News & Events
Call for Proposals
Are you interested in a year-long mentored leadership opportunity? Know someone who is? The IAspire Leadership Academy is accepting applications for the fourth cohort of fellows. The program’s purpose is to elevate the preparedness of academic leaders from underrepresented groups so they can aspire to and succeed in more senior leadership roles. The program offers fellowships to individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups currently in formal or non-formal leadership roles in STEM higher education at both two and four-year institutions. Visit the IAspire webpage to learn more about the program. Applications are due May 20, 2022.
Events
The Aspire Alliance IChange Network and APLU member, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, recently announced their integrated DEI case framework for faculty promotion and tenure guidelines. As institutions across the country explore how to reward and value the important work that faculty do to create inclusive and welcoming campus environments for students and colleagues, IUPUI’s approach is one exciting possibility for other campuses to explore. This webinar was moderated by Kimberly Griffin, Ph.D., Associate Dean of Graduate Studies and Faculty Affairs for the College of Education and Professor of Higher Education, Student Affairs, International Education Policy at the University of Maryland, College Park.
Representatives from IUPUI included:
• Rachel Applegate, Ph.D. - Assistant Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs, Associate Professor of Library and Information Science
• Kathy Johnson, Ph.D. - Executive Vice Chancellor & Chief Academic Officer, Professor of Psychology
• Gina Sanchez Gibau, Ph.D. - Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Diversity and Inclusion, Associate Professor of Anthropology
• Jennifer Thorington Springer, Ph.D. - Associate Dean of Student Affairs, Professor of English
News
Check out the latest announcements and upcoming events, including new publications.
Check out the latest announcements and upcoming events, including new publications.
Check out the latest announcements and upcoming events, including new publications.
Check out the latest announcements and upcoming events, including new publications.
Check out the latest announcements and upcoming events, including new publications.
The University of Texas at El Paso has the highest percentage of Hispanic tenured faculty among the nation’s largest research universities, according to the most recent national data from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System. Read more about their journey in this article.
Check out the latest announcements and upcoming events, including the announcement of the IAspire Leadership Academy Announces Third Cohort of Fellows.
Kimberly Griffin, professor and associate dean at the University of Maryland, has researched how academic institutions can increase support for Black professors. Universities must reconsider the types of labor rewarded with tenure, she said, and go beyond providing scholars with just training and resources.
“What is really necessary in this moment is a critical look at how institutions do their work,” she said. “How are programs and policies set up in a way that miss the talents, the skills, the gifts of scholars of color?”
Washington, DC – Addressing the national need to broaden diversity and increase inclusion in STEM fields and higher education leadership, the Aspire Alliance’s Institutional Change Initiative (IChange) today announced the third cohort of fellows in its IAspire Leadership Academy. The academy is part of the Aspire Alliance’s Institutional Change Initiative, which the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) and the University of Georgia lead, and aims to support STEM faculty from underrepresented backgrounds ascend to leadership roles at colleges and universities.
Dr. Susan McDowell, Vice Provost for Research at Ball State University, has been named an Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ (APLU) Council on Research Leader Fellow.
The APLU Council on Research (CoR), which is comprised of senior research officers at the nation’s public research universities, created the fellowship to enable individuals who are new vice presidents, vice chancellors, or vice provosts for research, or aspiring to these positions, to develop critical new knowledge and skills.
ACCESS+ sent a team to the 2021 Aspire Summer Institute, which was hosted virtually from June 7-11, 2021 by the NSF INCLUDES Aspire Alliance. The Institute was grounded in Aspire’s Inclusive Professional Framework for Faculty (IPF: Faculty)--a holistic professional development approach that advocates awareness, knowledge and skill-building to develop an equity mindset and put it into practice through relationship and communication skills. The ASI was designed to increase capacity of Aspire IChange Network (ICN) institutions and other organizational teams to affect diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI)-focused change.
"An NSF-funded initiative aims to promote diversity within STEM faculty ranks."
Check out the latest announcements and upcoming events, including a new report from National Change: Leveraging STEM Professional Society "Boundary Spanners" to Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis says it's putting its policies where its mouth is, approving new promotion and tenure options based on diversity, equity and inclusion work.
Introducing the Inclusive Professional Framework! Learn more in the April newsletter.
Meet the newest Central California and Florida Regional Collaborative Co-Leads in our February newsletter.
Sharon Tettegah, Co-Lead of the UC Santa Barbara IChange Team, discusses the need for diverse representation in STEM.
Faculty, staff and students will share the university's Martin Luther King Jr. Advancing One Community awards this year. Coordinated in the office of the vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), the award recognizes individuals and campus organizations that demonstrate a commitment to fostering inclusive environments and promoting justice and equity at Iowa State -- in short, living the principles of King.
IChange Network in the News
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities - posted on 10/29/20
University of Pittsburgh - posted on 10/29/20
"Pitt Joins National Alliance Aimed at Developing a More Inclusive and Diverse STEM Faculty"
Stevens Institute of Technology - posted on 11/6/20
UC Santa Barbara - posted on 1/22/21
Aspire in the News
Harvard Graduate School of Education - posted on 1/4/21
"Measuring Faculty Perceptions of Diversity" - Work by HGSE’s COACHE project reveals wide gaps in how faculty of different racial and ethnic backgrounds perceive progress in diversity and inclusion on college campuses.
Inside Higher Ed - posted on 1/6/21
"Illusion of Inclusion" - Faculty satisfaction data reveal big gaps between how white and nonwhite professors experience campus diversity and inclusion efforts.
Read our latest newsletter, including a Reflection on 2020 from Aspire Director, Howard Gobstein.
Read more about Colorado State University's, Rachael Johnson, on her experience as an IAspire Fellow.
Aimed at ensuring all STEM faculty use inclusive teaching practices and that institutions increase the diversity of their STEM professoriate, participating universities begin their work with a self-assessment of current practices and assets. The institutions will then develop and implement campus action plans to drive change and scale such efforts across all their STEM programs.
"Scholars discuss what it’s like to be a Black professor in 2020, who should be doing antiracist work on campus and why diversity interventions that attempt to “fix” Black academics for a rigged game miss the point entirely."
Meet Aspire's new Evaluation co-lead and announcing the second cohort of IAspire Leadership Fellows.
Learn more about Aspire's summer activities and new resources in our June newsletter.
Aspire's National Change Team, along with a planning and facilitation team, hosted 37 participants from 17 institutions in a 5-day virtual institute on developing inclusive practices.
WEPAN and ASEE, partners of the Aspire Alliance, are inviting this community to submit abstracts to the 3rd Annual Conference of CoNECD: Collaborative Network for Engineering and Computing Diversity, which will be held from January 24-27, 2020 at the Crystal City Marriott in Arlington Virginia. CoNECD is a collaborative effort of the American Society for Engineering Education’s (ASEE) Minorities in Engineering Division (MIND), the ASEE Women in Engineering Division (WIED), the National Association of Multicultural Engineering Program Advocates (NAMEPA), and the Women in Engineering Pro-Active Network (WEPAN). The vision of the CoNECD Conference is to provide a forum for exploring current research and practices to enhance diversity and inclusion of all underrepresented groups in the engineering and computing professions. CoNECD aims to include both researchers seeking peer-reviewed conference papers as well as practitioners who wish to submit a presentation associated with a successful practice. The call for abstracts is due July 6!
You can learn more about the conference here.
A new report from the Association of Public & Land-Grant Universities examines best practices for increasing the number of faculty from underrepresented groups in STEM fields.
The report examines university efforts supporting access to, retention in, and progress to the professoriate for STEM faculty aspirants from underrepresented groups. In addition to convening academic experts and institutional leaders, the association surveyed member institutions about their practices to promote diversity in these areas.
Aspire welcomed over 270 participants in a 3-day virtual conference over June 1-3, to engage in deep meaningful work to further Aspire Change Initiatives, create opportunities to talk and share across teams, and to learn together from two major plenaries.
We invite you to share in these experiences by watching the
Advancing Equity in STEM in a Time of Crisis keynote featuring a dialog between Drs. Shirley Malcolm & Robert Jones (displayed to the left).
And, the Summit closing: A Charge for Moving Forward with Systemic Change in Turbulent Times with Drs. Ann Austin & Leslie Gonzales.
How is Aspire is responding to the COVID-19 crisis? Read how the alliance is continuing to support faculty DEI efforts in our April newsletter.
Exciting things are planned for Aspire in the new year. Read our most recent newsletter to learn more.
The National Science Foundation-funded INCLUDES Alliance, Aspire: The National Alliance for Inclusive & Diverse STEM Faculty, today announced the selection of 20 public research universities for its three-year institutional change effort to help the institutions develop inclusive faculty recruitment, hiring, and retention practices. The new cohort joins an inaugural set of 15 institutions that began working together to advance such work earlier this year.
Faculty who have advising responsibilities play a critical role in a student's progression through their undergraduate education. This is especially important for students from underrepresented minorities (URMs) such as first generation students or students from low socio-economic backgrounds LSEBs). While academic advising in higher education has been professionalized and its importance in student success has been recognized, faculty advising has not experienced the advancement in scholarship, theory and practice that is needed. Therefore, this project is an attempt to address that need and train the future generations of faculty who can serve the needs of a diverse population of students and improve their own repertoire of skills as effective faculty for students from all backgrounds.
Inaugural cohort of 20 faculty and administrators to gain leadership development preparing them for senior roles.
The June newsletter is here! Click here to learn more about what is happening across our Alliance.
Want to learn more about Aspire's regional collaboratives? Take a moment to read through all the great things the California RC has been up to!
Applications are now open for the IChange Network. Institutions of higher education interested in participating in the IChange Network are asked to complete an application that provides Aspire with information about the institution's readiness to change in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) including their awareness, commitment to DEI, resources, and their preparedness for network learning, as well as their connections to the goals and activities of Aspire. Calls for applications to the IChange Network are made on an annual basis, and the network will initially engage three annual cohorts of institutions. Applications are due August 1.
Applications are now open for the IAspire Leadership Academy, which provides leadership development for the next generation of underrepresented leaders in STEM higher ed. Deadline is June 3. This program offers fellowships to individuals from traditionally underrepresented groups currently in formal or non-formal leadership roles in STEM higher education at both 2 and 4 year institutions. IAspire Leadership Fellows will have opportunities to learn how to lead more effectively in increasingly complex environments and build confidence to influence institutional transformation either in their current position or as they rise to other positions of leadership. The program fees (valued at $9,000) for this inaugural cohort are covered by the NSF INCLUDES Grant.
Check out our latest newsletter to learn more about what is happening across our Alliance.
Announcing new hires across Aspire!
We are excited to welcome and announce a few new team members:
Shaquita Humphrey-Pressley, M. Ed.,California Regional Collaborative Program Coordinator.
Robin Parent, Ph.D., Aspire Program Manager.
Jessica Bennett, Ph.D., IChange Program Manager
Justine Joo, Aspire Program Associate
Jalaine Weller, MA, Texas Regional Collaborative Program Coordinator
Check out the newsletter from Aspire's Southern California Regional Collaborative. It is packed with information that is especially relevant to graduate students and future faculty interested in working at 2-year institutions in California.
Georgia State University is one of 15 universities selected to participate in a national three-year program to increase the diversity of its science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) faculty through improved recruitment, hiring and retention practices.
The National Science Foundation-funded program, called “Aspire: The National Alliance for Inclusive & Diverse STEM Faculty,” promotes inclusive teaching practices and diversity. The program’s ultimate aim is to attract underrepresented students—women, members of minority racial and ethnic groups, people with disabilities and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds—into STEM programs, retain them and help them graduate and succeed in a modern workforce.
The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, an organization dedicated to advancing and strengthening public universities, has created a program to expand diversity within STEM academics, Aspire: National Alliance for Inclusive & Diverse STEM Faculty.
Travis York, assistant vice president of Academic and Student Affairs at APLU, said that the University has been chosen as one of 15 public research universities selected from 45 applicants to participate in this nationwide program.
ATLANTA – Georgia State University is one of 15 universities selected to participate in a national three-year program to increase the diversity of its science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) faculty through improved recruitment, hiring and retention practices.
The National Science Foundation-funded program, called “Aspire: The National Alliance for Inclusive & Diverse STEM Faculty,” promotes inclusive teaching practices and diversity. The program’s ultimate aim is to attract underrepresented students—women, members of minority racial and ethnic groups, people with disabilities and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds—into STEM programs, retain them and help them graduate and succeed in a modern workforce.
As part of its ongoing commitment to improving STEM education — science, technology engineering and mathematics — the UO is joining a national effort that aims to boost the diversity of faculty and students.
The three-year initiative funded by the National Science Foundation will help 15 public research universities reform their recruitment, hiring and retention practices and commit to more inclusive teaching, advising and research mentoring practices.
Florida State University has been selected to participate in the National Science Foundation-funded INCLUDES Alliance, a three-year effort to improve inclusive recruitment, hiring and retention methods among science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) faculty.
UTSA was selected as one of 15 public research universities to participate in the National Science Foundation-funded INCLUDES Alliance, Aspire: The National Alliance for Inclusive and Diverse STEM Faculty, its inaugural three-year institutional change effort to help those schools reform their recruitment, hiring and retention practices.
According to the website for Benetech, a nonprofit tech company, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates 1.1 million computing-related job openings in the U.S. by 2024. But more than two-thirds of those jobs could go unfilled due to an insufficient pool of candidates.
Three groups that are significantly underrepresented are women, minorities, and people with disabilities.
In an effort to change that, Florida State University was recently selected as one of 15 public research universities chosen to participate in the National Science Foundation-funded INCLUDES Alliance. It is an inaugural three-year institutional effort to improve recruitment, hiring and retention practices.
Aspire: The National Alliance for Inclusive & Diverse STEM Faculty, today announced that Cleveland State University was selected as one of 15 public research universities for its inaugural three-year institutional change effort to help those school’s reform their recruitment, hiring, and retention practices. The Alliance is funded by the National Science Foundation and managed by the Association of Public Land-grant Universities.
UCF is part of a new national cohort to increase the diversity of science, technology, engineering and math faculty through recruitment and retention.
BOZEMAN — Montana State University has been chosen to participate in a new national initiative designed to recruit and retain a more inclusive, diverse faculty in science, technology, engineering and math fields.
Florida State University is one of 15 public research universities selected to participate in the National Science Foundation-funded INCLUDES Alliance inaugural three-year institutional change effort to improve recruitment, hiring and retention practices.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is one of 15 public research universities selected for an inaugural three-year institutional program to enhance its faculty recruitment, hiring and retention practices. The National Science Foundation-funded Aspire: The National Alliance for Inclusive & Diverse STEM Faculty promotes inclusive teaching practices and diversity.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Boston University, the University of California, Davis and the University of Massachusetts Lowell are being recognized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in STEM and furthering positive change in their institution's relevant policies and practice.
Washington, DC – The National Science Foundation-funded INCLUDES Alliance, Aspire: The National Alliance for Inclusive & Diverse STEM Faculty, today announced the selection of 15 public research universities for its inaugural three-year institutional change effort to help those schools reform their recruitment, hiring, and retention practices.
The University of Houston has been selected for a national effort to increase diversity among faculty in STEM disciplines.
Aspire will build upon efforts already underway at UH, many of them spearheaded by the Center for ADVANCING UHFaculty Success, which was created in 2015 to increase the number of female faculty members in science, technology, engineering and mathematics, as well as to ensure they are able to move into leadership roles.
Irvine, Calif., Feb. 12, 2019 — The University of California, Irvine has been selected as one of 15 public research universities to take part in a three-year, National Science Foundation-funded campaign to boost the diversity of faculty in science, technology, engineering and math disciplines.
Check out the latest announcements and upcoming events, including the announcement of the IAspire Leadership Academy Announces Third Cohort of Fellows.