Thursday, August 20, 2009
Inaugural Summer Institute Provides Undergraduates with Inside View to Graduate Education
by Kate Frear
Members of the UNC Charlotte’s Organizational Science doctoral program have long discussed the issue of diversity in the field. And in May 2009, those early conversations culminated in the Organizational Science Summer Institute (OSSI), a week-long program designed to give undergraduates from historically underrepresented groups an insider’s view into organizational science education and research.
“It was an exciting and exhausting week,” said Dr. Shawn Long, Organizational Science faculty member and OSSI coordinator. “On all accounts, it was a very successful and well-received initiative.”
The crux of the issue is that certain minority groups are underrepresented in graduate programs and professions within the organizational sciences. Rather than tackle the problem with recruitment and selection strategies, OSSI leaders decided to go a step further and target the pipeline itself. Specifically, that meant focusing on undergraduate students. “It’s a cutting edge approach to promoting diversity,” said Dr. Steven Rogelberg.
To that end, the OSSI leadership team invited ten undergraduate students from underrepresented groups to participate in the inaugural OSSI. Because of sponsorship by Development Dimensions International Inc., Applied Psychological Techniques Inc., Valtera Corporation, UNC Charlotte’s Graduate School, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Belk College of Business, and the Chancellor’s Diversity Challenge Fund, program participants attended completely free of charge. The ten students, or “fellows,” were chosen based on interest in the organizational sciences and potential for graduate school success. The goal was to give these students a realistic preview of graduate school while helping them strengthen their applications. As such, the program featured daily 
interactions with Organizational Science students and faculty members, in which they learned about conducting organizational research and about strategies for applying to graduate school.
A normal day at the OSSI began at 8 a.m. with two hours of GRE preparation training, followed by workshops given by guest speakers and Organizational Science faculty members. In the afternoon, fellows had hands-on research sessions with faculty members and student mentors. Research sessions ranged from designing the method of a research project to analyzing data previously collected by one of the mentors. “I felt like I was learning all the time, whether it was GRE prep or just expanding my own research,” said OSSI fellow Erik Garcia, an undergraduate student from Colorado State University. At the end of the week, fellows gave formal presentations of their research sessions.
OSSI was a program-wide event developed and coordinated Long as well as Organizational Science students Adrian Goh, April Spivack, Kate Frear, and David Askay. Nearly everyone else in the Organizational Science community contributed too, whether it was in the form of mentoring students, facilitating workshops, or networking at one of the community meals. “It was a pleasure working with these young folks,” said Dr. Linda Shanock. “Shawn [Long] and the OSSI team did a great job making this a great experience for them.”
For all who participated, the OSSI was an enjoyable, rewarding experience. “The Institute was great,” said OSSI fellow Brandon Crosby, an undergraduate student from Morehouse College. “I learned more than I could have ever hoped for.” Garcia added, “OSSI this summer was one of those experiences where I felt like I really gained a new perspective. It was an awesome experience!”
Given the success of this year’s OSSI, the program has a promising future. “The Institute is truly amazing and should continue for many years to come,” said Rogelberg, “On a personal level, I truly felt honored to be one of the mentors. It was a wonderful experience.”
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