LSAMP INDIANA: LESSONS LEARNED FROM A DIVERSITY PROGRAM SERVING UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITY STUDENTS

Since the inception of the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Indiana program in 2003, approximately 1000 underrepresented science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students have engaged in academic and professional development activities across eight campuses in a Midwest state. These institutions vary in several ways location (rural vs. urban), academic offerings (engineering degrees only at two campuses), number of underrepresented STEM students enrolled (approximately 800 vs. 40) and campus type (regional vs. top research). Some of the goals of the program have included peer teaching and mentoring in introductory and upper-level STEM courses, mentoring students in research opportunities; and engaging students in a sophomore learning community. Most recently, members of the program have developed new opportunities and social media to recruit and connect student scholars and faculty members. This paper provides an overview of the benefits and challenges of working with a statewide program for underrepresented minorities in a state with a low population of minority students and with differing institutional characteristics across campuses. Such benefits and challenges will be analyzed within the context of a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis. Drawing upon evaluation reports, the authors present lessons learned from conducting a large-scale diversity initiative and identify transferable ways to engage the next generation of underrepresented students in STEM educational and professional development activities.