U-RISE Program at Fayetteville State University

Program Summary
The U-RISE program will be located at Fayetteville State University (FSU), which is one of the 17
constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina System and the second oldest public
institution of higher education in the state. The U-RISE program will be a research training program
comprised of a series of evidence-based, phased-in awareness, mentoring and developmental activities
designed to help students succeed in college, and transition into biomedical, research-focused, higher
degree programs upon graduation.
Underrepresented minority (URM) students from biology, chemistry, forensic science, math, and
computer science majors will engage in intensive research training and professional development
activities beginning at the college sophomore year through their acceptance into graduate schools. Each
year of program matriculation, trainees will develop new skills and experiences to become more
competitive applicants for graduate schools. In light of the recent COVID-19 pandemic, alternative
virtual training activities have been proposed in the event future face-to-face meetings are prohibited.
Based upon institutional assessments and the previous successful design of the FSU-RISE program,
this application proposes to establish a U-RISE program at FSU with an overarching goals to develop
an increased talent pool of well-trained URM students in biology, chemistry, forensic science and math
and computer science in which at least 90% (27 of 30) will graduate with baccalaureate degrees from
FSU with at least a 3.0 GPA; and at least 75% (23 of 30) will transition into biomedical, research-
focused higher degree programs within the 5 years of funding. The following three objectives are
proposed to achieve these goals:
1. To enhance the academic preparation of URM trainees in biology, chemistry, forensic
science, mathematics, and computer science such that each year
2. To provide meaningful research training experiences to develop a well-prepared URM
trainee pool of research-ready, critical and independent thinkers for competitive entry into
biomedical research-focused higher degree programs each year
3. To engage trainees in cohort-building interventions each year to enhance self-efficacy and
biomedical research-focused higher degree identity
Trainees will be selected through a competitive application process, which includes meeting program
criteria and performing well in an interview. Longitudinal, mixed-methods formative and summative
evaluations will be conducted to evaluate measures/benchmarks and program effectiveness.