UI awarded grant to support Native American grad STEM students
The University of Idaho College of Graduate Studies has been awarded nearly $600,000 to support the recruitment of American Indian and Alaskan Native graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (or STEM) programs.
This grant was jointly awarded to UI from the National Science Foundation, and UI collaborated with Washington State University, Montana State University and University of Montana to receive and appropriate the additional funding. In total, the team of collegiate institutions received $2.4 million to go toward diversifying their respective graduate study programs — the largest award of its kind the foundation has ever bestowed.
Associate Dean of the College of Graduate Studies Jerry McMurtry, who helped write the proposal, said UI was chosen as part of the team because of its regional vicinity to the other universities, proximity to two different American Indian reservations and the quality of the university’s STEM programs.
“The money that comes from this grant really is going to help UI get out there to these Native schools with our faculty,” McMurtry said. “They can make connections, and UI can be seen as one of the leaders of Native American graduate education.”
He said as one of the two principal investigators of the grant, he wants to “bring faculty and students together embracing Native American needs and concerns.” He also plans to engage with the Native American Student Center to research different recruitment and retention methods.
NASC Director and Nez Perce member Sydel Samuels said 11 Native American graduate students are registered for fall courses as of Sept. 23 — out of 17 applicants and 12 acceptances. She said this fall’s Native graduate student enrollment represents a relatively high watermark because between fall 2011 and spring 2014, the number of Native graduate students registered for classes never ventured into the double digits.
Samuel said UI’s enrollment numbers are fairly consistent with universities across the US.
“These types of programs, and these types of grants are new, and they haven’t been an option in the past,” Samuel said. “National numbers show that in STEM, in postsecondary education and in graduate (education), it’s limited.”
Limited support, services and resources are some of the “barriers and hurdles” that may contribute to low numbers of enrollment nationally, Samuels said.
McMurtry said the first alliance meetings between the universities to make best use of the grant money would begin at the end of October and schools would start to coordinate new recruitment initiatives as early as next semester.
McMurtry said the College of Graduate Studies has made efforts in the past to increase Native enrollment, such as attending the California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education.
“Anytime we can enrich the diversity of our campus, it helps everyone — students and faculty alike,” McMurtry said.
Samuels said NASC has also tried to increase enrollment and retention in in previous years by building connections with nearby tribes.
“It’s our job to get out to the communities and answer any questions,” Samuels said. “From the simplest ‘what classes should I take?’ to ‘what is UI doing to support the Nez Perce tribe and students?”
George Wood Jr. can be reached at [email protected]