Seven CSUB students chosen for Chancellor's Doctoral Incentive Program

Program provides $30,000 loans to help students complete doctoral studies

By California State University, Bakersfield

September 17^th, 2021

Seven California State University, Bakersfield students have been chosen for the 2021-22 Chancellor’s Doctoral Incentive Program (CDIP).

The program provides $30,000 loans to students to help them complete their doctoral studies. If the students return as faculty members to a CSU campus, the loan is forgivable over five years of employment. The loan has a low interest rate for students who are not hired at a CSU.

CDIP fellows can also receive mentoring and have access to professional development opportunities.

“CDIP fellows are students who never thought they could become professors, acceptance to the program materializes the beacon of hope in the mind of the chosen — instilling in their minds the self-efficacy of, ‘I too can become a professor in spite of my life’s circumstances. My professors, the institution, and the system care to see me succeed,'” said Dr. Luis Vega, interim associate dean of graduate and undergraduate studies and CSUB coordinator of the program.

The CDIP was established in 1987 to increase faculty diversity of underrepresented populations in the CSU. Applicants to the program are typically seniors and graduate students who are applying to Ph.D. programs in fields where they are underrepresented, such as women in the sciences.

Also, students must have a record of academic experiences, often working closely with professors in research presentations at professional conferences, journal publications, art exhibitions, music compositions, or any project that is recognized in their disciplines as scholarly activity. Therefore, finding a faculty mentor is crucial and required to apply for the program, Dr. Vega said.

Here are this year's CDIP recipients from CSUB:

Seven CSUB students chosen for Chancellor's Doctoral Incentive Program

Michelle Crawford

Crawford is pursuing a Ph.D. in biological and biomedical sciences from Florida State University. Her faculty sponsor is Dr. Amy Gancarz-Kausch, associate professor of psychology.

Karen Garrett

Garrett is seeking a Ph.D. in family and consumer sciences/human sciences from Amridge University. Her faculty sponsor is Dr. Luis Vega, professor of psychology.

Fernando Gomez

Gomez is in the Ph.D. program for psychology, evolutionary sciences with a focus on neuroanatomy at University of California, Davis. His faculty sponsor is Dr. Isabel Sumaya, professor of psychology.

Leticia Herrera

Herrera is in the Ph.D. program for experimental psychology at Idaho State University. Her faculty sponsor is Dr. Sumaya.

Jacob Watson

Watson is pursuing a Ph.D. in psychology, with an emphasis on neuroscience, at the University of South Carolina. His faculty sponsor is Dr. Gancarz-Kausch.

Sarah Winchester

Winchester is in the Ph.D. program in behavioral neuroscience at SUNY Binghamton University. Her faculty sponsor is Dr. Sumaya.

Carrina Appling

Appling is pursuing a Ph.D. in biological and biomedical sciences at the University of Missouri, Columbia. Her faculty sponsor is Dr. Sumaya.

About the CDIP

CSUB has had 43 CDIP fellows since 1987, Dr. Vega said, including President Lynnette Zelezny, who is also a professor of psychology.

According to CSU data, 69% of fellows have obtained positions at a CSU, 59% have earned their doctoral degree and, since 2010, $762,000 in total has been awarded.

Around 75% of fellows have been identified as first-generation students, with 24% identifying their parent’s highest degree as high school. Around 67% identified themselves as people of color and 66% identified as female.

For more information about the CDIP, visit the CSU website.

Students who would like more information about the CDIP are invited to attend a workshop on Oct. 22 from 3-4 p.m. Please RSVP to gsc@csub.edu or visit the Graduate Student Center website for a Zoom invitation.