Stanford Report, March 3, 2006

New programs encourage graduate-student diversity

Prospective students who would contribute to the diversity of graduate programs at Stanford are eligible for as much as $500 to defray the cost of visiting campus.

The incentive program was introduced to faculty in late January by Gail Mahood, a professor of geological and environmental sciences and associate dean for graduate policy.

Faculty must request the money for candidates they or their departments are interested in recruiting. Candidates could include, for example, members of an ethnicity that is underrepresented in an academic field; women who are underrepresented in a field, such as engineering; or people who would be the first in their families to attend graduate school. Whether or not they have been accepted to an academic program, the money can be used to help candidates pay for travel and lodging.

In addition, the university has scheduled a second Graduate Diversity Admit Weekend this year. The recruitment events are scheduled for March 17-19 and April 7-9. They are designed for applicants who have been admitted to a Stanford graduate program. A department that identifies admitted applicants who would contribute to the diversity of its graduate-student population may request that the Office of the Dean of Research pay for their travel costs to and from the event.

The second weekend was added in part to accommodate the needs of some departments whose admissions processes occur later in the year, said Claudia Schweikert, assistant dean for graduate diversity. Both weekends will feature a wide range of academic and social activities that introduce admitted applicants to the graduate programs and the campus community before the April 15 decision deadline. President John Hennessy will be the host of evening receptions during each admit weekend.

For more information about the Graduate Diversity Admit Weekends, contact Schweikert at schweikert@stanford.edu or visit the web at http://graddiversity.stanford.edu. Individual faculty can contact Mahood at mahood@stanford.edu for more information about applying for the travel subsidy.