Black, Hispanic, and Native American scholars, along with women of all races and ethnicities, are underrepresented among graduate students in economics, on the faculties of economics departments, and in key leadership positions in the public and private sectors. In recognition of these longstanding patterns, UMD’s Department of Economics created the Promoting Achievement and Diversity in Economics (PADE) Program in 2016. The program recruits academically-talented undergraduate economics majors who are underrepresented in economics. PADE provides these students with mentoring, academic support, and professional development opportunities. Students participate in weekly one-on-one tutoring sessions or independent study; receive intensive faculty advising about internship, employment, and graduate school applications; have opportunities to work as research assistants and to attend academic conferences; and participate in visits to and panel discussions with economists at a wide range of DC-area institutions.
PADE currently includes ten to twelve undergraduate students each year. To date, more than 40 students have participated. These students have completed internships and obtained employment with prestigious institutions that are well-recognized pathways to PhD programs in economics, such as the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, the Federal Reserve Banks of New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Richmond, the World Bank, the Brookings Institution, Bank of America, and Yale University. PADE students have participated in the intensive AEA Summer Training Program; have been selected for leadership roles by the Sadie Collective; and are currently enrolled in programs PhD in economics at UMD and MIT.
With support from the National Science Foundation and UMD’s Catalyst Fund, PADE has launched a partnership with Prince George’s Community College, a Minority Serving Institutions (MSI), to facilitate the participation and success of transfer students in their economics training. PADE also welcomed two pre-doctoral trainees to campus in August. These scholars will spend one year conducting research with faculty and expect to enter UMD’s PhD program in 2025.
