University of Kentucky
PAE-9: Support Programs for Future Faculty

The University of Kentucky has a number of programs that are directed towards building a diverse faculty in higher education. Among these are: 1. The Graduate School. a. The Graduate School’s Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program, rooted in a national initiative of the mid 1990s, provides a set of courses and workshops for graduate students who are seeking a comprehensive preparation for a faculty career. The program acquaints students with the dynamics of faculty work and the wide diversity of institutional types and cultures in which faculty serve; offers mentoring and teaching experiences on-site at institutions large and small in the region and beyond; and helps aspiring faculty seek the best institutional fit. A diverse faculty from numerous institutions serve as visiting lecturers, panelists, and on-site mentors. Students self-select into the courses and workshops and represent a wide range of disciplines and cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Of the 26 doctoral and 4 master’s students representing 18 academic disciplines enrolled in the current Preparing Future Faculty course (GS 650), 2 are students of color, 5 are international, 14 are women, and 16 are first-generation. This class profile represents recent trends in the PFF program toward increased diversity in multiple areas. b. The Graduate School participates in the SREB Doctoral Scholars program, providing opportunities to assist highly qualified minorities and women to acquire doctoral degrees in fields where they are underrepresented. The Graduate School of the University of Kentucky works with the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE) as it seeks to continue to strengthen our efforts to increase the number of minorities and women earning doctorates. c. Working with the Southern Region Education Board (SREB), since 1998 the Council has helped our University enable over 40 students pursue their doctorates in over 18 disciplines to include Pharmaceutical Science, Integrated Biological Sciences, Clinical Psychology, Economics, and English. Twenty-seven of those who have or who are participating are women. One of those women became the first African American woman to receive a doctorate in Bio-Medical Engineering and went on to work for NASA. Two of the former students are currently serving as faculty at our university. In light of budget constraints we have had to limit the number of scholars selected each year. We are pleased, in spite of that this year we were able to select our first scholar of Latino descent. 2. The College of Arts and Sciences. In A&S, efforts to build a diverse faculty are focused on the faculty and not on graduate students and undergraduates. More specifically, a. The faculty search process is designed to maximize diversity. We hold workshops on the topic, have designed a multiple Form system that requires considerations of diversity to enter all stages of the process, and make use of special opportunity situations. b. We have peer mentoring systems for African-American and Hispanic untenured faculty. We used to have one for women faculty but the number of our women faculty have grown greatly. c. The College has instituted a Diversity Board, with Department Liaisons, that attends to diversity issues pertaining to the faculty. d. This Diversity Board has instituted programs to facilitate the research and teaching of faculty from under-represented groups. e. The College has tried to strengthen the program and offerings in African-American and Africana Studies, which plays a large role in the lives of African-American and other Black faculty especially in the humanities and sciences. The College has also encouraged and financially supported efforts to bring together its Hispanic faculty. 3. The Gatton College of Business and Economics. A number of sustainability efforts are directed towards doctoral level students. Teaching Experiences 10% of Gatton College Doctoral students are from minority groups and all receive Teaching Assistantships initially guaranteed for four years (subject to academic progress) with the possibility of a 5th year if the student shows exceptional academic ability and promise for placement at a high level research university. As Teaching Assistants they are assigned to individual faculty members for mentoring and supervision of their teaching duties. By graduation they have considerable classroom experience. They are also encouraged to participate in the “Preparing Future Faculty” seminars and programs organized by the Graduate School. The Gatton College Teaching Methods in Business Course (BA/ECO 700), which is a required course for all doctoral students is designed to prepare new TA’s for their teaching duties and to give insights into contemporary pedagogical research and methods. Mentoring and Support The relatively small size of the programs (Business Administration and Economics) allows for minority doctoral students to receive individualized attention from departmental faculty. The Gatton College is a longtime member of the Ph.D. Project www.phdproject.org founded in 1994 by KPMG to encourage and assist African American, American Hispanic, and American Indian minorities to embark on doctoral level studies in business and accounting with the goal of increasing the diversity of business faculties at US academic institutions. Specialized summer institutes, and an annual conference for doctoral students are a feature of the Ph.D. Project which also provides student funding for these opportunities. Student participants have access to a newsletter and a network of their peers, Ph.D. Project administrators and program alumni for further support, advice and encouragement. Our students have taken advantage of this program and speak highly of the quality of the experience. Recruitment Through the Ph.D. Project participating university business programs also receive information on upcoming graduates for potential minority faculty recruitment and an annual list of potential student recruits from all over the US who will be attending a November recruitment conference. Each year the Gatton College sends representatives to meet with these individuals, several have been recruited and have gone on to successful completion of the doctoral degree and faculty positions at US universities. 4. COLLEGE OF NURSING has a number of academic enrichment options for undergraduate Nursing students who are mentored by Nursing faculty. The undergraduate program in the College of Nursing has 3 enrichment options for high performing students with a minimum 3.0 cum and nursing GPA. The focus of the internships is on nursing research, practice, or teaching. A student prospectus with learning outcomes is developed each semester with the faculty mentor. Undergraduate Nursing Research Internship (1 semester credit hour = 4 hours of practicum each week) Research Interns are actively involved in nursing research. They say that hands-on participation in a study makes research “come alive” for them. With the project’s principal investigators as their mentors, research interns begin to understand what “evidence-based practice” really means. Students can begin as early as sophomore year in the professional nursing program and continue as a research intern until graduation. The outcomes have been remarkable including publications in peer reviewed journals and presentations at national and international conferences. The UK CON research internship received the 2009 American Academy of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) award for Innovations in Professional Nursing Education. Undergraduate Nursing Practice Internship (1 credit hour each semester for 4 semesters) Nursing Practice Interns is a 4-semesters seminar and practicum format that provide opportunities for in-depth study of clinical practice and promote professional development as future nurse leaders. Students work with a practice mentor to develop their capstone project. Undergraduate Nursing Skills Lab Internship (1 semester credit hour each semester = 4 hours of practicum each week) Nursing Skills Lab Interns are upper class students interested in teaching. During their work with undergraduate students, the interns apply adult learning principles in helping nursing students to practice and master basic nursing skills.