by Kimberly M. Hazen
The Bridge to the Doctorate Fellowship Program (Bridge Program) and initiatives to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have earned the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s Department of Chemistry the 2024 Award for Excellence and Innovation in Graduate Education from the Midwest Association of Graduate Schools (MAGS). The award recognizes and rewards specific excellence and innovation in graduate education, from admissions through degree completion. DEI initiatives within the Department of Chemistry and steering committee members Dr. Desiree Bates, Professor Bob Hamers, and Professor Sam Pazicni of the Department of Chemistry were nominated by William J. Karpus, Dean of the UW–Madison Graduate School.
The DEI steering committee created initiatives for recruiting, retention, and transition to a degree with one goal: to increase the diversity of students who complete a Ph.D. in chemical sciences. These initiatives include the Chemistry Opportunities (CHOPs) recruiting weekend, the Bridge program, and the Catalyst mentoring initiative. Before these efforts, the UW–Madison Department of Chemistry Ph.D. graduates numbered 149 with 6.7% coming from underrepresented minority groups. Just a few years later, individuals from these groups make up 14.5% of Ph.D. graduates.
CHOPs is a recruiting event that allows prospective students from a variety of backgrounds to explore the Ph.D. program at no expense. It is supported by Dow Chemical Corporation and Procter & Gamble (P&G).
P&G Senior Vice President Gerard Baillely says P&G has a long history of recruitment with the department and supporting these efforts makes sense. “We serve consumers all over the world with different backgrounds from different communities.,” remarks Baillely. “It’s important that we have employees and talents who empathize with people from different backgrounds.”
PPG Industries-funded Catalyst supports incoming students in their transition to graduate studies and helps them settle into their new life in Madison.
The Bridge Program is a 22-month Research Master of Science degree program specifically designed to provide students with a range of experiences and mentorship. The program is funded by the generosity of PPG Industries, P&G, the UW–Madison Graduate School, and the UW–Madison College of Letters and Science.
Dr. Desiree Bates, who has been spearheading department diversity efforts for years, believes this award is co-owned by hardworking students in the program like Bridge Fellow Shannon Brown.
“Initially, attending graduate school was not on my radar,” Shannon explained. “My primary goals were to achieve a bachelor’s degree with as little debt as possible and join the workforce […] the Bridge Program created the opportunity for me to examine if graduate school—a space I would otherwise have been unlikely to exist in—was the right place for me.”