Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the University Center of Exemplary Mentoring at Duke University aims to increase racial diversity among PhD students in engineering and the physical sciences and strives to integrate these students into the university’s research community. The program consists of four main initiatives, including Sloan scholarships; recruitment of historically minoritized students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); a boot camp to provide students information about graduate school and university programs; and mentorship. The mentoring component is a main pillar of the program, which connects students with faculty and peer mentors who provide program participants with academic support, professional development, networking, and well-being support.
