FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The University of Arkansas will host the George Washington Carver Project May 20 through June 28 to help increase the racial diversity of the graduate and professional student body on the UA campus.

The kick-off luncheon will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday, May 20, in the Arkansas Union and will provide an opportunity for interns to meet key members of the University community.

Through the George Washington Carver Project, the U of A seeks to establish mutually beneficial institutional relationships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) as part of its continuing effort to increase the diversity of the graduate and professional student body.

During the project, students will work directly with a faculty mentor on graduate level research/writing projects. Students will also participate in a lecture series entitled, "Preparing for Graduate School." Topics will include, Developing & Maintaining a Mentoring Relationship, Securing Funding for Graduate School, Writing an Effective Personal Statement, and GRE/GMAT Testing Strategies.

"The Graduate School is very pleased to continue and grow this program which was initiated by Willyerd Collier, director of Affirmative Action at the University of Arkansas," said Collis Geren, dean and vice provost for research in the Graduate School. "The experiences offered by the program give students real information about the research component of graduate programs. At the same time, students live in the environment of a research university."

HBCU institutions are post secondary academic institutions founded before 1964 whose educational mission has historically been the education of African-Americans. Located primarily in the Southeastern United States, there are now about 120 HBCU institutions in existence — a mix of community and junior colleges, four-year colleges and universities, and public and private institutions.

In comparison with other colleges, HBCU institutions are often under-funded and historically enroll less than 20 percent of African-American undergraduates but award one third of all bachelor's degree recipients and a significant number of advanced degrees earned by African-Americans.

The participating institutions include University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff, Southern University (Baton Rouge), Prairie View A&M, Alcorn State University, Dillard University, Xavier University and Tougaloo College.

Benita D. Wolff, director of graduate recruitment, said the goal of the project is to enhance the diversity of the U of A by encouraging students at participating HBCU institutions to pursue terminal graduate and professional degrees at the U of A.

The George Washington Carver Project provides interns selected from participating HBCU institutions with a paid summer internship under the supervision of a UA faculty member in business, chemistry, physics, education, mechanical engineering, industrial engineering, humanities, microelectronics-photonics, agricultural economics, agricultural business, agricultural and extension education, and crop, soil and environmental science.

Interns will be exposed to various aspects of graduate-study, including standardized test preparation, research and presentation skills, and the graduate application and funding process. Interns must be enrolled in good standing at a participating HBCU institution and have successfully completed 60 hours of course work with a minimum cumulative grade point average of 2.75 prior to May 15, 2002. Interns who successfully complete the program will receive a research stipend in addition to room, board and travel costs.

Nine Carver alumni have completed or are nearing completion of master's degrees at the University of Arkansas.

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