The EDGE Program (Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education) was launched in 1998 by Bryn Mawr and Spelman Colleges, with the goal of strengthening the ability of women students to successfully complete graduate programs in the mathematical sciences, with particular inclusion of women from minority groups. Since its inception, the centerpiece of the program has been a four-week summer session with a strong emphasis on academic enhancement and an introduction to the culture of graduate school, followed by a mentoring component after entry into a graduate program. The recent establishment of regional Mentoring Clusters addresses the need for continued mentoring for advanced graduate students, postdocs, and junior faculty.

A distinguishing characteristic of the EDGE summer program has been its unwavering commitment to diversity, both among its participants and its faculty and staff, and even among its host institutions. A long-term goal of the EDGE Program is the creation, identification and dissemination of programs and strategies that improve the persistence of women and minority graduate students, and contribute to the development of a diverse mathematical community.

During 1998 to 2002 the EDGE program was alternately conducted on the campuses of the two founding institutions. Since 2003, the Program has been held at a variety of other institutions committed to the goals of the program. In 2003, the summer program was held at Pomona College, with Local Coordinator Dr. Ami Radunskaya, in 2005, at North Carolina A & T State University, with Local Coordinators Dr. Janis Oldham and Professor Patricia Shelton, and in 2006, at New College of Florida, with Local Coordinator Dr. Eirini Poimenidou. In 2008, the program will return to Pomona College under the direction of Local Coordinator Ami Radunskaya. The EDGE Program has received major funding from the National Science Foundation, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and, in its early stages, the National Security Agency.