Connect to Aspire
Aspire seeks to develop inclusive and diverse STEM faculty across the nation by aligning and reinforcing professional development, hiring, and retention practices of STEM faculty simultaneously at institutional, regional, and national levels.
National Change
The National Change Initiative focuses on creating and disseminating professional development for future and current faculty about inclusive teaching, research mentoring and faculty advising. In order to align and reinforce professional development practices simultaneously at Institutional, Regional and National levels, the National Change Team is partnering with institutions, disciplinary research societies and professional organizations. The Team is developing face-to-face and synchronous online workshops and trainings, as well as a Train-the-Trainer approach of dissemination.
Institutional Change
The Institutional Change Initiative (IChange) seeks to cultivate institutions where STEM faculty from underrepresented groups (URGs) are widely recruited, hired, and retained, and all STEM faculty employ inclusive teaching, advising, and research mentoring practices. Institutional change requires a multilevel strategy of mutually reinforcing activities, including self-understanding, identification of levers for change, and use of resources for action.
Regional Change
Regional Collaboratives (RC) are networks of geographically related 2- and 4-year institutions. Currently there are ASPIRE regional collaboratives in California, Iowa, and Texas, and an additional three will be added by 2022, expanding reach and impact across the United States. In this model, institutions work together to share and develop programs and experiences that work towards two primary goals:
- Increase the number and diversity of the pool of graduate students and qualified professionals pursuing a teaching career in STEM at 2-year colleges;
- Expand and strengthen the skills of future, early-career and current STEM faculty to teach the diverse student population.
Research
The Research team seeks to illuminate whether Alliance activities translate to increased diversity and inclusion in STEM, how organizational change to promote inclusion occurs, and how actors inside and outside of institutions influence the change process.