Florida International University
PAE-8: Support Programs for Underrepresented Groups

FIU has numerous programs to support underrepresented groups within the student body including:
- Graduate Minority Opportunities Program (GMOP): The State University System (SUS) has established a grant to assist minority students with their graduate education in areas where they have been traditionally underrepresented.
- McKnight Doctoral Fellowship Program: The Florida Education Fund (FEF) in Tampa, Florida provides fellowships for African American or Hispanic, US citizens to pursue Ph.D. degrees in the state of Florida.
- Delores Auzenne Fellowship: The Office of Equal Opportunity Programs and Diversity coordinates the Delores Auzenne Fellowship for minority graduate students. The fellowship is for FIU minorities students that have been accepted as degree seeking students into graduate (master or doctoral) disciplines where minority graduate students are disproportionately underrepresented.
- Minority Community College Transfer Scholarship: The Office of Equal Opportunity Programs and Diversity coordinates the Minority Community College Transfer Scholarship. The scholarship is a competitive award granted to qualified minority students, at Florida International University, who are Florida residents on the basis of financial need, academic merit, or both
- Student Support Services coordinates the TRIO program which is a Federal Grant sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education. The Federal TRIO Programs are Federal outreach and student services programs designed to identify and provide services for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds. At FIU we have the following TRIO programs: Ronald E. McNair Post baccalaureate Achievement, Talent Search, Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math-Science.

The ACE (Awareness, Commitment, and Empowerment) project is a partnership between FIU and the University of Michigan, funded by the National Science Foundation that facilitates the hiring, retention, and promotion of women scientists using education and changes in departmental practices.

The goals of the three-year project are:

- Awareness: to educate faculty and administrators at FIU about the problems facing women academics in the fields of science and math
- Commitment: to increase the hiring, retention and promotion of women scientists and mathematicians at FIU
- Empowerment: to develop skills using innovative workshops to address issues identified by the 2010 faculty climate surveys conducted at FIU.

The College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering and Computing established a college-wide mentoring program. The Faculty Mentor Program accepts Assistant Professors in CAS/CEC as mentees, and Associate or Full Professors in CAS/CEC as mentors. Mentors and mentees are matched based on research interests and disciplinary demands, and come from different departments in CAS and CEC. Typically, pairs are matched at the beginning of each academic year to coincide with the Mentor Orientations. Then a variety of workshops and events are held over the course of the academic year to scaffold the mentor-mentee relationship and help both parties achieve a successful relationship.

The university has several programs to support underrepresented groups including FIU’s Educational Leadership Enhancement Program which is designed to strengthen the professional preparation of women and minorities for leadership positions in higher
education.

The university recently implemented several Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). The ERGs serve as a support system within the FIU community to foster awareness, respect, and inclusion within the workplace. Moreover, ERGs support the mission of the Office of Equal Opportunity Programs and Diversity by promoting a diverse workplace, maintaining a culture of inclusion where employees can thrive, value and encourage different perspectives, styles, thoughts and ideas.

Current Employee Resource Groups:
- Black Employees
- Young Professionals
- Veterans
- Access Abilities
- Women
- LGBTQA