Formative evaluation of the first year of a multi-campus program designed to promote recruitment, retention, and degree completion among minority graduate students in science, mathematics, engineering, and technology fields

The purpose of this descriptive study was to formatively evaluate the first year of planning and implementation of the multi-campus Alliance for Graduate Education in Mississippi program. The first year formative evaluation also included obtaining and analyzing baseline data to be used for purposes of comparison throughout the remaining 4 year duration of the AGEM program at participating institutions. A total of 60 minority graduate students in science, math, engineering and technology fields and 75 faculty and administrators completed surveys in the spring 2001 semester. Baseline and first-year AGEM data from the four participating universities showed low overall rates of enrollment, retention, and graduation among minority graduate students in SMET fields. Surveys of faculty and graduate students showed agreement between these groups regarding the components of successful recruitment and retention programs. These components were consistent with those documented in research. In response to questions about recruitment and retention programs on their campuses, at least 50% of the faculty and administrators surveyed reported that six of the eleven components of successful programs were present to some extent on their campuses. Among minority graduate students, however, a majority of respondents reported that all eleven components of successful programs were present on their campuses.