USC, Clemson University, and the University of Florida are the lead partners in the Southeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (SEAGEP) Program, which is focused on developing a more diverse workforce in academia. USC’s $2 million share of the NSF grant will be used to recruit 50 doctoral students in five years, providing each with $24,000 annually for tuition, travel, supplies, and stipends.

The program also includes strategies for supporting and preparing additional students who are interested in academic careers, through travel grants, seminars and workshops and graduate student conferences.

“Our hope is that this regional partnership will assist in creating a cultural change throughout the University and sustainable initiatives that will help us to continue increasing the number of minority graduate students in the sciences, engineering, and mathematics beyond the life-time of the grant,” said Michael Amiridis, chair of the Department of Chemical Engineering department and co-principal investigator of the project.

The SEAGEP Alliance also includes the S.C. Alliance for Minority Participation and similar programs in Georgia, Florida, the Caribbean, and Latin America. Students will be recruited from minority groups such as African-Americans, Hispanics, American Indians, Alaska natives, native Hawaiians, and other Pacific Islanders.

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