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Graduate School
The University of Mississippi

Cole-Eftink Fellows Program: Honoring Great Leaders by Supporting Current Students

by Margaret Savoie

Cole

Donald Cole

The Graduate School is happy to be continuing the Cole-Eftink Fellows program for a second year. Named after former Graduate School Deans, Drs. Donald Cole and Maurice Eftink, this program strives to encourage and help students from underrepresented backgrounds.

A competition for the University of Mississippi Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) Doctoral Scholars Program in 2020 was so fierce, with limited spots available, it was necessary to turn most of the students down. The Graduate School leadership wanted to reward the highly qualified students who did not receive an SREB spot and therefore created the Cole-Eftink Fellows program at the University of Mississippi Graduate School.

Eftink“These two men did a lot of work when it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion. Under their leadership, we saw tremendous growth in the underrepresented graduate student population,” said Dr. Murrell Godfrey, Assistant Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Sheerah Neal of Wilson, North Carolina and a current Cole-Eftink Fellow said, “Being a Cole-Eftink Fellow means that I am part of the vision Drs. Donald Cole and Maurice Eftink had for diversifying the academic experience at the University of Mississippi.”

According to current Cole-Eftink Fellow, Janita M. Springfield from Oakland, Tennessee, “To be a Cole-Eftink Fellow means a number of things but two in particular: being recognized for my scholarly achievements and being supported by and providing support to underrepresented minority doctoral students at the University of Mississippi.”

The Cole-Eftink Fellows have opportunities for professional development, occasions to network among themselves and with others outside of the program, and mentorship opportunities. This semester, there has been a monthly seminar series where fellows can learn from and engage in conversations with accomplished academics.

“This program is helping me build professional foundations to help further my career in academia,” said Cole-Eftink Fellow Brianna Richmond from Lewisville, Texas.

“So far, I have gained a mentor and participated in a professional development opportunity in collaboration with doctoral students from Auburn University,” said Roger David Jr., a Cole-Eftink Fellow from Anguilla, Mississippi.

It is important for graduate students to feel at home while at the University of Mississippi. Robrecus Toles, a current Cole-Eftink Fellow from Oxford, Mississippi, said “This program means a lot to me because as an underrepresented minority this program gives me a sense of community that I desperately need as a Ph.D. student.”

This sense of community helps students to find who they are before they graduate and complete their programs. Destinee Manning, of Memphis, Tennessee reiterated this point, “I have only been in this program since the start of the Fall semester, but with the team and advisor this program has, I know it will help and mold me to be a better version of myself before I graduate.”

The Graduate School is thankful for this opportunity to recognize the accomplishments of our underrepresented students while honoring Drs. Donald Cole and Maurice Eftink. We hope to continue this program for years to come!

The Graduate School is proud of our nine current Cole-Eftink Fellows in all their academic endeavors! A list of the fellows and disciplines are as followed:

  • Quinn Campagna, Ph.D. in Physics
  • Roger Davis Jr., Ph.D. in Higher Education
  • Destinee Manning, Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences with Emphasis in Medicinal Chemistry
  • Emaya Moss, Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences with Emphasis in Pharmacology
  • Sheerah Neal, Ph.D. in Counselor Education
  • Brianna Richmond, Ph.D. in Psychology with Emphasis in Experimental Psychology
  • Janita Springfield, Ph.D. in Counselor Education
  • Robrecus Toles, Ph.D. in History
  • Alex Vinson, Ph.D. In Pharmaceutical Sciences with Emphasis in Medicinal Chemistry

To help us grow the Cole-Eftink Fellows Program through financial support, please visit https://umfoundation.givingfuel.com/cole-eftink-fellows-program

 

Newsletter Fall/Winter 2021 Articles

  1. Welcome
  2. Fall 2021: Learning Both in Person and Virtually
  3. 2021 Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition Winners: from Microplastics to Philosophy
  4. Two Standout Three Minute Thesis Competition Participants Share their Research
  5. Communication Sciences and Disorders M.S. Students Present at the Premiere Conference for Speech, Language, and Hearing Practitioners and Scholars
  6. Myxobacteria Brings Students Together for Publication
  7. Former Graduate Assistant Teaching Communications and Sports Media at Jackson State University
  8. Meet the Inaugural Recipient of Our New Graduate School Scholarship for Advancing STEM
  9. Cole-Eftink Fellows Program: Honoring Great Leaders by Supporting Current Students
  10. PhD Student Making Gravitational Waves in Research with NASA/Mississippi Space Grant Consortium (MSSGC) Graduate Research Fellowship
  11. The Sweet Sound and Study of Music at UM: Graduate Programs in Harmony
   
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