Grand Valley joins 18 other institutions within a national alliance to develop inclusive teaching practices and increase diversity among STEM faculty members over a three-year period.
Aspire: The National Alliance for Inclusive & Diverse STEM Faculty is co-led by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the University of Wisconsin-Madison with funding from the National Science Foundation. The new cohort of 19 institutions is Aspire's third cohort.
Christine Rener, vice provost for Instructional Development and Innovation and director of the Pew FTLC, said the goals of the Aspire Alliance fit Grand Valley's mission for inclusive excellence.
"Increasing the recruitment and persistence of underrepresented students in STEM fields begins with sharpening our inclusive teaching practices and improving the diversity of faculty members," Rener said. "By participating in the Aspire Alliance, we will learn about the evidence-based best practices from other institutions and have opportunities to participate in professional development."
An article in Forbes outlines the goals of the Aspire Alliance.
