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The Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Affairs (GEPA) is requesting departmental nominations for the UC President’s Pre-Professoriate Fellows (PPPF). This program is funded by the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) in an effort to enhance faculty diversity and pathways to the professoriate for underrepresented students from California Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). Please read the information below and please nominate your students accordingly. 

The University of California (UC) Office of the President launched the UC President’s Pre-Professoriate Fellows (PPPF) as part of its Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI) Doctoral Diversity Initiative (DDI) on September 30, 2019. 

Aims

The UC-Hispanic Serving Institutions Doctoral Diversity Initiative (UC-HSI DDI) aims to enhance faculty diversity and pathways to the professoriate for underrepresented students from California Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). The program’s goal is to enhance faculty pathways for historically underrepresented groups particularly Latinx, African Americans, American Indian/Native Americans, Filipinx, and Pacific Islanders in all disciplines; women in STEM; and Asian American's in the humanities and social sciences.  

Award

For AY 2024-25 each Pre-Professoriate Fellow will receive the following:

• $37,000 stipend for one academic year

• $10,000 in professional development funds for the student to use during their Ph.D. tenure towards opportunities that will expose, prepare and inspire fellows to pursue the professoriate

• A total of three fellows will be selected

The program’s goal is to enhance faculty pathways for historically underrepresented groups, particularly Chicanx/Latinx, African Americans, American Indians/Native Americans, Filipinx, and Pacific Islanders in all disciplines; women in STEM; and Asian Americans in the humanities and social sciences. The intent of the program is to provide fellowships for domestic historically underrepresented minorities from federally-designated California HSIs. For purposes of this fellowship, AB540 students are eligible. International students are not eligible for this fellowship.

The UC-HSI DDI PPPF is only available to UC doctoral students who are matriculated in academic PhD programs and have advanced to candidacy. MFA students are eligible given that the MFA is a terminal degree. Professional students (e.g. M.D., J.D.) are not eligible.

Master’s en route: if a student did not earn a bachelor’s degree from a California HSI, and was not enrolled in a master’s program at a California HSI, but was awarded a master’s degree en route to the Ph.D. (at a UC HSI), that student should NOT be considered eligible for this fellowship. If a student was enrolled in and completed a master’s degree at a California HSI (including a UC HSI), that student is eligible for the fellowship (regardless of whether or not the student completed a bachelor’s degree at a California HSI). It is incumbent upon the graduate divisions to ensure that this guideline is followed. Beyond being contrary to the spirit of the Initiative, awarding the fellowship to a UC HSI student who earned a master’s en route to a Ph.D. but does not hold a bachelor’s degree from a California HSI creates inequity for UC students, since not all Ph.D. programs award a master’s degree en route.

PLEASE NOTE: UC San Diego is not yet designated as an HSI, so UC San Diego bachelor's and master's degree alumni are not eligible.

California Community Colleges. Effective January 2022, UCOP has expanded the eligibility of UC PPPF students to include those that transferred to UC from a federally-designated HSI California Community College. This change has been made to address the situation of students who transferred from HSI community colleges to non-HSI UC’s who would previously have been disqualified, despite their relevant HSI community college experience. The program understands and values the preparation and experience that many URM scholars bring as transfers from the CCC system. In order to qualify, students must demonstrate substantive and significant participation at their HSI CCC by having completed at least 24 semester units (or quarter equivalent). All other criteria/requirements remain and must be met.

Nominees for the UC President's Pre-professoriate fellowship must:

• Be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident. For purposes of this fellowship, AB540 students are eligible. International students are not eligible for this fellowship.

• Be matriculated in an academic Ph.D. or in an M.F.A. program.

  • Professional students are not eligible (e.g. M.D./Pharm.D.) 

• Must have received their bachelor’s or master’s degree (please see Master’s definitions and criteria above) from a California Hispanic Serving Institution (CA HSI)—public or private. Associate degrees from California community colleges do not meet the criteria/eligibility.

• Be an exceptional student (as demonstrated by their research achievements).

• Have

  Have advanced to candidacy prior to being nominated for the fellowship.

• Must have letters of support from Faculty Advisor(s) that address the student’s performance and potential as an exceptional academic, and comment on the likelihood that the student will pursue a professoriate path after receiving their degree.

• Must have a demonstrated record of advancing issues of inclusion, equity, and diversity; actively supporting underrepresented communities; and show commitment to pursuing these efforts throughout their career.

Nomination materials must be submitted via this Google Form as a single PDF file. Required materials include the following:

• Nominee CV (3-page max)

• Student Statement (1-page max)

  • This statement should be written by the nominee and should demonstrate a record of advancing issues of inclusion, equity, and diversity; actively supporting underrepresented communities; and shows commitment to pursuing these efforts throughout their career

  • Format of the statement should be single-spaced with one-inch margins and be typed in Calibri 11-point font

• Two letters of support from Faculty

  • One of these letters must be from the student’s faculty advisor

  • The letters must address the student’s performance and potential as an exceptional academic and comment on the likelihood that the student will pursue a professoriate path after receiving their degree

A department may nominate as many students as they deem appropriate. For document submission please follow these steps:

1. Prepare the nomination materials mentioned above

2. Use this Google Form to submit nomination materials as a single PDF by the deadline

If you have any questions about the nomination process please email avyang@ucsd gradfellowshipnoms@ucsd.edu, which will open a Services and Support ticket with the Graduate Fellowships Team.

Nominations are now closed and will reopen in Fall 2024.

Please note there were no fellows named for the 2021-22 academic year.

Question: The requirement states students must have advanced to candidacy prior to being selected for the fellowship, by . By what date must a student advance in order to qualify?

Answer:The fellowship nomination review and selection process will begin the day after the listed deadline, so nominees should have advanced to candidacy by the nomination due date and this should be apparent in the GEPA's student database. Nominees who have not advanced by the start of the review process will not be considered.

Question: How does a Fellow request to use their professional development funds? 

Answer: Students may report their professional development activities through this Google Form. 

Question: Can a student defer the fellowships to a future year?

Answer: No, a student cannot defer the fellowship to a future year; they would need to reapply during the next cycle.