i3 Governance & Funding

In 2009, faculty and staff from the iSchools at the University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania State University, and Drexel University collaborated to design and develop the iSchool Inclusion Institute (i3) in order to address the lack of diversity among students and faculty in the information sciences. The i3 initiative is based on the premise that a diverse faculty will draw students from underrepresented groups into the information professions.

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has supported i3 with two generous grants: a one-year planning grant of $100,000.00, awarded in 2009, and a three-year implementation grant of $600,000.00, awarded in 2010. Additional support has come from the the iSchools Caucus (www.ischools.org), a consortium of information schools dedicated to advancing the information sciences as a broad, interdisciplinary field. The iSchools actively recruit i3 Scholars for graduate study as well as provide faculty and staff to serve as guest speakers and lecturers during the summer institutes.

Governing Structure

i3 is managed by Principal Investigators, Dean Ronald L. Larsen and Assistant Professor James "Kip" Currier, of the University of Pittsburgh's School of Information Sciences. Dean Larsen and Dr. Currier are supported by the i3 Advisory Board and Working Committees -- Recruitment, Curriculum, and Evaluation. Members of the Advisory Board and Working Committees bring years of professional experience in academia and the private sector to the i3 program and represent over twenty five institutions across the country.

Goals & The Case for Diversity

To meet the growing economic demand for graduates in science and technology fields, the i3 initiative intends to accomplish the following goals:

• Increase the number of highly-skilled graduate students and faculty in the information sciences and retain those individuals in U.S. colleges and universities
  
  
• Provide role models for students and faculty from underrepresented groups


• Better represent and serve the various diverse communities across the country


• Promote innovation and creativity across the information sciences and related disciplines

i3 is part of a larger, national effort to reinvest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The goals of i3 are closely tied to this national effort. Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski, president of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, explained that connection in a 2011 editorial in Science:

"Boosting Minorities in Science"
Dr. Freeman A. Hrabowski
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/331/6014/125.summary
Science 14 January 2011: Vol. 331 no. 6014 p. 125

Many countries are increasing investments in Science and Technology to improve their economies and the well-being of their citizens. For the United States, this priority was emphasized in the influential National Academies 2005 report Rising Above the Gathering Storm, which called for new funding to bolster education in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). But this past September, the Academies reported in Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation that the United States faces a major obstacle in fulfilling this goal. Because the minority groups underrepresented in science and engineering are the most rapidly growing in the U.S. population, the country must develop strategies to harness this resource to grow a robust science and engineering workforce and remain globally competitive.

The U.S. labor market is projected to grow faster in science and engineering than in any other sector, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. In 2006, underrepresented minorities, including African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, constituted only 9% of the nation's science and engineering labor force, while accounting for nearly 30% of the population. Non-U.S. students (particularly from China and India) account for almost all of the growth in U.S. STEM doctorates awarded in the past 15 years, but many eventually return to their own countries, taking their talents with them.

At present, only 6% of all 24-year-old Americans hold an undergraduate degree in STEM disciplines; for African Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans, the percentage hovers at 2 to 3%. To reach a national target of 10% (a target already achieved by several countries), the United States will need to quadruple the number of underrepresented minorities with undergraduate degrees in these disciplines. A good place to start is retaining those minority undergraduate students who begin their studies in pursuit of degrees in STEM fields. At present, only about 20% of minority STEM aspirants complete STEM degrees, compared to 33% of white STEM aspirants. Preventing attrition will raise the number of minority doctoral students and will likely boost interest among younger minority students. Increased retention will require increased financial support; the Academies 2010 report estimates that such support would require $150 million per year to start. An urgent task for colleges and universities is to redesign first-year STEM classes to encourage active learning and collaboration. Engaging students through these types of classes should improve the performance of all students, and it could be particularly helpful in reducing the high rate of attrition for many minorities in STEM subjects.

Just as important for minority students are social support and mentoring. Some are the first in their families to go to college; others simply feel isolated. Fortunately, lessons have been learned from proven, broad-based initiatives such as the U.S. National Science Foundation's Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation and the U.S. National Institutes of Health's Minority Access to Research Careers program. Best practices include precollege summer programs, substantive early research experiences, academic support, social integration, and faculty involvement.

Over the long term, it is imperative that the United States improve the quality of science and math instruction for minorities through the precollege years. Better teacher preparation would particularly benefit minority students, who still have substantial achievement gaps in math and science as compared to white students. It is also necessary for schools to provide advanced science courses and proper academic advising to ensure that more students are prepared to succeed in college science. In the United States, with the new Common Core State Standards Initiative for mathematics, universities and school systems can together strengthen teaching and develop appropriate curricular and assessment materials. Such collaboration will be critical as the nation strives to engage more students in science and engineering.