AGEP PROJECT PROFILE INFORMATION:

North Carolina Minority Graduate Education Partnership and

The North Carolina Alliance to Create Opportunity Through Education (OPT-ED)

PI: Dr. Robert S. Sowell Dean of the Graduate School North Carolina State University The Graduate School Raleigh, NC 27695-7102 (919) 515-2394, 7956 robert_sowell@ncsu.edu

Program Coordinator / Director: Dr. David M. Shafer Assistant Dean North Carolina State University The Graduate School Box 7102 Raleigh, NC 27695-7102 DAVID_SHAFER@NCSU.EDU Phone: (919) 515-4462 Fax: (919) 515-2873

Preferred day-to-day contact person: Dr. David M. Shafer Assistant Dean North Carolina State University The Graduate School Box 7102 Raleigh, NC 27695-7102 DAVID_SHAFER@NCSU.EDU Phone: (919) 515-4462 Fax: (919) 515-2873

Partners: NC Minority Graduate Education Partnership (AGEP) includes North Carolina State University and North Carolina A&T State University which collaborates very closely with AGEP at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill The North Carolina Alliance to Create Opportunity Through Education (OPT-ED) is a partnership among NSF-sponsored diversity programs (HBCU-UP, LSAMP, CREST, AGEP, NC-MSEN) in North Carolina. Programs are housed at Bennett College, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, North Carolina State University, Saint Augustine's College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Winston-Salem State University, and the North Carolina Mathematics and Science Education Network.

Disciplines / departments:

• All NSF-Supported Disciplines

Website address: http://www.fis.ncsu.edu/grad_fellows/MGE/MGE_HOME.htm

http://OPT-ED.ncsu.edu

Impact nugget:

North Carolina State University has seen its applications from African Americans increase from 279 in 1998 to 364 in 2003 and enrollment increase from 337 to 445 over the same period. From 1998 to 2003, enrollment of students from underrepresented groups (African American, Hispanic and Native American) has increased from 415 to 551.

Although there certainly is room for additional progress, these improvements are in large part due to the visitation programs funded by AGEP, which have served over 400 undergraduates (and some graduate students) from across the country. The purpose of the visitation program is to encourage STEM undergraduates and master’s students to pursue the Ph.D., not just at NC State University, but at any institution. In addition, we have served almost 100 students in our MGE summer and academic year research experiences. Although most former participants are still undergraduates, a number of them are now pursuing graduate degrees at such institutions as Dartmouth, East Carolina University, Michigan State University, North Carolina State University, Rice University, and UNC Wilmington. Importantly, AGEP at NC State has served as a catalyst for the integration of all of the 13 summer research programs at North Carolina State University (many of which are NSF-REU’s). The AGEP program office in the NC State Graduate School coordinates a joint undergraduate summer research symposium for all the summer programs. Last year, 92 students from all across the United States presented their research at the symposium.

In addition, AGEP at NC State, NC A&T and UNC-Chapel Hill led in the development of the North Carolina Alliance to Create Opportunity Through Education (OPT-ED), a partnership among all NSF-sponsored diversity programs in North Carolina. The OPT-ED conference hosts upwards of 400 students annually, including middle school students, high school students, undergraduates, community college students, and graduate students. The purpose of the program is to encourage students to move to the next level of their education and ultimately pursue the Ph.D. Additional information on OPT-ED is available at the above web site.