As reported in FYI
#59, several reports have been issued this year by BEST
(Building Engineering and Science Talent), an organization seeking
to promote diversity in science and engineering academia and industry.
BEST recently released reports on "what is working" to
improve diversity in pre-K-12 education and in the workplace. In
February, the group released its report on higher education, entitled "A
Bridge for All: Higher Education Design Principles to Broaden Participation
in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics."
"Until now," the report says, "the nation has drawn
upon an ever-narrowing segment of its population to meet most of its
needs for technical talent. But looking ahead, the national interest
now calls for a far more robust effort to recruit and train our ‘best
and brightest' that reflects the new demographic realities of the American
school and workforce populations.... The single most important, test,
then, for American higher education over the next decade will be to
supply world-class talent in science, engineering and technology by
developing an emerging domestic talent pool that looks different from
decades past."
The report makes suggestions for federal and state governments, but
its particular focus is on higher education institutions. "Research
universities carry a particular burden of leadership," it states, "because,
with good reason, they are viewed as the crown jewels of American graduate
education.... They must be at the center of any national effort to
build a stronger, more diverse technical workforce along with minority-serving
institutions, women's colleges and community colleges."
For the report, a blue ribbon panel examined best practices for broadening
diversity in higher education. The panel reviewed124 programs and identified
seven as "exemplary" and five as "promising." From
these programs, the panel "distilled eight design principles" for
effective diversity programs: institutional leadership and a commitment
to inclusiveness; investing in targeted recruitment and a K-12 feeder
system; encouraging and rewarding faculty involvement; providing personal
attention to the needs of each student; providing opportunities for
student peer interaction and support; providing outside-the-classroom
research experience and internship opportunities; developing relationships
and networks that will help students in their careers; and continuous
program monitoring, evaluation, and adjustment. As a ninth principle,
the panel recommends a combination of merit and needs-based financial
assistance for low-income students. The panel cautions that these principles
should be applied as a single package, not an "a la carte menu."
Finally, the panel lays out broad "recommendations for change" for
several sectors. Agencies of the federal government, it says, should "adopt
and enforce criteria taking diversity into account in awarding education
and research grants" to higher education institutions. States
should "focus on complementing federal programs...that provide
access and opportunity through needs-based financial aid," and
play a leading role in "documenting student progress through the
collection and use of disaggregated data." College presidents,
deans, and department chairs should promote "what works in higher
education to nurture the talents of women, underrepresented minorities
and students with disabilities," and all stakeholders should "concentrate
resources on proven enrichment opportunities," support cutting-edge
research, and rigorously evaluate outcomes.
All the BEST reports are available at http://www.bestworkforce.org/ under "Publications."
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