FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media contact: Allison Antwi, Allison.Antwi@rutgers.edu, (848) 932 - 3157
New Brunswick, N.J. (June 5, 2019) – Douglass Residential College, the women’s college at Rutgers University–New Brunswick, will host the first meeting of the Big Ten Academic Alliance Summit Series on Advancing Women in STEM. The summit will be June 6-8 at the Kathleen W. Ludwig Global Village Living Learning Center in New Brunswick, NJ.
The series is a multi-year, multi-university initiative designed to increase the number of women undergraduate and graduate students and faculty in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Led by Rutgers-New Brunswick, the series brings together leaders from Big Ten Academic Alliance universities to create best practices that can be shared by the Alliance’s members.
“Addressing the gap between what our nation’s STEM work-force needs and the pool of available talent can only be solved by expanding the numbers of women entering into and staying in STEM fields, particularly by growing the numbers of women of color,” said Jacquelyn Litt, Ph.D. dean of Douglass Residential College. “The STEM series advances new solutions in closing the racial gap in STEM by creating forward-looking initiatives to recruit and retain women in technology and science. At the same time, the goal is to improve equity for all women in these fields who can fulfill their dreams and make tremendous contributions to the landscape of science and technology for the future.”
Keith Marshall, executive director of the Big Ten Academic Alliance, sees this as an opportunity to utilize the collective strengths of the Big Ten. “The summit is an excellent example of the collaborative work we undertake at the Alliance every day. By leveraging the existing trust networks across the Big Ten, this summit will bring a wide range of experts together to share best practices and learn valuable lessons from national leaders. The goal is to better the lives of the students our universities serve and help each university achieve their goals to increase diversity in STEM disciplines.”
The first summit’s undergraduate activities include formal talks by national experts on diversifying the STEM talent pool, cross-institution working group sessions, networking, reflections of undergraduate students on their pathway and discussion of best practices at each participating school.
The summit features national leaders in STEM and gender diversity, such as Dr. Kelly Mack, vice president for Undergraduate STEM Education and executive director of Project Kaleidoscope; Linda Suskie, former vice president at the Middle States Commission on Higher Education and an expert workshop facilitator on assessment and accreditation; and Dr. Talitha Washington, a tenured associate professor of mathematics at Howard University and a champion for diversity in STEM. Additionally, Dr. Debra Joy Perez, senior vice president for Organization Culture, Inclusion and Equity at Simmons University and Dr. Vicki Magley professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of Connecticut, will speak.
The summit has received funding from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Bristol Myers Squibb, Rutgers-Douglass Residential College, Rutgers Office of the President, Rutgers Office of Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, Rutgers-New Brunswick Chancellor’s Office, Rutgers School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, Rutgers School of Engineering, and Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences.
Douglass Residential College at Rutgers University cultivates the knowledge, skills and resources women need to take up the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century—from advancing women’s leadership, career success, academic excellence, and access to education to creating positive change in all fields, communities and our globally connected world.
To learn more about the Big Ten Academic Alliance Summit Series on Advancing Women in STEM, visit bigtenstemsummit.rutgers.edu.
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Broadcast interviews: Rutgers University–New Brunswick has broadcast-quality TV and radio studios available for remote live or taped interviews with Rutgers experts. For more information, contact Neal Buccino neal.buccino@echo.rutgers.edu
ABOUT RUTGERS—NEW BRUNSWICK
Rutgers University–New Brunswick is where Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, began more than 250 years ago. Ranked among the world’s top 60 universities, Rutgers’s flagship university is a leading public research institution and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. It is home to internationally acclaimed faculty and has 12 degree-granting schools and a Division I Athletics program. It is the Big Ten Conference’s most diverse university. Through its community of teachers, scholars, artists, scientists, and healers, Rutgers is equipped as never before to transform lives.
