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Columns::February 25, 2002
Two Gates to Cambridge
New approach to campus parking regulations adopted
Spring Charter Lecture will deal with the relationship between man and nature
Proposal for campus memorial goes before University Council Executive Committee
Watered down: Study paves way to water-efficient cotton
Professor focuses on teaching his students different ‘fields’ of law
Iowa prof will head pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences here
Newsmakers
Merging services, expanding missions
Campus News
Grad School administrator says faculty key to recruitment success
By Sharron Hannon
shannon@uga.edu
Curtis Byrd is a man with a mission: recruit more graduate students to the University of Georgia--especially minority students.
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| Curtis Byrd aims to double the number of African-American graduate students at UGA in the next five years. (Phtoto by Peter Frey) |
Curtis Byrd also is a man with a plan. Lots of plans, in fact. Since arriving at UGA in 1999 from Arizona State University, Byrd has traveled throughout the state and beyond to spread the word about UGA programs and support offered to graduate students.
“I’m particularly focusing on students from HBCUs and Hispanic-serving institutions,” says Byrd, director of graduate recruitment and retention. “They’re used to getting a lot of attention in those settings. I want to facilitate a good transition from those smaller schools to a large Research 1 institution.”
Faculty play a key role in both recruiting and retaining minority students, says Byrd, which is why the Graduate School is sponsoring a series of workshops on faculty involvement in creating a climate of inclusiveness. The first session was held last semester; the next is scheduled from 3 to 5 p.m. on Feb. 27 in Masters Hall of the Georgia Center.
The workshop will be led by Howard G. Adams, former executive director of the National Consortium for Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering and Science. He is now president of a Marietta-based consulting company he founded that provides career, personal and professional development services to educational, governmental and industrial organizations.
The workshop is funded by a grant to the Graduate School from the Council of Graduate Schools and Peterson’s, the college guide publishers. The monetary award will be used to develop a faculty-oriented handbook of “best practices” in recruiting a culturally diverse graduate student body.
Minority graduate student enrollment at UGA has grown slowly but steadily over the past two decades. “Faculty have played an integral role in creating a climate of inclusiveness within departments that have successfully diversified their graduate programs,” notes Byrd.
The blueprint to be developed will include guidelines for graduate admissions criteria and information on creating assistantships aimed toward specific groups of students. It also will delineate ways to recognize and reward faculty involvement in creating an inclusive graduate program.
From his office on the fifth floor of the Boyd Graduate Studies Research Center, Byrd works on a variety of recruitment efforts, among them the University System’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program that provides 50 undergraduate students from historically underrepresented groups with the opportunity to gain a research experience with UGA faculty. There are also recruitment fairs and campus visits, and a junior/senior workshop coming up March 12 to recruit UGA undergraduates to graduate and professional programs here.
During heavy recruitment months, Byrd spends 7-10 days a month on the road. “It’s not hard to recruit here,” he says, “with eight HBCUs and schools like Georgia Southern and Georgia State nearby.”
UGA recently signed a formal agreement with Florida A&M University to set up a feeder program to channel selected FAMU students into UGA master’s and doctoral programs. FAMU, Byrd points out, is tied with Harvard for the most National Merit Scholars among its undergraduate population. Among HBCUs, Spelman and FAMU currently send the most students to UGA graduate programs.
Byrd also works with the Graduate and Professional Scholars organization and with the Committee on Graduate Recruitment and Retention, composed of representatives from each school and college. And he organizes monthly mixers for graduate students, faculty and local professionals. “It’s an opportunity for people to get to know one another,” he says, “and meet with others in the community.”
Beyond that, he’d like to see UGA host the 2003 National Black Graduate Student Conference and is working with UGA students who attended the 2001 conference at Texas Tech to assemble the necessary materials to support a bid. This year’s conference will be at Howard University at the end of March, and UGA will again send a strong contingent.
Within the next five years, Byrd aims to double the number of African-American graduate students at UGA and considers that a reasonable goal given the number of students in Georgia with baccalaureate degrees. At the same time, he’s attentive to other minority populations, and recently made a recruitment trip to a tribal school in North Carolina.
But faculty must do their part too, he says--which includes attending the Feb. 27 workshop. Those interested should RSVP to Byrd at 542-4790 or cdbyrd@uga.edu.
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