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

1. The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) is a nonprofit organization that aims to improve education in its 16 member states (including Kentucky). The University of Louisville is specifically involved with the SREB-Doctoral Scholars Program, which is committed to increasing faculty diversity. The Doctoral Scholars Program supports a nationwide initiative to produce more minority PhDs and encourages their pursuit of joining the professoriate. The program offers financial support and guidance for doctoral students throughout their studies. UofL participates in SREB’s annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring, which is the largest gathering of minority doctoral scholars in the country. While at the Institute, doctoral students attend workshops designed to assist in their scholarship and prepare them for success as faculty members. UofL’s participants in the Institute have traditionally included students (SREB doctoral scholars), faculty mentors, and staff, who attend the Institute to recruit minority faculty. Currently, there are five former SREB doctoral scholars who hold faculty positions at UofL. Four SREB doctoral scholars earned their doctorates in May 2010, and there are another 18 students participating as doctoral scholars, dissertation scholars or institutionally funded scholars. We expect four additional SREB students (two doctoral scholars and two institutionally funded scholars) for the 2010-11 academic year. The "institutionally" funded SREBs are a creation of the University of Louisville and the CPE, and they provide programmatic support and travel funds for attendance at the Institute for a limited number of qualified students who have funding provided by grants or assistantships elsewhere in the university. 2. The Arts and Sciences Peer Mentoring Program supports small groups of junior faculty, many of which are faculty of color, who want to learn how to be productive scholars and effective teachers. These peer mentoring groups meet regularly to discuss with other junior faculty various topics, including how to be a productive scholar, time-management skills, syllabus design, teaching practice, or the formal and informal standards for success. 3. Inclusive Teaching Circles are small cohorts of faculty who meet monthly to discuss how teaching can be made more inclusive of students of all social identities. Typically, such meetings focus on a reading concerning research on oppression, pedagogy, or best practices. The outcomes include more effective and inclusive teaching practices and the development of a community of practitioners who come together to share their experiences and knowledge.