Led by the College of Science and Mathematics, Kennesaw State University was awarded a $1 million grant by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute to improve STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) diversity and inclusion, with a focus on increasing science degree success for African-American and Hispanic students.

Kennesaw State was one of 33 chosen from among 594 colleges and universities nationwide. All of these schools submitted plans to develop more inclusive learning environments in STEM over the last two years. The only university in Georgia to make the cut, Kennesaw State joins 56 other grantees across the country to win funding from HHMI.

“This grant recognizes the excellent strides the College of Science and Mathematics has made over the years to improve educational opportunities for all our students,” said Interim President Ken Harmon.

HHMI’s Inclusive Excellence initiative seeks to engage all students in science, regardless of race, ethnicity or socio-economic background. According to HHMI, those students could include underrepresented ethnic minorities, first-generation college students or working adults with families.

“The faculty of Kennesaw State’s College of Science and Mathematics have been working diligently the past several years to improve student outcomes in the foundation STEM courses,” said CSM Dean Mark Anderson. “This will help us broaden participation in all the areas of science a student may choose to pursue, everything from studying about the origins of the universe, to changes in the environment, to zoology.”

In making the announcement, HHMI noted that each of the 33 colleges and universities named today and the 24 selected in 2017 “will work with HHMI and its partner, the American Association of American Colleges and Universities, to engage in the process of culture change.”

“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,” said HHMI President Erin O’Shea.

The five-year grant provides $200,000 in annual funding to KSU to support faculty development, changes in teaching methods, and for redesigning classroom experiences to improve learning opportunities for all students.

“What this funding will allow us to do, is to create a culture of learning where our faculty are more accessible and students can engage science through active learning in the classroom,” said Scott Reese, assistant dean for curriculum and associate professor of biology. “In short, we will be better able to reach every science student at every step along the way of their science education.”

HHMI’s 57 grantee institutions are expected to share information with each other to learn from the best practices. These may include revising curricula, changing faculty reward structures, and providing training in cultural and racial bias awareness.

In addition to Kennesaw State, some of the grantees include: California State University, Los Angeles; North Carolina State University; Syracuse University; Utah State University; and Virginia Commonwealth University.