At the 2024 SREB Institute on Teaching and Mentoring and the Sloan Grantee Leadership Meeting in New Orleans, Purdue University’s Sloan Center for Systemic Change (SCSC) demonstrated its commitment to transforming graduate education. These influential gatherings offered Purdue’s SCSC team the opportunity to connect with other Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Centers for Systemic Change grant recipients to discuss effective strategies for building equitable graduate experiences.

The SREB Institute, the nation’s largest gathering doctoral scholars focused on broadening participation, plays a critical role in supporting graduate students aspiring to academic careers. Purdue University supported over 20 graduate students to attend from across STEM disciplines. With dedicated sessions for scholars exploring faculty roles, students gain invaluable insights into faculty life, hiring processes, and career paths in higher education. Purdue’s SCSC team was on hand to help students make connections with universities and faculty leaders, guiding their transition to academic careers.

Graduate students came away from these discussions with a renewed vision and essential networks for their futures in academia. A representative of Purdue SCSC shared graduate student “stories remind us of the resilience needed to drive change and the impact we can create for future generations.”