Initiative for Maximizing Student Diversity

描述(由申请人提供)：范德比尔特大学修订后的IMSD续签建议旨在帮助更多弱势少数群体进入科学职业生涯。我们已经完全设计了我们的提案，将重点放在对那些被我们的研究生课程录取的学生的支持和指导上。正如当初申请国际管理科学学院时所设想的那样，在许多少数族裔学生在教育机构、学习策略以及对实验室教学和科学文献的严重依赖等方面感到非常陌生的新环境感到压力和挑战的时候，我们设想的方法是通过提供支持，帮助学生成长为杰出的研究科学家。在这份提案中，我们将在以往经验的基础上，增加一些新的战略来支持我们的学生，特别是在关键的头两年研究生学习中。 这项建议将继续支持和加强我们的活动，以招募和支持少数族裔学生发展的职业生涯。具体地说，这将使我们能够继续促进我们在以下方面的努力：(1)通过积极的招生保持校园中少数族裔学生的数量，(2)为大幅增加和高度集中的指导提供支持，(3)使我们能够在研究生教育阶段对这类学生的职业发展提供重大投资。正如进度报告中概述的那样，我们认为我们在所有这些领域都取得了相当大的进展，我们希望继续实施这一成功的计划，同时不知道总有改进的余地。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The revised IMSD renewal proposal from Vanderbilt University is designed to help increase the number of disadvantaged minorities entering careers in science. We have completely designed our proposal to focus exclusively on support and mentoring for those students who are matriculated in our graduate programs. As in the original application for the IMSD, the approach envisaged is one which facilitates the students' development into outstanding research scientists by providing support at a time when many minority students feel stressed and challenged by what is often a highly unfamiliar new environment in terms of the educational institution, the learning strategies, and the heavy dependence on laboratory instruction and the scientific literature. In this proposal we will build upon our previous experience to add a number of dramatically new strategies to support our students, especially in the critical first two years of graduate study. This proposal will continue to support and enhance our activities to recruit and support the developing careers of minority students. Specifically, it will allow us to continue to facilitate our efforts in the following areas: (1) maintaining the number of minority students on campus through aggressive recruiting, (2) providing the support for dramatically increased and highly focused mentoring, (3) allowing us to make a major investment in supporting the developing careers of such students during the graduate education phase. As outlined in the progress report, we believe that we have made considerable gains in all of these areas, and we hope to continue what has been a successful program, while not being unaware that improvements can always be made.