University of Arkansas students and staff recently attended the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring conference in Atlanta, where the U of A Graduate School and International Education was recognized for 10 years of attendance. The Institute on Teaching and Mentoring is the largest gathering of minority doctoral students in the country.

The Institute was hosted by the Southern Regional Education Board Doctoral Scholars Program, which provides up to five years of funding, including a stipend and cost of tuition and fees, to students from minority groups who are enrolled in doctoral programs and will seek careers as faculty members on college campuses.

The U of A has graduated 32 Southern Regional Education Board doctoral fellows, and there are currently seven fellows studying at the university. Many of the U of A's scholars attended the Institute, where they participated in workshops on graduate school survival skills, networking opportunities and career preparation.

Also in attendance at the Institute were Yvette Erby-Murphy, vice provost for diversity and inclusion, Barbara Lofton, director of diversity programs for the Sam M. Walton College of Business, and Elecia Smith, assistant dean for human resources, diversity and faculty services for the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. Lofton and Smith presented a workshop title "Climbing the Academic Ladder."

"As a Southern Regional Education Board alumna, I know firsthand the value of the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring to students and mentors," said Erby-Murphy. "I completed my four-year fellowship in 2004, and I still have and refer back to many of the helpful resources I received while attending the Institute. Each time I leave the institute with more pearls of wisdom, more practical and helpful information, more connections to others and a stronger feeling of fulfillment and self-determination."

For 10 years, the Graduate School and International Education has hosted a booth at the event, in an effort to recruit future graduate students and faculty and to support U of A students in attendance. Recruiting at the Institute is by invitation only.

"Having the opportunity to interact with scholars from a diverse range of academic fields and personal backgrounds is refreshing," said Danielle Baker, a U of A Southern Regional Education Board doctoral fellow. "Being exposed to the worlds of scholars outside of my field and learning more about scholars I share interests with is powerful, inspiring and enlightening. I left the Institute reminded of why I decided to pursue my Ph.D. and with a renewed energy to persevere in my program."

The U of A's Southern Regional Education Board Doctoral Scholars are:

• Danielle Baker, psychology, she is advised by Jennifer Veilleux
• Sandra Gordon, biomedical engineering, she is advised by Timothy J. Muldoon
• Pamela Kirkpatrick, comparative literature and cultural studies, she is advised by John DuVal
• Roselee Ledesma, psychology, she is advised by Ana Bridges
• Alita Mobley, psychology, she is advised by Lindsay Ham
• Bethany Henry Rosenbaum, history, she is advised by Elliot West and Daniel Sutherland
• David Tolliver, public policy, he is advised by Michael T. Miller