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Appendix B - Candidate Databases

Numerous online resources can be used to search for doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars from groups that are historically underrepresented in higher education. The following list is a nonexclusive sample of these resources.

  • The Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) Directory of Professorial Advancement Initiative (PAI) (cic.net/cicdirectory). The PAI is an NSF-funded initiative to prepare and train underrepresented minority postdoctoral scholars in STEM disciplines for transition to tenure-track faculty positions within BTAA institutions. The PAI website provides a listing of PAI participants in an online, searchable database available only to BTAA faculty and administrators. The database is accessible by logging on to BTAA’s identity system using a Northwestern NetID and password. The BTAA also maintains a publicly available directory of doctoral degree recipients who are members of underrepresented groups in higher education and are alumni of BTAA member institutions.
  • Faculty for the Future (FFF) . FFF is an initiative sponsored by the GE Foundation and the Women in Engineering Programs & Advocates Network (WEPAN). It is designed to increase the number of women and underrepresented minorities in engineering, related sciences, and business. University faculty and administrators can register with the site to access the database and post position openings.
  • Directory of Ford Foundation Fellows (nas.edu/FordFellowDirect/Main/Main.aspx). This searchable online directory provides information on Ford Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship and Ford Foundation Predoctoral and Dissertation Fellowship recipients. The database only includes recipients of fellowships administered by the National Resource Council.
  • American Association of University Women (AAUW) Fellowships and Grants Directory. AAUW is a national grassroots organization that provides fellowships and grants to support women in their professional and academic careers. The searchable online directory lists fellowship and grant recipients since 2004.
  • National Registry of Diverse & Strategic Faculty (ttu.edu). Texas Tech University established this registry in 1985 to connect diverse candidates with tenure-track faculty positions at colleges and universities across the country. For an annual subscription fee, higher education institutions can post open faculty positions and search the candidate database.
  • Additionally, for a fee, diversity recruiting organizations such as Minority Postdoc (org/index.html), Nemnet (nemnet.com), and IMDiversity (imdiversity.com) will post academic positions on their websites and provide access to underrepresented minority candidate vitae.