Initiative will engage and accelerate the participation of traditionally marginalized communities in high growth STEM careers, enterprises and industries.
Temple University College of Engineering is launching a university-wide, collaborative effort to place underserved communities as a priority of STEM education and on the pathway to success through inclusion in the innovation economy.
The Center for Inclusive Competitiveness (CIC) will seek to create replicable pipeline models for empowering underrepresented populations to improve their performance and productivity in a knowledge-based, tech-driven globally competitive innovation economy.
"The need for STEM talent is an issue of critical national necessity," said Keya Sadeghipour, College of Engineering Dean. "The College, through the Center, can be the connective tissue between underserved populations and industries seeking the next generation of STEM talent."
"The CIC will focus on culturally responsive practices for graduating higher percentages of STEM professionals from communities that are significantly underrepresented in the knowledge-economy and are more likely to lead initiatives that catalyze their home communities' educational, entrepreneurial and quality of life outcomes," added Jamie Bracey, PhD, Director, College of Engineering STEM Education, Outreach & Research and Founding Director, Pennsylvania MESA.
The CIC will be housed within the College of Engineering with support from the College of Science and Technology, the Katz School of Medicine and the Fox School of Business. Additional support comes from the Office of the Provost and Pennsylvania Department of Community & Economic Development Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) program.
The CIC will focus on five core competencies:
- Developing a STEM talent pipeline
- Developing a STEAM-powered entrepreneurship pipeline
- Convene regional thought leaders through a branded quarterly series on the innovation economy
- Production of relevant data to inform partners about productivity measures in communities of color
- Use the power of mass communications, social media and marketing to elevate, expand and amplify the work of the CIC while promoting the branding of a new economic lens through which Americans view the economic imperative of cultivating untapped local talent.
The Pennsylvania MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, & Science Achievement) will also now be housed under the purview of the CIC. The CIC will formally launch during a reception honoring MESA alumni and supporters on February 22nd.
To learn more about the CIC, visit https://engineering.temple.edu/cic.