The Office of Educational Opportunity and Diversity Programs (OEODP) serves the City University of New York by recruiting students from underrepresented groups for its doctoral programs and administering its fellowships and awards program at the Graduate Center.
In the following pages, you will find out more about our support services, which have been specifically designed to provide academic, social, and financial support to underrepresented doctoral scholars.
Through the CUNY Pipeline Program for Careers in College Teaching and Research, undergraduate students, under the supervision of a faculty research mentor, are able to develop research skills in their chosen discipline in preparation for doctoral study and careers in the professoriate.
Thus, by reaching out across the University, as well as nationally, and providing opportunities for individuals from undergraduate through postdoctoral status, OEODP promotes access and excellence through diversity.
CUNY doctoral students are an integral part of the OEODP community. Financial and support services at OEODP exist in order to assist students with various aspects of their graduate school experience.
In 1970, the CUNY Graduate School and University Center established the Office of Expanded Educational Opportunity (OEEO), coordinated by Mr. Dean K. Harrison, to provide leadership in the recruitment and retention of minority students in doctoral programs. The office later included the MAGNET (Minority Access/Graduate Networking) Program, launched in 1990. In addition, OEEO, as an entity in Student Affairs, maintained records on minority recruitment, admission, financial aid, and academic progress. In 1995, the office was reorganized and its name was changed to the Office of Educational Opportunity and Diversity Programs (OEODP). Currently, the office is under the direction of an executive officer (EO) and reports to the associate provost for academic affairs.
Educational Opportunity & Diversity Program's Mission and Goals
The current mission of OEODP is to provide leadership and support to academic programs in the promotion of diversity and inclusion in the doctoral programs at the Graduate Center. This mission is not only directly linked to the mission of the University at large, but also to the mission of the Graduate Center, which is to "strive also to enhance access to doctoral education for traditionally underrepresented groups." At present, OEODP fulfills its mission through a series of programs designed to recruit underrepresented groups into CUNY doctoral programs and to provide financial, academic, and social support to promote their retention and degree completion.
OEODP aims to: (1) increase the number of students from underrepresented groups pursuing the doctoral degree across disciplines at the Graduate Center; (2) provide academic support in the form of workshops and mentoring to bolster degree completion; (3) provide opportunities for the professional growth of program participants and postdoctoral fellows; and (4) offer opportunities for social and academic networking, both locally and nationally.
Dean K. Harrison
Dean K. Harrison came to the CUNY Graduate School in 1970 to head the newly established Office of Expanded Educational Opportunity. This office was a CUNY initiative to increase the numbers of minority students entering graduate programs.
Dean was an activist in the cause of making graduate education accessible to minority students, an option which few viewed as available to them. While not a public figure, he was known nationally among a core group of educators whose dedicated efforts quietly led to an increase in the number of African-Americans and Hispanics who earned Ph.D.s. Dean K. Harrison’s activities in higher education had national impact.
Harrison’s efforts were instrumental in increasing the number of minority Ph.D.s at the CUNY Graduate School and also, consequently, had an impact on the national number of minority Ph.D.s in academic fields in which they are underrepresented. Many minority alumni are employed by agencies which address the social and economic issues facing the city and the nation. Harrison loyally served the Graduate School and University Center of The City University of New York and retired in 1994 after twenty-four years. The Dean K. Harrison Fellowship Fund was set up in his honor.
Dean K. Harrison was born on September 5, 1923, in Chicago, Illinois. As a young man he came to New York City and enrolled in the Washington Square College of New York University and received a B.A. degree. He then earned an M.S. degree in Education from the School of education at New York University.
There are OEODP fellowships and awards for members of underrepresented groups in doctoral study. For more information contact The Office of Educational Opportunity and Diversity Programs (OEODP) at:
oeodpmail@gc.cuny.edu or call 212.817.7540
See Financial Assistance for other assistance information.
The CUNY Pipeline Program is designed to provide educational and financial support to CUNY undergraduates from groups currently underrepresented in our nation's universities who are interested in pursuing the Ph.D. in preparation for college-level teaching and advanced research. The Program accepts students in any discipline except law and medicine.
The Pipeline Program provides orientation to the academy through a six-week summer research institute at the Graduate Center and research projects conducted with a CUNY faculty member. In the summer institute, fellows take a 4-credit research seminar in either the Social Sciences or the Humanities designed to introduce them to graduate-level work; in the afternoons they participate in workshops on critical thinking and writing, applying to graduate school, and preparing for the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). In the fall semester, fellows attend monthly colloquia at the Graduate Center focused on the graduate admissions process and work in small peer mentoring groups led by MAGNET fellows, Graduate Center doctoral students who are also from underrepresented groups. In the spring, Pipeline fellows continue to work in these peer mentoring groups and attend monthly colloquia focused on preparing for life as a graduate student. An important focus of the spring meetings is to help students prepare to present their research in a conference setting. All Pipeline fellows report on their research project at the annual CUNY Pipeline Conference held at the Graduate Center and submit a thesis based on this research at the end of the academic year.
For more detailed information on the CUNY Pipeline Program view the attached: Pipeline Program Overview (PDF).
Pipeline fellows who are accepted into any of the Doctoral Programs at the CUNY Graduate Center will receive a tuition waiver for their first year of doctoral study.
Financial Support
CUNY Pipeline Fellows receive $1,500 as a summer stipend; $750 to cover graduate school application fees; $750 for participation in the annual conference; reimbursement of the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) fee; and another $850 for completion of the thesis.
Eligibility Requirements
In order to qualify for admission into the CUNY Pipeline Program, a student must:
- Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
- Have an interest in pursuing a career in college teaching and research.
- Have a minimum GPA of 3.2.
- Be scheduled to graduate in the spring of the senior year.
- Be a junior enrolled in one of CUNY's senior colleges and have earned at least 80 credits.
- Be a full-time registered student in one of the CUNY senior colleges.
Application Deadline: March 7
Application Instructions
Essays
Two (2) essays are required in order for the selection committee to assess your suitability for the Pipeline Program. You must write a separate 500-word essay (typed and double spaced) on each of the following topics. Prepare the essay as either a WORD document or PDF format.
Topic #1: Discuss a diversity issue of local or national concern and its significance to you.
Topic #2: FUTURE PLANS: Discuss your research interests and how you intend to pursue them in graduate school.
Mentor Information
Each program participant must have a faculty mentor (usually a professor from the home campus) upon entrance to the CUNY Pipeline Program. Download the mentor responsibilities and thesis overview documents. Give these documents to your faculty mentor. Have their name, phone number and email address ready before applying. If you have trouble securing a mentor at your campus, contact our office and we will help you.
Online Application Form
Letters of recommendation: Download form
Contact two professors at your home campus who know your work and have them submit letters of recommendation directly to the address below or have them emailed to: oeodpmail@gc.cuny.edu
CUNY Pipeline Program, The Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave, Room 8306, New York, NY 10016
Transcript
Contact the registrar’s office at your home campus and request an official transcript mailed to:
CUNY Pipeline Program, The Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Ave, Room 8306, New York, NY 10016
US Citizenship or Permanent Residency
You must bring proof of citizenship or residency when you are called for your personal interview. Documents needed include one of the following
- Passport or
- Residency card or
- Drivers License and Social Security Card
Email any questions or concerns to: oeodpmail@gc.cuny.edu
Remember to include your full name and campus with all email inquiries.
The core of the program is built around a six week summer seminar. Each class –Social Science, Humanities- is conducted as a graduate seminar that provides undergraduates with opportunities not only to participate in seminar sessions but also to pursue independently generated research projects. Classes are in session five (5) days a week at the CUNY Graduate Center.
Social Sciences Seminar
This seminar introduces the social sciences through discussion of the various social science disciplines; the scientific method; the use of social science in policy-making; an examination of various disciplinary perspectives; the analysis and critique of scholarly books and articles; proper methodology for writing a book review and original research of texts. The approach is through lecture and discussion, library research, oral reporting and written essay. Faculty working in many of the social science disciplines lecture and lead group discussion drawing on assigned texts.
Topics include methodological issues in the social sciences; social science and the study of politics, sociology, history, anthropology and psychology; history of social science; uses of social science in policy making; philosophy of social science. The grade for the course is based on oral reporting and written essays.
For students majoring in Anthropology, Economics, History, International or Public Affairs, Political Science, Psychology or Sociology.
Humanities Seminar
This seminar introduces students to the ontology of authority in the humanities. Humanist certifications – Rome, nationality, multiculturalism – form one focus of discussion in this course. Two other foci that form the activity of this course are two modes of Humanist certification.
- Notary production. The first Humanists were notaries, technicians in the use of texts as instruments of power. This course introduces students to some machinery of textual authorization, book hunting, archival investigation, textual discovery and textual reproduction.
- Persuasion. The humanities have always taught persuasion. Students in this course will acquire a familiarity with humanist rhetorical practice.
- Thesis workshop. Thesis projects combine certification with persuasion.
For students majoring in Art, classics, English, Foreign Languages, History, Music and Philosophy.
GRADUATE SCHOOL APPLICATION WORKSHOP
Students in the CUNY Pipeline Program will attend a series of workshops on how to apply for graduate fellowships and programs. The primary objective is to prepare students to write effective proposals. Topics include information on how to identify suitable graduate programs, arrange for strong references and recommendations; resume; write personal statements; identify sources of financial support and the requirements needed for particular grants.
CRITICAL THINKING
In this course students will understand the process of critical thinking that involves acquiring information and evaluating it to reach a well-justified conclusion or answer. Since logic is an integral part of critical thinking, we will spend a considerable amount of time understanding its function. Utilizing various techniques, learning modules and multiple readings, students will understand the process of critical thinking in relation to many subjects and situations and make connections between these situations. Students will understand how to acquire and retain information on a variety of topics which they will use as a part of their critical thinking process.
GRE TRAINING
Undergraduates in the CUNY Pipeline Program take the GRE (Graduate Record Examination) at the end of the summer institute as part of their application to graduate school. During the Summer Institute students will attend a weekly workshop to prepare for these exams. All necessary booklets and materials are provided.
Instructors of the GRE preparation workshop review the subject areas covered on the tests, supervise students as they do the practice tests, review all materials and recommend strategies for taking the examinations.
The GRE Registration fee is paid by the CUNY Pipeline Program.
CUNY/Graduate Center
Room 8306
365 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Email: oedopmail@gc.cuny.edu
Phone: 212-817-7540