The 2015 UCSB-FAMU Summer Institute in Educational Research and Policy Scholars, (l-r): Tameisha Hinton, Thierry Pierre, Courtney Wright, and Emmanuel Rodriguez.
The UC Santa Barbara–Florida A&M University (UCSB–FAMU) Partnership welcomes four students selected for the 2015 UCSB–FAMU Summer Institute in Educational Research and Policy: Tameisha Hinton, Thierry Pierre, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and Courtney Wright. The program, led by co-PIs Michael Gottfried and Hsiu-Zu Ho, takes place on UCSB’s campus from July 20 to August 14, 2015.
A rigorous student selection process identified these FAMU students for the 4-week Summer Program. Each student has an individualized research plan as well as a team of mentors to address his/her specific academic and professional interests. Hinton recently graduated in spring 2015 and will be in a MA program in Community Psychology, while the other three students will be entering their senior year at FAMU this fall. Tameisha Hinton majored in psychology and her interests include: counseling, clinical, community psychology, equity in education, multicultural counseling processes, effects of racism and classism on teaching and learning. Thierry Pierre is majoring in elementary education, and his interests include implementing programs into urban school curriculums to decrease the achievement gap of low socioeconomic students. He hopes to return to Haiti as a professional. Emmanuel Rodriguez is majoring in music education, and his interests include cultural factors in predicting academic and career outcomes, equity in education, educational funding and policy. Courtney Wright is majoring in elementary education, and her interests include educational policy and evaluation, comparative and international education, equity in education, rural development.
For the program, each FAMU student is paired with a Department of Education doctoral student and a faculty mentor. The faculty mentors are Sharon Conley, Jason Duque, Rebeca Mireles-Rios, and Karen Nylund-Gibson. The doctoral students are Lois Harmon, Justin McClinton, Jay Plasman, and Charles Williams. Both Harmon and Williams took part in an early version of the summer program before choosing to attend UC Santa Barbara. While working with numerous members of the Gevirtz School, the FAMU students have collaborated with Dr. Judith Green and her Ph.D. students Ethny Stewart and Jenna (Eun) Joo in the Center for Education Research on Literacies, Learning & Inquiry in Networking Communities (L2INC) lab and Jacob Kirksey, one of Dr. Gottfried’s Ph.D. students, has been the TA for research and policy courses.
The University of California’s reputation as a premier research and teaching institution rests on its capacity to serve the State of California, and nation, at the highest levels. This requires attracting and graduating scholars who reflect the communities of the world. At the graduate level African Americans/Blacks are extremely under-represented in UC graduate and professional programs. The five-year average (2008-2012) for enrollment of African Americans in UC academic doctoral programs is 2.6%.
The UC-HBCU Initiative seeks to improve the representation of this population in UC graduate programs, particularly Ph.D. programs, by investing in relationships and efforts between UC faculty and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The University of California recognizes the unique and important contributions that Historically Black Colleges and Universities make to the academy, our nation and the world. Through the UC-HBCU Initiative, the Office of the President encourages UC faculty to actively engage in collaboration and cooperation with faculty and students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities. Such efforts will serve to strengthen and enrich our mission of teaching, research and public service.