the Minority Presence in Graduate Education V SUMMER RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS Voices and Visions of Success in Pursuit of the Ph.D. gCOUNCIL OF GRADUATE SCHOOLS With Support From The Ford Foundation of Ncw York Margaret Daniels Tyler Dean in Residence 4 TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword UI Abstract Introduction 1 Summer Research Opportunity Programs 3 Seiected Program Profiles 5 Purdue University 7 University of California at Los Angeles 17 Stanford University 29 Massachusetts Institute of Technology 39 Temple University 51 Cornell University 63 University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 73 Howard University 83 Commencenient 93 Appendix 95 SROP Directory 95 Credits 119 11- FOREWORD Undergraduate students who have the opportunity to participate directly in research often find the experience a pivotal one in their consideration of what kind of career to pursue. For many, it is the first experience to work with faculty outside of the classroom, and thc enthusiasm for research, coupled with tbeidea of being a colleague and making a contribution to the solution of an interesting problem, are stimulating and thought-pro- voking. Students who have had no idea of what it means to do research find themselves seriously considering going to graduate school to prepare for a research career. Their faculty mentors play a vital role in getting them on the fiat track, and in many cases, even- tually serve as their graduate advisors. The only way to really sense the dynamic nature of this processthe uncertainties, the new relationships, the introspection, the triumphs, and the satisfaction of achievingis to listen to what the participants have to say about their experiences. That is what this hook is about.Itis a tribute to the dedication of those whose stories you will read, and we hope it will be an inspiration for others to follow in their footsteps. Jules B. LaPidus President Council of Graduate Schools 1993 ABSTRACT The number of African American. Mexican American. Native American (Alaskan Natives and American Indian), and Puerto Rican students who enter Ph.D. programs is alarmingly low, the result of a confluence of factors at successive points along their educational pathways. In 1992, as an example. American Indians earned fewer than one percent of the doctorates in any science or engineering field: Blacks as well as Hispanics earned fewer than four percent of the doctorates in these fields.This situation, when viewed in the context of demographic growth projections for these groups, is especially disturbing to those educators and policy makers committed to equity in higher education. In the last decade, there has been considerable growth in the number of Summer Research Opportunity Programs (SROP) sponsored by graduate schools across the nation as part of their efforts to encourage young students of color to pursue academic careers. SROP initiatives identify students during their undergraduate programs to encourage them to pursue graduate degrees. The model involves a variety of strategies, includine hands-on research under the guidance and direction of a faculty mentor. Many of the proerams that began in or before 1986 have flourished, and are now poised to yield the fruits of their laborPh.D. recipients. Eight United States colleges and universities, representing diverse graduate institutions, were selected for this study. All of these institutions have SROP's as well as graduate departments that have enrolled the alumni of these programs. At each institution, two SROP alumni are profiled (one beginning doctoral student and another advanced candidate), along with at least one faculty member who has served as an advocate and mentor to the students, and an administrator who manages the SROP. SROP initiatives represent the tangible commitment of faculty and staff to catalyze interest and ffixpand opportunities for students of color while simultaneously building personal and institutional relationships that should secure pathways for these students while pursuing the Ph.D. Knowledge about the values and experience of SROP participants will help to inform current practice. In addition, the current emphasis on the identifica- tion of students with ability will be broadened to include the development of students' ability through exposure, encouragement. and effort. These profiles illustrate that there are students of color who arc successfully negotiating the highest level of the educational process. Their stories, along with accounts from the faculty and administrators who believe in the potential of these students and programs, are captured in this publicltion. This repoil is distinguished by the fact that the storywill he told largely through the voices of SROP participants. their mentors, and program administrators.It is intended to provide an additional dimension to a debate which has primarily rested on numerical and statistical foundations. INTRODUCTION An examination of demographic and economic data, a thorough review of research in the field, and some expert opinions suggest a shortage of well-educated professionals and academicians of color as the new millennium approaches. The percentage of faculty from these underrepresented groups has barely changed over the last twenty years, and currently comprises six percent of the faculty at institutions of higher education. To date. most of the research that has been done and much of the discussion in academic circles on the topic of students of color in graduate programs has centered on quantitative data. Gloomy projections based on the number, proportion, and yield of these students filters through the popular media, and adds to the general perception of failure and frustration of students of color in the American higher education system. The limited visibility of posi- tive images

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