CUSPLaura McGeehanKathy ReddDawn Loyola

University of California, Riverside

https://cnasgrad.ucr.edu/cusp

As an institution physically located in Southern California, we at UCR would like to respectfully acknowledge and recognize our responsibility to the original and current caretakers of this land, water, and air: the Cahuilla, Tongva, Luiseño, and Serrano peoples and all of their ancestors and descendants, past, present, and future. Today this meeting place is home to many Indigenous peoples from all over the world, including UCR faculty, students, and staff, and we are grateful to have the opportunity to live and work on these homelands. Please take a moment to acknowledge and reflect on the Native, Aboriginal, and Indigenous peoples of your area from which you are physically joining us today. If you are unfamiliar with the original and current caretakers of the land, water, and air from your area, we highly encourage you to take the time to self-educate, reflect, and listen to these histories.

Our CUSP Team

UC Riverside is a Hispanic Serving University (HSI)

• Most diverse UC campus• #1 in Social Mobility• Growing Our Own

Initiatives

UCR is Most Diverse UC Campus at the UG level

UCR’s diversity is not reflected at the grad level

(Estrada et al., 2016)

National data: Declining percentage of URM individuals in STEM along pipeline to professoriate

(Estrada et al., 2016)

CUSP

National data: Declining percentage of URM individuals in STEM along pipeline to professoriate

Literature review indicates that URM students benefit from Career Mentoring

● Additional career mentoring beyond the research mentoring from the PhD advisor○ culturally appropriate mentoring○ address URM issues

● Also need for professional development activities○ imposter phenomenon○ microaggressions

CUSP: Plugging the Leak in Pipeline at PhD Level

• CUSP: Career Mentoring for Underrepresented STEM Students for the Professoriate• UC-HSI Doctoral Diversity

Initiative• Mentoring and career

development• URM STEM Ph.D. candidates• Aligns with mission of UCR

and other UCOP initiatives• Growing Our Own

CUSP: Career Mentoring of Underrepresented STEM Students for the Professoriate

1 on 1 career development mentoring from a faculty mentor who is not the research advisor (PI).

Membership in SACNAS and travel to National Diversity in STEM Conference.

Professional development workshops

Scholar summer stipend of $4000 and Faculty Mentor summer stipend of $1250

Individual Development Plan (IDP) Networking opportunities

Individual Development Plan(IDP)

https://myidp.sciencecareers.org/

Training at Kick-off event

CUSP Spring Workshop Series

• Unconscious Bias• Faculty panels from

on- and off-campus• Job skills• Work-life balance• and much more

Participation in National STEM Meeting● Summer stipend to

fund scholar research

● Apply and present research

●Fully funded travel●Networking

CUSP Scholar Eligibility

• College of Natural & Agricultural Sciences (CNAS) • Advanced to candidacy as of program start date• At least 1 full year left until graduation (will be

enrolled in the program period)• Commitment to career in the professoriate• Commitment to diversity• Self-identify as URM

https://cnasgrad.ucr.edu/cusp

Scholar ApplicantDemographics

• # of Applicants: 25• # of Eligible Applicants: 14• # of Grad Programs: 13

Criteria for Faculty Career Mentors

• From a STEM fieldCollege of Natural and Ag SciencesCollege of EngineeringSchool of MedicinePsychology

• A record of successful mentoring (particularly URM) students

• Commitment to diversifying the professoriate

https://cnasgrad.ucr.edu/cusp

Faculty Career Mentor ApplicantInformation

• Number of Faculty Applicants: 44

CUSP Scholars and Mentors

Clarissa Rodriguez

CUSP Scholar

Plant BiologyGraduate Program

Claudia Castro

CUSP Scholar

Plant PathologyGraduate Program

Valerie Carranza

CUSP Scholar

EnvironmentalSciences

Dr. Peter Homyak

CUSP Mentor

EnvironmentalSciences

Dr. Quinn McFrederick

CUSP Mentor

Entomology

Dr. Juliet Morrison

CUSP Mentor

Microbiology & Plant Pathology

Accomplishments• Launched CUSP website

• Launched ad campaign

• Selection and matching of Scholars and Mentors

• Administered pre-survey

• Transition to virtual environment

• Offered 10 week workshop series

Pre-Survey Results - ScholarsStudents were:

● confident in their knowledge of the process of obtaining a postdoc● not confident in their knowledge of how to obtain and succeed in a

tenure-track faculty position● Seeking mentoring in obtaining an appropriate postdoc and then a

faculty position

Pre-Survey Results - Mentors

Challenges mentoring URM students

● lack of support from those in positions of power

● confronting their own unconscious biases

● being honest about challenges faced by URM students - all the “isms”

Beneficial mentoring practices shared

● Build strong relationships● set clear goals and expectations● listen and hear student

perspectives● honestly share their own

experiences and how they confronted problems

Successes

• Grant planning committee• Mentors and Scholars established positive, ongoing relationships•Workshop evaluations overwhelmingly positive• All Scholars and Associates awarded travel grants for SACNAS• Student research almost ready for presentation at SACNAS in Fall 2021• Leveraged existing connections to create workshop series at very low cost• Extension of program to Associates and Informal Mentors

Barriers to Success

• Staffing is small, with lots of work for everyone• No budget for staff member in grant• Small cohort makes it difficult to draw statistically significant

conclusions• Move to virtual environment limited some cohort-building

activities• Lack of funding for Associates & Informal Mentors

Lessons Learned• There is a demand for this type of mentoring program• The need for mentoring training for faculty a common

theme• Contacts made on- and off-campus for workshops will help

in future• Different method for matching mentors and scholars• Proactively schedule mentor/mentee meetings to ensure

they happen• Build in funding for staff support• Scholars not sure if IDP is as effective as we hoped

Future Plans

• Send out post survey to mentors and scholars and review results; was there growth and learning?

• 2nd year of CUSP• Ask current mentees to help publicize program• Expand mentor training/Online training for mentors

• Apply for funding for longer-term, larger program?

Acknowledgements

CUSP Grant CommitteeUC-HSI Doctoral Diversity Initiative

Questions

ReferencesBlockett, R. A., Felder, P. P., Parrish, W., & Collier, J. (2016). Pathways to the professoriate: exploring black doctoral student socialization and the pipeline to the academic profession. The Western Journal of Black Studies, 40(2), 95-110.Brommer, C. L., & Eisen, A. (2006). FIRST: a model for increasing quality minority participation in the sciences from the undergraduate to the professoriate level. Journal of Women and Minorities in Science and Engineering, 12, 35-46.Bryant, C. J., Hilton, A. A., & Green, P. A. (2016). Mentoring as professional develChubin, D. E. (2007). Voices of the future: African-American PhD candidates in the sciences. In R. J. Burke & M. C. Mattis (Eds.), Women and minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics: Upping the numbers: Edward Elgar Publishing.Davis, D. J. (2008). Mentorship and the socialization of underrepresented minorities into the professoriate: examining varied influences. Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnerships in Learning, 16(3), 278-293. doi:10.1080/136112602231666National Science Board. (2018). Science and Engineering Indicators 2018. Alexandria, VA.Williams, S. N., Thakore, B. K., & McGee, R. (2017). Providing social support for underrepresented racial and ethnic minority Ph.D. students in the biomedical sciences: a career coaching model. CBE - Life Sciences Education, 16(64), 1-12.