Many African-American students at predominantly white schools like the University of Utah struggle to establish a network of support to see them through their studies. To close the gap, the U launched the African-American Doctoral Scholars Initiative.
The first-of-its-kind initiative strives to help students grow by giving them opportunities to conduct research and present at conferences. Participants will also receive help with grant writing and their dissertations, as well as a $5,000 scholarship. Deniece Dortch, the manager of the program, believes that expanding students’ experience in teaching, presenting and writing will help to jump-start their careers.
“Most doctoral students are really only prepared to do about one-third of their job.