This program will use a recently awarded grant for systemic change from the Alfred P. Sloan foundation to recruit and retain highly qualified STEM doctoral students

The Graduate School at the University of Colorado Boulder has a long-standing commitment to supporting the university’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs and to recruiting and preparing the next generation of scientists and engineers. A new grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, which was announced recently, will advance that work further.

The Sloan Center for Systemic Change implementation grant provides funding for the formation of the Sloan Scholars program, a new initiative for doctoral students in certain STEM departments. Through this program, the Graduate School, in partnership with units around campus, will intentionally recruit, enroll and support highly qualified doctoral students as they navigate their way to graduation and beyond.  

Building off work already underway from a previous seed grant to promote systemic change, this program aims to identify and remove entrenched barriers to graduate student success, improve student outcomes, and create educational environments that are more effective and support every graduate student.

“The Graduate School is very excited about the Sloan Scholar program and what this means for our doctoral STEM students,” said E. Scott Adler, dean of the Graduate School, vice provost for graduate affairs and the principal investigator on the grant. “Mentorship, inclusion and student well-being have long been among our priorities, and this grant allows us to improve that access and the services that we offer by cultivating a sustainable framework that we can use for years to come.”

One of the goals of the Sloan Center for Systemic Change implementation grant is to identify and remove existing challenges within doctoral programs that can hamper student success. With this funding, CU Boulder will work with faculty and participating departments to improve pathways and access to support across campus so that graduate students can more confidently navigate the system and earn their degree.

During the initial seed grant from Sloan, six departments—chemical and biological engineering, ecology and evolutionary biology, environmental studies, astrophysical and planetary sciences, integrative physiology and computer science—were provided professional development and planning to strengthen graduate student mentoring in a structured and intentional way, and to identify and remove barriers to student success. They will now play host to the initial Sloan Scholars when they come to campus.

With this new funding from the Sloan Foundation, the Graduate School will also expand that program to more STEM departments.

None of this would have been possible, Adler said, without the support of other units around campus, including the College of Arts and Sciences, the Office of Leadership Support and Programming, the Center for Teaching and Learning and the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

“We’re proud to partner with units across campus to support their work as they help students succeed,” Adler said, adding, “This grant opens up exciting new opportunities, and I’m eager for what we’ll be able to accomplish together.”

More information about the program, including an announcement about the first cohort of students, will be available soon.