Whither Diversity in STEM?
The Early Years: Context for Discussion
• 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson
• 1944 GI Bill
• 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education
• 1957 Sputnik
• 1958 NDEA
• 1964 Civil Rights Act
• 1965 Executive Order 11246 – Affirmative Action
• 1967 Amendment to cover gender discrimination
Whither Diversity in STEM?
Milestones in Science, Mathematics, & Engineering Participation, 1972 - Present
• Pre-1970s Post-Great Society
• 1972-79 Pre-Bakke: Targeting/Individuals
• 1980-87 Pipeline: Program Effectiveness
(pre-evaluation)
• 1988-94 Demographics/Institutions (MSIs)
• 1995-2003 Accountability: Systemic Change
(post-GPRA evaluation)
• 2004 Post-Michigan: Post-Affirmative Action?
Whither Diversity in STEM?
1972-79Targeting/Individual Focus
• 1972 Creation of NIH MBRS/MARC
• 1973 National data disaggregated by race/ethnicity
• 1974 NACME founded
• 1975 AAAS The Double Bind
• 1976 AAAS Programs in Science for Minorities
• 1978 Bakke decision
NSF Minority Graduate Fellowship and RCSE established
Whither Diversity in STEM?
1980-87Pipeline: Program Effectiveness (pre-evaluation)
• 1980 EEO at NSF/creation of CEOSE(congressional mandate)
• 1981 Dept of ED Harris Fellowship (terminated in 1997)
• 1982 NSF Women & Minorities (biennially)
• 1983 NSB Educating Americans for 21st C
• 1984 AAAS Equity & Excellence
• 1986 OTA Demographic Trends and the S&E Workforce
Whither Diversity in STEM?
1988-94Demographics/Institutions
• 1988 OTA Grade School to Grad School
• 1989 Task Force on Women & Minorities
• 1990 AAMC Project 3000 x 2000
• 1991 AAAS Investing in Human Potential
• 1991 OTA Federally Funded Research
• 1993 OSTP/FCCSET Federal Investment in
SMET Education
• 1994 Medical school minority enrollment peak
Whither Diversity in STEM?
1995-2003Systemic Change (post-GPRA evaluation)
1995 Adarand decisionAAAS The Changing Climate
1996 Proposition 209 (CA)Hopwood (TX)Presidential Mentoring Awards (annual)
1998 AAAS Losing GroundNSF Minority Graduate Fellowship discontinued
1999 NSF merit review criteria revisedOSTP/NSTC Workforce of the Future
2000 Morella Commission Land of Plenty 2001 BEST created 2003 Michigan decisions
Whither Diversity in STEM?
2004 Post-Michigan: Post Affirmative Action?
• Search for race surrogates
• Access/admissions criteria (% plans, legacies, holistic)
• Institutional leadership/Institution-wide programs (e.g., NSF ADVANCE)
• Cultural competence (class configuration, curriculum)
• Selective institutions re “critical mass”
• Faculty diversity
• State budgets (special impact on 2-yr institutions)
• Mainstreaming programs & targeting (K-12 standards movement; role of minority-focused orgs)
• Globalization & international workforce
• Political will
Whither Diversity in STEM?
2006 Proposal 2
• Educational value of diversity (admissions and hiring)
• Structural transformation
• Culture of STEM disciplines
• “Human nature”
• Preparation for a diverse workplace
Seattle & Jefferson County, KY
• Overcoming the effect of residential patterns
• Preserving local control of schools?
• Educational value of diversity
• Addressing opportunity to learn
Whither Diversity in STEM?
Education: Does it matter where you get it?
• Resources
• Social networks
• Assumed competence (or incompetence)
• Added credentialing
• Prestige
• Workers and leaders
Whither Diversity in STEM?
Employment
• Access and opportunity
• “Tokens” or critical mass
• Advancement
Whither Diversity in STEM?
“Why ‘push’ women and minorities into STEM fields when there aren’t jobs there?”
Whither Diversity in STEM?
Lessons Learned
Climate
Outreach
Recruitment practices
Selection practices and selection bias
Perceptions of fairness
Reflecting what you value
Who decides?
Whither Diversity in STEM?
Legal Primer
• Federal Equal Opportunity Standards
• Titles VI, VII, IX, & ADA
• Equal Protection and Due Process Clauses
• Significant Federal Legal Opinions
• Grutter & Gratz, Bakke, & Adarand
• State-Based Equal Opportunity Standards
• CA, WA, FL, TX, MI
• Ongoing Federal Efforts
• SEEOA, NSF Criterion II, EEO Standards
Whither Diversity in STEM?
Design principles
• Mission
• Intent
• Target population
• Program character
• Context
• Evaluation and research
• Faculty recruitment and retention
• Leadership
Whither Diversity in STEM?
Compliance
• What is permitted and legally defensible on campus
• How do the following apply to programs:
• Strict scrutiny
• Compelling interest
• Narrow tailoring
• Race-neutral alternatives
• Critical mass
Whither Diversity in STEM?
Needs
• Data on impact of “percentage plans” (access) and
interventions (aimed at degree completion)
• How to conduct searches legally and effectively to diversify the faculty and administration
• Developing “cultural competence” among current faculty, staff, and students
• How to mainstream and institutionalize “special” (soft-money) programs
• Nurturing U.S. student talent in the face of globalization
Whither Diversity in STEM?
"There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet.“
William F. Halsey
Whither Diversity in STEM?
Michigan Challenges
Hiring and retention of faculty
Presenting a welcoming climate
Diversity as a core value
Increasing understanding of biases and barriers
Nurturing STEM talent
Monitoring and evaluating efforts
Changing policies
Continuous improvement
Optimism in the face of circumstances