GRANTS WILL INFUSE INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE AT PROVIDENCE COLLEGE AND THE UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND
(Providence, RI) – Providence College and the University of Rhode Island jointly announced today that they are among 108 institutions selected to receive Inclusive Excellence 3 Learning Grants from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). A $30,000 grant, awarded to both institutions, will support each respective school’s participation in HHMI’s Inclusive Excellence 3 Learning Community (IE3LC), which aims to help U.S colleges and universities build capacity for inclusion of all students, especially those who have historically been excluded from science.
“Our funding will be focused on providing opportunities for faculty to engage in discussion and learning about inclusive pedagogies through book and article discussion groups and summer institutes for more intensive engagement with these ideas,” said Lynne M. Lawson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Physics-Engineering, who is directing the project for PC. “We also hope to work with STEM departments individually and use student data to help inform them about areas of concern, and to develop plans for improving outcomes for their students. Long term, we hope that Inclusive Excellence becomes embraced by all disciplines across campus. We are thrilled to be included in an HHMI-facilitated learning community cluster with URI and look forward to exploring ways the two institutions can collaborate, share resources, and achieve common goals.”
The teams from URI and PC have pledged to work together to adopt an inclusive, equitable and antiracist stance through a process of listening, reflection and accountability. They will explore their institutions’ historical context, current environment and future aspirations in order to gain deeper insights into the root causes of inequities as well as develop strategies to address those issues.
“Our proposal focuses on the internal policies at URI that can be reconstructed to promote equity-based practices, most notably the promotion and tenure process,” said Bryan Dewsbury, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, who is directing the project at URI. “At this stage of the grant program, the resources will be used to both identify the policies that perpetuate inequitable outcomes, and craft exploratory processes that remedy them. Our hope is that the subsequent stage will be enactment, assessment and scaling of the practices that yield the best results. Both the URI and Providence College projects will involve at some point professional development opportunities for faculty as we aim for institutional inclusive excellence, and we look forward to collaborating extensively on these efforts in particular.”
About HHMI
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is the largest private biomedical research institution in the United States. Our scientists make discoveries that advance human health and our fundamental understanding of biology. We also invest in transforming science education into a creative, inclusive endeavor that reflects the excitement of research. HHMI’s headquarters are located in Chevy Chase, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C.
Founded in 1917, Providence College is the only college or university in the United States administered by the Dominican Friars. The Catholic, liberal arts college has an undergraduate enrollment of approximately 4,000 students, and offers degrees in 50 academic majors. Since 1997, Providence College consistently has been ranked among the top five regional universities in the North according to U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges.
The University of Rhode Island is a competitive and highly regarded public institution in New England and beyond. Founded in 1892, the University of Rhode Island is the principal public flagship research and graduate institution in Rhode Island, with 14,300 undergraduate students and more than 2,700 graduate students across 203 academic programs. At URI, you will find some of today’s leading innovators, discoverers, and creative problem solvers.
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