CMU joins national STEM diversity effort

Central Michigan University has joined 19 other universities in a national effort to increase the diversity of their STEM faculty and use of inclusive teaching practices.

This group joins an inaugural set of 15 institutions that made the commitment earlier this year.

Institutions participating in Aspire: The National Alliance for Inclusive & Diverse STEM Faculty, will assess their current recruitment, hiring and retention practices and implement action plans to drive change. The movement is funded by the National Science Foundation.

“We are excited to have been chosen to join this valuable consortium of universities working to diversify the faculty ranks, along with incorporating more inclusive classroom and learning environments and techniques,” said A.T. Miller, vice president and chief diversity officer at CMU.

“This is a significant addition to our recent NSF ADVANCE Catalyst Award to increase representation and advancement opportunities for women in STEM, and we look forward to making notable progress in these areas in coming semesters,” he said.

A 2019 NSF analysis showed that underrepresented minority faculty occupied 9% of professorships in STEM fields at four-year institutions.

Research has shown that underrepresented students taught by diverse faculty achieve at significantly higher rates, eliminating as much as 20-50% of the course achievement gaps between minority and majority students, Aspire reported.