The Graduate School actively recruits students who are and have been traditionally underrepresented in graduate education, including but not limited to underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, women, and people with disabilities. The associate dean for diversity initiatives works in partnership with individual departments and programs at Brown and cultivates relationships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs).
Mae Williamson Simmons Fellowships
The Graduate School offers fellowships to assist in the recruitment, enrollment, and retention of students in doctoral programs who will contribute to the diversity of the graduate student body. Mae Williamson Simmons Fellowships provide a higher level of stipend support funding for three years and a one-time $1,000 research fund. The fellowships are named after Mae Belle Williamson Simmons, who earned her Ph.D. in psychology from Brown in 1962 — the earliest known Black woman to earn her doctoral degree from the University.
Recruiting
The Graduate School works closely with the Leadership Alliance to identify potential graduate program applicants among the pool of undergraduate students who are conducting research at Brown for eight weeks during the summer. Similarly, the Graduate School works in close partnership with students from Tougaloo College who spend time at Brown throughout the year while participating in various aspects of Brown-Tougaloo Partnership programming. The Graduate School also recruits at various annual meetings and conferences around the country.
Super Monday
Every spring, the Graduate School invites newly admitted underrepresented minority students to attend a one-day campus visit called “Super Monday.” Throughout the day, students are exposed to various aspects of graduate student life at Brown through interaction with faculty, staff and students from their prospective departments, deans of the Graduate School, and representatives from various centers and offices on campus. The day ends with a reception and dinner, which is attended by matriculating graduate students, faculty, and staff of color from across the campus. The Graduate School covers the costs associated with prospective students’ transportation to and from Providence and overnight accommodations for this event.