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HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE SYMPOSIUM:
Keynote Sparks Debate on the Value of Modeling
The keynote lecture by Mitchell Chang, a social scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles, sparked a lively debate by challenging a major assumption—that participants did not have to reinvent the wheel but could adopt existing successful model programs that attract and retain underrepresented minority (URM) students.
"The keynote speaker was really provocative," says Robert Lue from Harvard University, a symposium organizer. "He pushed us to think about how to define success, how we think of our programs, and who we want to reach."
Chang mentioned several considerations that might affect how a particular model program plays out elsewhere. For example, some institutions draw from a pool of commuters, and others chiefly attract students who live on campus. "This alone creates significantly different experiences for students," said Chang. Many programs try to emulate initiatives that provide research opportunities to undergraduate students, but Chang noted that the experience can be hit or miss, depending, for example, on the commitment faculty make to mentoring students.
In his concluding remarks, Chang explained that modeling successful programs is not necessarily a sure hit, but chances that it will work increase if "you make a serious attempt to understand your program's unique student population, support structures, and campus characteristics."
To model or not to model
In the discussion following Chang's presentation, participants pointed out that many of the most successful diversity initiatives were modeled after one another—evidence that modeling is an effective strategy.
But John Matsui at the University of California, Berkeley, says the answer is not straightforward. "I think that our original expectation was let's show model programs, emulate them, and they will be successful. But it is not that simple. That is why it is controversial," he explains. "We are not building franchises to Kentucky Fried Chicken."
Isiah Warner, vice chancellor for strategic initiatives and an HHMI professor at Louisiana State University (LSU), modeled an LSU program after the Meyerhoff program at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), but only after making several adjustments. "Some people look at the Meyerhoff, see it is very successful, and think that, if they do the same thing, it will work the same way," says Warner. "But for one thing, most people don't have a Freeman Hrabowski at their university," he adds, referring to the UMBC president known for his strong commitment to diversity.
While both the Meyerhoff and LSU programs share the summer bridge and a focus on research experiences and high achievement, they also have many important differences, according to Warner. "One of the main ones is that we put a lot more emphasis on explaining why diversity is important," he says, adding that most of the students who come to LSU previously attended segregated schools.
During the summer bridge program, faculty spend a lot of time talking to students about the differences between high school and college, discussing how to develop effective study habits, and explaining what graduate school is about. "A lot of our students have never heard of a Ph.D.," says Warner.
One size does not fit all
Of course, modeling successful programs is not the only strategy to pursue. "I did not follow models but listened to my own experiences and to my students," says John Matsui of the University of California, Berkeley. "It took a lot of thinking and talking and trying out different things."
Matsui directs the Biology Scholars Program at Berkeley. Funded by HHMI and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the program targets URM students who are struggling academically. Once in the program, they can participate in preparatory courses, seminars on research and medical careers, academic workshops, and study groups. They also receive individual academic and career advice from program directors. By the time they graduate, these students have GPAs that are on a par with those of students who entered Berkeley with much higher SAT scores. "We created a system to develop the potential of the most undervalued players so that they do well," says Matsui.
Participants agreed that the discussion was valuable and necessary. "The keynote was controversial, but what we saw was a healthy dispute. You have to be able to hear other views," says Matsui.
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