GEM Associate Fellow and University Fellow Program FAQ

GEM Associate Fellow and University Fellow Program FAQ
The 2011-2012 GEM Board of Directors voted to implement a pilot in the 2012-2013 cycle to allow
Universities to provide full tuition and fees, and potentially summer research experiences to GEM
applicants who did not receive the GEM Fellowship due to the unavailability of industry internships,
and still label the student as a “GEM Fellow”. During the pilot year, GEM University members
named 16 GEM Associate Fellows and 4 GEM University Fellows. As of March 15th, University
members are now able to select applicants to support as a GEM Associate Fellow or GEM
University Fellow.
What’s included in each Fellowship Award Package by Designation?
Below is a list of “Frequently Asked Questions” with responses about the GEM Associate and
University Fellows Program.
Q1: For GEM Employer sponsored GEM Fellows, what amount of funding will my
institution/STEM department receive?
A1: Each "confirmed" GEM Fellow selected by a GEM Employer will receive $21K in payments
via the GEM Office. "Confirmed" is defined as having a support contract signed by 1) the
University, 2) the student, and 3) GEM on file.
Q2: For GEM University and Associate Fellows, will my institution/department receive funds
from GEM to support students we select?
A2: No. GEM Fellows selected by a University without GEM Employer funding will not receive
external funds (funding from GEM) to help support providing a full package.
Q3: Why would we name a student a GEM Fellow without external funding?
A3: This is a great question that we really want your institution to think broadly about in
concept. Here is what the 10 GEM Universities who confirmed GEM University and Associate
Fellows in 2013 during our pilot year told us:
1. Naming applicants we found from the GEM database allows us to clearly articulate our
success to national funders in broadening participation at the graduate level in STEM
2. Naming more than one GEM applicant as a GEM Fellow allowed us to create a cohort of
under-represented students that we can then create a support system for to ensure
success at the graduate level. Without naming them GEM Fellows, we were limited in
creating what would be considered race-based or set-asides.
3. Lastly, but most importantly, given we found the student through the GEM database,
and GEM through their process required all complete applicants to apply to at least
three schools, it makes sense to give GEM presence for helping us increase our domestic
URM STEM graduate population.
If the above information does not sell this program, please note the GEM Executive Committee
is pre-evaluating to present to GEM University Members at the GEM 2014 Annual Board
Meeting in San Diego, an incentive plan for GEM Universities to name GEM University and
Associate Fellows. Specifically:

Increased benefits or discounted costs for GEM University who confirm a minimum
number of GEM Fellows per year, and

A benefit to GEM Member Universities who have the most GEM Fellows, and/or who
significantly increase the number of GEM Fellows.
Here are the Universities who contractually confirmed 2013 GEM University and Associate
Fellows:
2013 Associate (16) and University Fellows (4)
4
3.5
3
2.5
2
1.5
1
0.5
0
1
2
4
3
1
1
2
2
1
1
1
1
Univ…
Asso…
Q4: We see applicants on the recommended list that we would love to have at our institution.
Can my University name a GEM Fellow who is not currently on our Verification page?
Yes. However, the applicant must list your institution on their GEM application. You can have
them contact the GEM office for us to show them how to achieve this result, or you can instruct
them directly to log into their eGEM application and click on “Click here to update your record on
schools to which you have applied and/or been accepted” to add your school.
Q5: Can my University name an applicant a GEM University or Associate Fellow if they are not
on the recommended list?
Yes. However, confirming a non-recommended applicant is on a case by case basis. A phone
meeting is required with the GEM Executive Director to discuss the overall goals of the program
and if the candidate in question meets these goals from both the perspective of the University
and GEM.
If your question was not answered please send your question to [email protected] or
sign up for an instructional webinar via your eGEM account.

Download Report