Education

$57 Million Will Go To Colleges For ‘Inclusive Excellence’ STEM Diversity Initiatives

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A medical institute forked over $57 million to fund “inclusive excellence” in STEM diversity initiatives at 57 colleges, a Wednesday report revealed.

The nonprofit Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) will be rewarding schools the $1 million grants and hopes, by partnering with the Association of American Colleges and Universities, according to Campus Reform.

“This initiative is about encouraging colleges and universities to change the way they do business ­­­─ to become institutions with a significantly greater capacity for inclusion of all students, especially those from nontraditional backgrounds,” HHMI President Erin O’Shea said.

“Those students could include underrepresented ethnic minorities, first-generation college students, or working adults with families,” the organization noted.

The 57 institutions, selected from among 594 applicants, will make achieving excellence at their schools more “inclusive” by modifying curriculum, altering faculty reward structures, and offering racial bias training for faculty, among other strategies.

James Madison University’s “BioCommons” area is one initiative funded with HHMI grant money. The campus space will offer “an intentionally inclusive physical space for student and faculty interactions that instills a sense of belonging.” Mount Mary University, another recipient of the “Inclusive Excellence” grant, will teach its faculty members how to “unlearn racism,” whereas Wellesley College will direct its funds toward helping its staff understand “stereotype threat.”

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