Importance of Professional Networking; Join the EL Alliance Facebook Group

Sent via email to EL Alliance students

Dear Empowering Leadership (EL) Alliance Students,

Today I want to write to you about networking. There are so many important and valuable aspects to networking that will serve you, professionally and personally, throughout your lives, and it's important that you pay attention to the people you include in your networks.

One important focus of the EL Alliance is on networking. That is, we are a network of people, institutions, and resources that stand ready to help minority students in computing disciplines with their success.  What's key here is that this is *your* success, as you define it, and we need your input on your aspirations and goals to help you, and to help other students nationwide. I've said this before: let us hear from you at info@empoweringleadership.org or anonymously at https://my.rice.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1197581794996. We've already heard from several students about how networking has paid off for them--one student applied to a graduate school program they first heard about at the Tapia Celebration last October, and another had a job interview from a recruiter they met there.

Our EL Alliance network is already strong--we have hundreds of students and dozens of partners in touch with each other. In the coming years, we'll add to the network, and we have a specific goal of implementing institutional change at universities nationwide--change that will reward and encourage campuses with environments that support diversity and encourage the achievements of each individual.

You have an active role in the EL Alliance network, whether you take advantage of the opportunity to mentor someone or have a mentor, participate in a conference, apply for an internship or summer research program, or simply tell others to join the EL Alliance for their own benefit by signing up at http://www.empoweringleadership.org/join.html.

I want to close by mentioning the work of Beth Adams, an EL Alliance student from North Carolina State University who attended the Tapia Celebration (you may have met her there). She's studying social networks for her Ph.D., and with our help, she's working with EL Alliance Leadership Team member Phoebe Lenear (University of Illinois) and Professor Noshir Contractor (Northwestern University) to explore how Facebook and social networking does (or does not) enhance a student's experiences and achievements. I am attaching a message to you from Beth--someone in your EL Alliance network. I encourage you to sign up for the EL Alliance Facebook group and participate in her study. I also encourage you to let us know what your own interests are, and how we can help you achieve your goals.

Sincerely,

Richard A. Tapia
Principal Investigator, EL Alliance

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Dear EL Alliance Students,

My name is Beth Adams, a candidate for a Masters in Science in Computer Science at North Carolina State University.  We may have met at the Tapia celebration in October.  I am currently conducting my thesis research and I am in need of your help.  My research pertains to the use of online network groups to facilitate the recruiting and retention of minorities across the computing discipline.

It is a well known fact that in computing there is a shortage of faculty and students from underrepresented populations - African American, Hispanic and Native American - in higher education.  Between 1970 and 2001, results from the Taulbee Survey indicate that 8,913 CS/CE doctorates were granted to whites, while only 154 were granted to African-Americans. Between 1984 and 2001, 6,737 doctorates were granted to whites, while only 229 were granted to Hispanics. 

Mentoring, the process of providing peers or less-experienced individuals with support, counsel, friendship and constructive examples, has been identified as one of the significant factors in addressing this prevalent underrepresentation crisis.

So the Empowering Leadership Alliance and I are creating a new online social network project that will allow minorities from across computing to connect and share research interests, experiences and create mentoring/peer mentoring relationships.

As we begin creation of this site, we need your help better understanding how you feel about your current academic environment. If you have not already we are asking that you join the closed Empowering Leadership Alliance Facebook group by May 16th, 2008.  Following the deadline there will be an online series of small discussions facilitated by myself with all the members of the Facebook group about your current academic environment. The discussion will cover numerous topic pertaining to the level of support you feel you are receiving in your current academic program, whether you have a mentor/peer mentor, your future career goals and any other subsequent topics that may arise from our discussions.  Additionally we would like to know the cultural (nationality, race, ethnicity and gender) breakdown of the students in your computing program, based on your observations and how you feel it impact your academic experience.

I hope you all will participate with the Facebook group! Your feedback is vital in developing this groundbreaking research. Thank you and I look forward to speaking with you in the future.

Sincerely,

Beth M. Adams
beth.m.adams@gmail.com

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last edited on 2008-05-26 2:12 PM