BUILDING INFRASTRUCTURE LEADING TO DIVERSITY PROGRAM AT XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA, PROJECT PATHWAYS

Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) is the only historically Black and Catholic institution of higher education in the United States. XULA’s mission focuses on “the promotion of a more just and humane society” by educating students in a diverse learning environment. Even though Xavier’s reputation in the sciences attracts many of the best and brightest students in the nation, the University also continues to provide an excellent educational opportunity to many students who, due to socioeconomic disparities, lack the appropriate preparation for college.

The ultimate goal of Project Pathways, the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded BUILD (Building Infrastructure Leading to Diversity) Program at Xavier, is to increase the number of students who enter graduate programs in biomedical disciplines, successfully earn terminal degrees, and enter the biomedical research workforce. Xavier's plan to meet this challenge is based on a holistic approach, providing an integrated and coordinated student support and research skills training network. This coordinated effort cuts across academic departments in biomedical disciplines, academic support offices that include the Student Academic Success Office (SASO), the Office of Career Services (OCS), and the Center for Undergraduate Research and Graduate Opportunity (CURGO), as well as the Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Faculty Development (CAT+FD) for faculty support and mentor training. This work seeks to counter the regular practice at higher education institutions that have yet to address the importance of integrated programming across academic programs, student support programs, and research programs. This lack of coordinated and integrated programming often leads to duplication of efforts and ineffective use of resources. Xavier's BUILD program intentionally provides mechanisms and safeguards to ensure that coordination and integration occur at all levels.

The overall hypothesis of Project Pathways is that when in a systematic way underrepresented minorities are provided with:
1) early awareness and deepening exposure to biomedical careers;
2) supportive relationships for students as they move through the pathway;
3) suitable infrastructure;
4) meaningful student engagement in biomedical research experiences and adequate research resources, a higher number will succeed in first entering and later successfully completing graduate programs, leading to increased diversity in biomedical research workforce.

Preliminary assessment results are very encouraging; these results show higher course pass rates and better student preparation over all. The Project Pathways’ initiatives can be replicated at other institutions with similar goals.