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Academic Initiative

Sisters of the Academy (SOTA) Institute

  • Sponsor: Other

Program Overview

  • Sisters of the Academy (SOTA) Institute was created to facilitate the success of Black women in the academy. This initiative targets the creation of educational networks for Black women in the academy, with a focus on teaching, scholarly inquiry, and service to the community. Further, SOTA aims to facilitate collaborative scholarship and enhance professional development among women of color in higher education.

Benefits

  • Founded in 2001, the Sisters of the Academy (SOTA) Institute has a mission to facilitate the success of Black women in the academy. Specifically, the organization aims to create an educational network of Black women in higher education in order to foster success in the areas of teaching, scholarly inquiry, and service to the community; facilitate collaborative scholarship among Black women in higher education; and facilitate the development of relationships to enhance members’ professional development. The Institute hosts a variety of programs, including the Signature Research BootCamp, the Writing Retreat, and the Intensive Grantsmanship Workshop. The Sisters of the Academy represents both postdoctoral researchers and faculty within the educational pipeline.

Program Contact

  • Devona Foster Pierre
  • devonafosterpierre@gmail.com

Location

  • Nationwide
  • Windy Ridge Rd, Newburgh, NY 12589, USA

Type Of Program

Audience

  • Collegiate

  • Faculty

  • Graduate

Discipline(s)

  • Humanities

  • Social/Behavioral Science

  • STEM

History

Established

2001

Notable Alumni

Dr. Rihana S. Mason (Research Scientist, Georgia State University) and Dr. Felica Moore Mensah (Professor of Science and Education, Associate Dean, Columbia University).

Research, Roles & Responsibilities

Research Components

  • Mentored research experience(s)

  • Other

  • Program sponsored (in-house) professional development sessions/ coursework/workshops

Involvement

  • Identity. The Sisters of the Academy Institute develops scholar and researcher identity, self-confidence, and confidence in research for all participants. By focusing on each woman’s development and helping her to reach her full capacity, SOTA enables women to feel supported, confident, and highly competent. It is understood that diverse faculty contribute significantly to higher education as an enterprise; therefore, SOTA is changing the academy by working through individual faculty.
  • Inclusion. Programming is “For Us, By Us” (FUBU), which means it is designed and implemented by Black women for Black women. Sister circles are another successful attribute of the SOTA community because they allow for individual and small-group mentoring.

Involvement Practices/Activities

  • Creation Of A Safe Space/ Climate/Environment

  • Development Of Academic Sense Of Belongingness (E.G. Meetings With Doctoral Scholars, Peer Researchers, Exchanges At Academic Conferences)

  • Orientation (E.G. Reviewing Norms, Expectations, Structures, Goals, And/Or Protocols)

  • Specialized Curricula/Workshops (E.G. Training For Participants, Directors And/Or Faculty On Imposter Syndrome, Implicit Bias, Microaggressions)

  • Specialized Pedagogical Practices (E.G. Multicultural Teaching Practices, Usage Of Gender Pronouns)

  • Structured Dialogues And Interactions (E.G. Lab Discussions, One-On-One Sessions, Virtual Dialogues)

Voice

Mentoring Components

  • Mentees Are Allowed To Attend Events With Mentors (I.E. Dinners, Social Events, Conferences, Retreats)

  • Mentees Are Shown Academic Customs, Pitfalls, Departmental Politics And Taboos

  • Mentor Recognizes The Value Of Mentee

    (I.E. Co-Authorship, Graduate School/Employment References)

  • Mentors Exchange Social Displays Of Scientific Knowledge And Practices

  • Mentors Provide Mentees With Access To Academic Resources

    (E.G. Precollegiate, Collegiate, Graduate, Postdoc, Faculty Training, Standardized Test Preparation, Writing Workshops, Research Workshops, Tenure And Promotion Information)

Empowering Activities

  • Academic Recognition (I.E. Research Credibility, Prestige)

  • Coaching

  • Institutional Alliances

  • Knowledge Transfer To The Community (E.G., Parents, Peers, Stakeholders)

  • Mentoring Opportunities

  • Publication Opportunities

Past Participant Decision Making

  • Coach Current Participants

  • Mentor Current Participants

  • Other

  • Serve As Workshop Speakers

Expectation

  • The primary goal of SOTA is to facilitate the success of Black women in the academy. The Institute is intentional in building networks of scholarly inquiry, strengthening teaching, facilitating collaborative scholarship, and enhancing professional development among its members. Much of this intentional work is done through the SOTA framework of “Results Based Accountability” (RBA), which is used for teaching, learning, and program administration training in order to facilitate program management and improvement for SOTA members.

Evaluation Methods

  • Other

Anticipated Outcomes

  • Attendance

  • Conducting Research

    (E.G. Course-Based, Laboratory-Based, Apprentice-Based, Discovery-Based)

  • Moving to the next level of the pipeline

  • Obtaining employment (industry or other sector)

  • Persistence in research

    applying to other research programs, completing other mentored research experiences

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