Beginning the Journey to your STARS: Designing a Successful Program

SCHOLARSHIP, TRANSFERABLE SKILLS, ACADEMIA & RESEARCH (STAR) SCHOLARS

STAR provides first- and second-year students and transfer students from under-represented, low-income, and/or first-generation college student backgrounds with workshops and small-group mentoring that overcome the barriers of the “hidden curriculum” and help them become involved in research.

Initiating and supporting under-represented students’ sustained involvement and success in research (or other areas of academia) is an inspiring goal. The STAR program’s student-led nature and small-group mentorship foster community and interconnectedness that last well beyond the program’s official duration. Some of our original graduate mentors are still in touch with their STAR mentees even though both have graduated from UM. STAR is a source of joy, purpose, and inspiration for those involved, and one we would love to share! However, setting up a new program can be intimidating. The workshop will be a lecture with plenty of stops for questions and discussion. We will start by describing STAR’s beginnings as a small pilot program, and the process by which we regularly assess its progress, make adjustments, and then expand it. We have made many of our materials available via a peer-reviewed publication (written by our graduate student mentors!) and on the Open Science Foundation. We hope that by the end of the workshop, participants will have a good roadmap for how to build a program in their units and may even take us up on our offer to “piggyback” on our sessions and train with our mentors for a first year to help you get started.