STEM Equity Achievement (SEA Change)

American Association For The Advancement Of Science, Washington DC

Investigators

Abstract

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) proposes the development of a national initiative called STEM Equity Achievement (SEA) Change. SEA Change will be a voluntary system of self-assessment and recognition for colleges and universities working on institutional transformation to support diversity, equity, and inclusion in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEM). SEA Change is informed and inspired by the National Science Foundation's (NSF) ADVANCE program and by the United Kingdom's highly regarded Athena SWAN program. NSF ADVANCE has promoted organizational change within U.S. institutions of higher education to address systemic inequities. The Athena SWAN program has created healthy competition among U.K. institutions by awarding Bronze, Silver, and Gold-level status to STEM departments and to institutions that meet research-informed criteria in promoting gender equity and diversity. The goal of SEA Change is to adapt this incentive model to the United States and develop a well-regarded, credible initiative that results in structural change in higher education. SEA Change will seek to provide fair, impartial reviews and assist institutions with attainment of awards through transparency in processes and standards. AAAS is the largest general science organization in the world and is widely respected for its more than 40 years of programmatic commitment to diversity and inclusion in STEM and is well positioned to shepherd an effort like SEA Change. This grant funding will support the development of the infrastructure needed for SEA Change to reach its ambitious goals and eventually to become self-sustaining. The SEA Change program is a bold, innovative, and systemic approach to promote structural transformation in higher education. As a positive, voluntary recognition system, SEA Change will promote excellence and incentivize colleges, universities, and their STEM departments to become more diverse and welcoming through transformations in organizational structures of these institutions, providing a more supportive learning and working environment for faculty and students from groups under-represented and underserved in STEM. Institutions that participate in the program will commit to diversity, equity, and inclusion program principles; perform in depth self-assessment to determine their baseline status; develop unique, mission-driven goals and detailed action-plans; receive feedback on their self-assessments; track and report on progress; and seek award renewal or progression on a five-year schedule. Through this process SEA Change will drive sustained and systemic changes in institutional culture, incentives, leadership, and student populations, all driven by a focus on equity and access. This award is co-funded by several National Science Foundation (NSF) directorates, offices and programs including: Directorate for Biological Sciences, Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Directorate for Engineering, Directorate for Geosciences, Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Directorate for Social, Behavioral and Economic Sciences, NSF Office of Integrative Activities, NSF ADVANCE, Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professorship (AGEP), Historically Black Colleges and Universities-Undergraduate Program (HBCU-UP), Engineering Education Centers (EEC), Broadening Participation in Engineering Geosciences Education and Diversity Programs, and NSF INCLUDES, which focuses on catalyzing the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) enterprise to collaboratively work for inclusive change. In addition, the National Institutes of Health's Office of Research on Women's Health has co-funded this project to include the biomedical sciences in the SEA Change effort. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.