Program Director, Professor Anna Mapp receives 2017 Harold R. Johnson Diversity Service Award

Anna Mapp, Edwin Vedejs Collegiate Professor of Chemistry, professor of chemistry, LSA; director of the Program in Chemical Biology; and research professor, Life Sciences Institute, works tirelessly to enhance student diversity at U-M.

Mapp directs the interdepartmental graduate program, the Program in Chemical Biology. Since its inception, it has created and implemented policies and procedures for enrolling cohorts of graduate students from traditionally underrepresented areas.

Due to Mapp and her team's efforts, in fall 2016, 25 percent of the Ph.D. students and 47 percent of the master's degree students were underrepresented minorities and about half of the Ph.D. students identified as female.

"Diversity in the Chemical Biology graduate program is a direct consequence of Professor Mapp's commitment to diversity and personal efforts in recruiting and supporting underrepresented students in Chemical Biology," wrote Rackham Graduate School Dean Carol A. Fierke and Associate Dean Peter Hitchcock.

Mapp calls or meets every master's program applicant to discuss their motivations and goals. Under her leadership, the chemical biology program has expanded its offerings to include special first-year fellowships that have aided in recruiting the best students in chemical biology to U-M.

When students are accepted, Mapp tailors curricula to fit their individual needs and she provides academic, personal and professional support to students.

Mapp received a Rackham Distinguished Graduate Mentorship Award in 2014 for her outstanding mentoring skills, and she serves as the Rackham Faculty Ally for Diversity in Graduate Education for the Program in Chemical Biology. She is the co-principal investigator for a Rackham Faculty Allies Diversity grant through the Department of Chemistry that aims to increase the diversity of the department's applicant pool by building relationships with four historically black colleges and universities.  

Mapp was a lead faculty representative on the Life Sciences Institute's Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Strategic Planning Team and helped spearhead the creation and rollout of the institute's first-ever work climate survey.

from the University of Michigan Record

http://record.umich.edu/articles/seven-receive-2017-harold-r-johnson-div...