In the weeks leading up to the Institute, we will be profiling other programs that aim to increase diversity in graduate studies. If you know of a program that we don’t mention, please let us know at [silcs at wheatonma dot edu] and we will be glad to talk about it.
The Ohio State University College of Humanities will be starting their own diversity institute this summer. The Program for Humanities Development (PHD) is a two-year program aimed at college sophomores from historically underrepresented groups who are interested in a PhD in the Humanities.
The PHD offers two summers of guided coursework, research, mentoring, and cohort building. Moreover, during the academic year, PHD students will receive ongoing programmatic support at their home institutions. This unique structure provides students with the opportunity to gain foundational knowledge about graduate study in the Humanities and then build upon that foundation with discipline specific research (link).
PHD, like SILCS, came out of the findings of an Ad Hoc committee on the status of African American faculty members in English. The committee, which published a report, Affirmative Activism: Report of the ADE Ad Hoc Committee on the Status of African American Faculty Members in English [PDF], discovered that summer programs for students of color can greatly affect their retention in graduate programs.
The deadline for this year’s program has passed, but keep an eye on the website for information on application deadlines for next year.