Arizona State University
PAE-9: Support Programs for Future Faculty

The Graduate Student Programs office emphasizes its focus on Graduate Recruitment, Development of Interdisciplinary Programs, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) initiatives. The Graduate Student Programs office aids academic units in improving the quality of their programs to promote their success in the national collegiate arena with the objective of making their programs more visible to prospective students, faculty and graduate alumni. The primary mission is to provide assistance with and oversight of graduate recruitment, fellowships, and other aspects of graduate students’ non-academic services. Science Foundation of Arizona (SFAz) provides up to two years of financial support for first year doctoral students in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. It is a competitive fellowship and new doctoral students must be nominated by their Academic Unit (AU) for the award. Each year of the award carries a $25,000 personal stipend plus a $5,000 supplemental allowance to funding research and related expenses. Full tuition is also covered by the fellowship. Second year support is contingent upon outstanding performance and progress toward the degree. Reach for the Stars (RFTS) is a graduate fellowship designed to support Arizona residents and students pursuing a master’s degree, who are underrepresented in their field of study. The department nominates students newly admitted to a master’s program at Arizona State University. The Graduate College supports the RFTS Fellows with a $15,000 stipend and resident tuition during the first year of their master’s program. The student’s Academic Unit (AU) provides student health insurance for the first year. In the second year, the fellow’s academic unit will provide them with a Teaching Assistantship (TA) or Research Assistantship (RA), or financial equivalent. The Doctoral Enrichment Fellowship (DEF) is a graduate fellowship designed to support underrepresented students in their field of study. The department nominates students in the first year of their doctoral program. The Graduate College supports the DEF Fellows during the first year of their doctoral degree program with a $17,000 stipend, resident tuition, and non-resident fee award (if applicable). The student’s AU provides student health insurance in the first year. In the second year, the fellow’s academic unit will provide them with a TA or RA position, or financial equivalent. The Diversity across the Curriculum (DAC) Seminar Series consists of roundtable discussions, presentations, and a speaker series, designed to increase understanding of the diversity of research at ASU and to promote networking within the ASU community across disciplines. DAC provides an opportunity for graduate students, funded by the Graduate College, to master his/her ability to communicate with the public and with their own colleagues on a variety of topics regarding all aspects of their graduate research experience. The Social and Academic Mentoring (SAM) Program matches Arizona State University’s prospective, new, and continuing students with advanced graduate students to help acclimatize the new students to graduate education at ASU. The purpose of the SAM Mentorship is to support academic success and professional development. SAM also supports the development of peer-to-peer mentorship in established ASU student support services and student organizations that promote the graduate school agenda. The Graduate College employs SAM Mentors to be placed in academic settings that specialize in increasing diversity (i.e., The Department of Transborder Chicana/o and Latina/o Studies, American Indian Studies Program, African-American Studies Program). The SAM Mentor is briefed by Graduate College staff on SAM responsibilities and expectations. The SAM mentors may commit from 3-10 hours per week for the semester or academic year. Shades is multicultural peer mentoring program where underrepresented students in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines are mentors for each other, employing multi-level mentoring. Graduate students informally support each other as they work together, and as they mentor undergraduates. The Graduate College has complete supervision of the Shades application process for mentors and mentees. The Graduate College assigns a mentorship based on the submitted applications. The Graduate College monitors the mentorship, guaranteeing that the social and academic goals are maintained. The website URL where more information about the program(s) is available: http://graduate.asu.edu/node/637