Opinion By: Juanita Ortiz and Monique Bruner
The Oklahoman– Two women, a Latina and an African American both grew up with varying socioeconomic and cultural obstacles set against them. However, both were able to defy all odds and have built meaningful careers in higher education administration. Those women, happen to be the authors of this column. Research data shows that these two women’s childhood demographics “would forecast limited success in k-12 education; a low likelihood of attending college; and an even worse probability of graduating with a college degree.” Yet, each woman was able to overcome this statistic. Their secret? “The mentorship that they have received throughout their lifetimes.”
Both women credit their mentors for also being able to “understand and empathize” the importance of pursuing higher education and how their personal experiences as a marginalized group could be used in their own positions as leaders to “advocate” for more representation of diversity and inclusion. Read more.
Abigail Kessler, Arizona Daily Sun
Northern Arizona University (NAU) recently joined a nationwide initiative meant to raise the number of people involved in STEM education and careers who have disabilities, developing a mentorship program and research to support students entering the field.
Part of the NSF INCLUDES alliance (Inclusion Across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science) and launched in 2021, The Alliance of Students with Disabilities for Inclusion, Networking and Transition Opportunities in STEM (TAPDINTO-STEM) is funded through a $10 million NSF grant awarded to Auburn University.
The alliance, divided into six regional hubs, now includes 28 colleges and universities across the United States. Through mentorship, its goal is to increase the number of students with disabilities who complete STEM degrees in higher education and enter the STEM workforce.
Watch a recording of the webinar.
The Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering (CEOSE) is a congressionally mandated advisory committee to the National Science Foundation.
§ 1885c. Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering
(a) Establishment; purposes
There is established within the Foundation a Committee on Equal Opportunities in Science and Engineering (hereinafter referred to as the “Committee”). The Committee shall provide advice to the Foundation concerning.
(1) the implementation of the provisions of sections 1885 to 1885d of this title and
(2) other policies and activities of the Foundation to encourage full participation of women, minorities, and persons with disabilities in scientific, engineering, and professional fields
Amendments
1998-Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 105-207, § 202(d)(2)(A), substituted “minorities, and persons with disabilities in scientific” for “minorities, and other groups currently underrepresented in scientific”.
Supporting undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) has been a persistent need. However, assessing the impact of support efforts can prove challenging as it is difficult to operationalize student support and subsequently monitor the combined impacts of the various supports to which students have access simultaneously.
While launching a new program requires a great deal of thinking and planning, few would have imagined the sudden emergence of the global pandemic that upended all our well laid plans in 2020 and 2021. Fortunately, the inaugural cohort of the ACE Learner Success Lab (LSL) not only pivoted successfully to a virtual environment, but learned to collaborate and thrive.