The University of Maryland, College Park is coordinating its AGEP project through the Graduate School which works with campus partners (Chief Diversity Officer, Office of Faculty Affairs and the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs) to impact the campus culture on three fronts: graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and faculty.

For doctoral graduate students, we provide third spaces for students of color, and other underserved and underrepresented populations to build community and resilience. We also offer mentoring up workshops so that graduate students can improve their mentoring skills of undergraduate students as well as developing the skills to manage their relationship with their advisors and mentors. In the near future, we will deliver training to graduate students on dealing with the imposter syndrome, having difficulty dialogues, and removing implicit bias and color evasiveness in the lab.

For postdocs we provide mentoring up workshops to improve their mentoring skills of undergraduate and graduate students as well as develop the skills to manage their relationship with their advisors and mentors.

For faculty we plan to offer mentor training workshops to provide skills and knowledge to improve mentor-mentee relationships through effective communication, ethical behavior, and equity and diversity in the classroom and research. Additionally, to create a diverse graduate community, we have initiated a holistic review program.  We have conducted workshops for faculty on both the merits of holistic review, and the tools to implement such a process in their respective programs.

Inclusive Excellence: Creating an Inclusive Climate

This workshop will assist graduate students, postdocs, and faculty in developing skills necessary to create an inclusive climate in academe. We address difficult challenges and conversations inside and outside the classroom. Participants will build skills to understand inclusion/exclusion, implicit/explicit bias, inclusive language, to create an inclusive climate. Setting early expectations in academic spaces, modeling respectful dialogue, and advocacy for others is critical to ensure an inclusive environment (1.5 hour).

My Voice, My Story: Understanding the Lived Experiences of Graduate Students and Professional Students

This workshop, developed by Cornell University, pairs video monologues – constructed from experiences of graduate and professional students – with facilitated discussions. The primary objectives of My Voice, My Story are to utilize the power of narrative to achieve greater understanding of the lived experiences of graduate and professional students, share stories that frequently go untold, and to develop strategies on how to create more inclusive and supportive research and learning environments.

Owning My Success: Parting with the Impostor Phenomenon

Sometimes we may doubt our accomplishments and abilities, feel inadequate, dwell on mistakes, and have a persistent fear of being exposed as a “fraud.” This has been described as the Impostor Phenomenon. This workshop will explain what the Impostor Phenomenon is, how it affects us, and offer some practical strategies for how to empower ourselves and reduce these tendencies. After explaining the causes of the Impostor Phenomenon, the facilitator will give suggestions of how to overcome negative self-talk and peers will have an opportunity to discuss their challenges (1.5 hour).

Power and Privilege in the University

This workshop examines power, politics, and privilege within the university. By understanding hierarchy of roles, we will consider how intersections of our social identity contribute to power relationships with individuals in the university. Each person has dominant and subordinate identities and we will discuss identities and how they contribute to power and privilege. This workshop will assist individuals in considering how their power and privilege affects their interaction with others. (2 hours)

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