| History
As
noted in the
statement of its goals and objectives , Oberlin College
is dedicated to “recruiting a culturally, economically, geographically,
and racially diverse group of students.” College faculty,
in turn, seek to provide these students with the “skills of
creative thought, technique, and critical analysis,” “intensive
training in the discipline of a chosen area of knowledge,”
and the readiness for “advanced study and work” beyond their
baccalaureate studies.
The
Office of Undergraduate Research was established in 1995 to
help students at the College secure paid research opportunities.
The office has worked with faculty in the arts and humanities,
the social sciences, the natural sciences and mathematics,
and the Conservatory to provide financial, administrative,
and intellectual resources to a diverse group of domestic
and international students. In concert with the charters of
the Mellon Mays Undergraduate
Fellowship and the Ronald
E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program , this
office has attended to the following goal: provide resources
for promising students from underrepresented groups and to
encourage them to pursue Ph.D.s (and other advanced degrees),
so that they may pursue careers in higher education. In 1988,
with the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation,
five students were selected as the inaugural cohort of Mellon
fellows. This program's aim is to reduce “the serious under-representation
on the faculties of individuals from certain minority groups,
as well as to address the attendant educational consequences
of these disparities.” 1 Today, the Mellon Mays Undergraduate
Fellowship Program supports students at 35 institutions and
a consortium of 39 historically black colleges and universities.
In
1991, Oberlin College was awarded $800,000 to fund the BP
America Fellowships in the Sciences Program. This comprehensive
program was designed to increase the number of underrepresented
students of color completing bachelor degrees in the natural
sciences and mathematics. The program commenced with an intensive
national recruitment program to identify and enroll the most
promising students, and subsequently to prepare these students
for graduate study in the sciences and mathematics. The main
component of this program was a four-week, pre-orientation
program held on Oberlin's campus. BP fellows arrived early
on campus, in order to meet and work with Oberlin faculty
in the natural sciences and mathematics. During that time,
BP fellows also became familiar with Oberlin's scientific
research procedures and support facilities, and they received
support from a peer mentor network of students majoring in
the natural sciences and mathematics. At the conclusion of
this award, in 1995, the Oberlin College Science Scholars
program was established to continue the spirit of the BP America
Fellowships in the Sciences Program. Eligibility at that time
was extended to include first-generation college students
of all ethnicities. In the final cohort selection process
(2000), international students expressing an interest in mathematics
and science were included in the pre-orientation program.
In
1995, the office secured the first of 12 years of generous
support from the U.S. Department of Education for the Ronald
E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program. This support
sponsored ten new students each year for two summers' worth
of research and professional development workshops. In accordance
with McNair federal guidelines, no less than two-thirds of
the participants had to be from low-income families and first-generation
college students. The remaining participants were from groups
that are underrepresented in graduate education. 2 To date,
four Oberlin McNair alumni have earned Ph.D.s, 13 have earned
master's degrees, and another 34 are enrolled in graduate
or professional school. In addition, two have earned medical
degrees and four have earned law degrees.
The
Oberlin College Research Fellowship Program was established
in 2008. Like the McNair Program, which concluded in 2007,
this program continues to draw its applicants from low-income
families, first-generation students, and students underrepresented
in graduate studies. Each year, ten students are provided
with generous stipends for two summers' worth of mentored
research.
1
– From the mission statement of the Mellon
Mays Undergraduate Fellowship , sponsored by the Andrew
W. Mellon Foundation.
2
– From the eligibility conditions, listed at the web
site of the US
Department of Education .
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