About Us
The alliance includes five, PhD-granting institutions in the STEM fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (Texas A&M University, Prairie View A&M University, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi, Texas A&M University-Kingsville, and West Texas A&M University). It also includes six additional collaborating institutions (Tarleton State University, Texas A&M International University in Laredo, Texas A&M–San Antonio, Texas A&M –Texarkana, Texas A&M–Commerce and Texas A&M- Central Texas).
The Alliance provides activities and financial support to facilitate your participation in scholarly and professional skill development activities, development of community and co-mentoring networks, participation in research conferences, securing of multi-institutional research mini-grants, and participation- and performance-based retention bonuses.
The Alliance will operate as one cohesive unit to: 1) develop a robust cyber-enabled social and virtual infrastructure; 2) use existing Texas A&M University System Graduate Faculty infrastructure to allow graduate faculty at one TAMU System university to participate on the graduate committee and act as co-advisor for students at another System university; 3) use existing TAMUS administrative structures and communication technologies to coordinate AGEP activities with local STEM efforts and strategize on institutionalization of successful AGEP activities; 4) leverage existing Texas A&M System Pathways to the Doctorate program to facilitate fellowships among AGEP students and promote collaborative research of colleagues across the TAMUS; and 5) develop a multi-level, highly engaged mentoring structure.
Execution of these approaches will generate: 1) a replicable, transportable, and evidence-based model for sustainable strategies to remove barriers to participation and success of STEM URM doctoral students on their path to the professoriate; 2) infrastructure integrating TAMUS activities that will enable the future expansion of this model to additional interdisciplinary themes, thus expanding the impact of this approach; and 3) multiple paths to academic careers for URM STEM students by their obtaining the skills needed for academic positions in research-intensive as well as teaching-intensive universities, depending on their preference.
The Alliance’s overarching goal will be implemented through the five programmatic objectives. These objectives are: 1) Increase the number of URM studentsentering doctoral programs; 2) Reduce the average time to degree for the TAMUS AGEP Alliance URM doctoral students, and increase the percentage of students completing their doctoral degree programs; 3) Provide the AGEP Alliance students with the preparation necessary to compete for faculty positions and increase the number of URMs transitioning from Ph.D. programs to faculty positions.; 4) Foster TAMUS research collaborations to support Alliance wide collaboration withUG, master’s, and Ph.D. student researchers.
Dr. Adrienne Carter-Sowell, Assistant Professor in Department of Psychology and Africana Studies, will lead the Social Science research project. The Social Science research project will focus on examining the impact of experiences of exclusion on the success of URM STEM graduate students and ways to promote retention through strategies that promote inclusion.
This NSF-funded AGEP program includes a directive as stated in NSF 12-554 (http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2012/nsf12554/nsf12554.htm) that the program “must focus on underrepresented minority, U.S. citizens in STEM graduate education, and/or postdoctoral training, and their preparation for academic STEM careers at all types of institutions of higher education.” The National Science Foundation’s AGEP program is committed to the national goal of increasing the numbers of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders (URMs), including URMs with disabilities entering and completing graduate education and postdoctoral training to levels representative of the available pool of URMs.
Principal and Co-Principal Investigators
Texas A&M University
Dr. Karen Butler-Purry, Associate Provost for Graduate and Professional Studies
Dr. Adrienne Carter-Sowell, Assistant Professor of Psychology and Africana Studies
Dr. Marcetta Y. Darensbourg, Distinguished Professor, Chemistry Department
Dr. Cesar O. Malave, Professor and Holder of the Sugar and Mike Barnes Head Chair
Dr. David Reed, Professor and Associate Dean for Graduate Programs and Faculty Developmen
Prairie View A&M University
Dr. Gloria Regisford, Professor of Biology
Dr. Laura E. Carson, Research Scientist
Dr. Pamela Obiomon, Associate Professor and Interim Department Head
Dr. Ruby Stevens-Morgan, Assistant Director of institutional Research
Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi
Dr. Richard Coffin, Department Chair and Professor of the College of Science and Technology
Dr. Naehr Thomas, Associate Dean for College of Graduate Studies
Dr. Xavier Gonzales, Visiting Instructor Assistant Professor of Department of Life Sciences
Texas A&M University-Kingsville
Dr. Linda Challoo, Associate Dean of Research & Graduate Studies
Dr. Rajab Challoo, Chairman and Professor of Electrical Engineering
Dr. Alvaro Martinez, Professor of Environmental Engineering
Dr. Shad D. Nelson, Department Chair and Professor of Horticulture/Soil Science
Dr. Jianhong Ren, Associate Professor and Interim Associate Dean
West Texas A&M University
Dr. Angela Spaulding, Vice President for Research and Compliance, Dean of Graduate School
Dr. Pamela Lockwood, Professor of Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics
Program Coordinator
Dr. Rhonda Fowler