The Canada SROP is an anti-racist initiative to diversify academia by increasing equitable access to graduate school.
The SROP seeks to ultimately diversify faculty by providing undergraduate students who identify as Indigenous, Black, or racialized equitable access to graduate school preparation, planning, and admission.
Background
The SROP is a successful diversity initiative in the United States started by the Big Ten Academic Alliance (BTAA) of large US universities. The BTAA’s SROP has inspired similar programs at many U.S. individual universities and university associations outside the Big Ten Alliance, such as being the model adopted by the Ivy League Universities’ “Leadership Alliance.”
Vision
Our vision is to establish a network of participating Universities that offer the SROP. We refer to this network of SROP programmes as “the Canada SROP.” The UofT Pilot SROP will be used to develop programme materials as templates that will be distributed to key Canadian partner institutions in the first phase of expansion. Once established and at steady-state, operations will turn toward efficiently maintaining these programs and expanding to new Canadian universities.
Are you a professor or administrator at a Canadian University who would like to see a Canada SROP hosted at your University? We are currently writing a partnership grant with interested institutions. Please sign up by clicking on this button.
Funding
The Canada SROP was founded and funded by a group of departments, divisions, and research institutes within University of Toronto and the Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest Hospital. The Graduate Department of Management, Graduate Department of Psychology, Mississauga Psychology Department, Scarborough Psychology Department, St. George Psychology Department, Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest – Research Training Centre, Institute of Management & Innovation, School of Graduate Studies, UTSC Vice-Principal Research Office, and Faculty of Arts & Science all generously and enthusiastically supported the Canada SROP.
Program Benefits & Expectations
Benefits for Students
- Independent research experience and mentorship, which will help prepare you for graduate school applications and beyond
- Stipend of $7280 CAD OR a Stipend of $4780 plus 8 weeks housing in Summer Housing at UofT
- Kaplan GRE Preparation course and materials at no cost to student
- Weekly professional development sessions, the Professional Development Speaker Series developed by Dr. Sonia Kang, where you will meet inspiring researchers
- A weekly “Application Building Activity” that will help you prepare your graduate school applications
- Network building with other students who are seeking a research career as a PhD in Psychology or Management, as well as the speakers whom you meet through the amazing Professional Development Speakers
Expectations for SROP Students
- Work on a research project for 17-18 hours/week during the weeks of June 8 – July 31, 2026
- Attend Professional Development Sessions for 2-3 hours a week, most likely held on Tuesdays from 11 AM – 1:30 PM for every week of the program.
- Spend ~2 hours/week independently completing an “Application Building Activity“
- Spend ~3 hours/week studying for the Graduate Record Exam through a Kaplan account you receive from PREP
- Respond to program communications, particularly from Graduate Student Coordinators, who act as peer mentors
- Attend an initial Welcome Session and a final PREP Research Symposium on the first (June 8) and last (July 31) days of the program
Benefits for Faculty
- Mentor an outstanding student, receiving strong programming supports
- $750 research stipend towards the costs of the SROP research project
- Opportunity to contribute to an EDI initiative