In October 2007, the AGEP program at Michigan State University hosted their second Enhance Your Future conference. This two-day event was attended by students and faculty from the biological and other natural science disciplines from North Carolina A & T University, Virginia Union University, Jackson State University, Florida A & M University, Clark Atlanta University, Bennett College for Women, Morehouse College, and Hampton University. The goal was to build sustainable partnering relationships between the MSU faculty and HBCU faculty and to bring more underrepresented students into our doctoral programs at MSU.

The visitors were provided an overview of the graduate programs within the College of Natural Science, its facilities and laboratories such as the ecological research field station and the National Super-Conducting Cyclotron, and the many opportunities at MSU for student professional development. Faculty participants had the opportunity to discuss various forms of institutional cooperation. There were both roundtable and Q & A sessions on issues of concern for the visitors and on the challenges related to building a successful and sustainable partnership with these universities. The visitors also enjoyed a networking reception.

This was followed the next month with The Michigan AGEP Alliance Fall Conference, also held at Michigan State University. On November 15, 2007 this evening event began with a dinner and speaker and then continued with break out sessions along four different paths that were geared toward developmental stages in graduate education. Both the high number of students who attended—more than the hundred students who registered—and their glowing evaluations show that our fall program was a real success.

The dinner speaker was Ruben Martinez, Ph.D., Director of the Julian Samora Research Institute, who spoke about “Raising and Pursuing Personal Educational Goals.” The speaker’s strategy of empowering students to take charge of their research as well as his reassurance about completing the dissertation obviously struck a positive note with the students.

Following Dr. Martinez’s motivating presentation, participants each selected one of the following break out sessions: Graduate School Entry (LSAMP); Passing Qualifying Exams and Comprehensives; Successful Dissertation Writing; Successful Ph.D. Job Search. It was clear from the lively discussions in each of the sessions that students found the presentations meaningful and relevant to the challenges they are facing in graduate school.

We consider the most positive outcome of this conference the interest expressed by many participants in another, follow-up conference. The most common suggestions were those related to issues with faculty and advisors, funding, career development and job search, and ways to manage both their time and the stress that all too often is part of the graduate experience.