The Iowa-Illinois-Nebraska LSAMP (IINSPIRE LSAMP) alliance was formed in 2011 to broaden the participation of underrepresented minorities in STEM education in the Midwest. IINSPIRE LSAMP consists of sixteen two-year and four-year colleges and universities: Augustana College (Illinois), Des Moines Area Community College, Doane University, Eastern Iowa Community College District, Grinnell College, Hawkeye Community College, Iowa State University, Iowa Valley Community College District, Kirkwood Community College, Little Priest Tribal College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, Upper Iowa University, and Wartburg College. These institutions vary widely, face both similar and distinct challenges, and have joined together to produce a diverse STEM workforce prepared to address societal needs. The alliance is focusing on extending and sustaining innovative student experiences on every campus to recruit and retain students in STEM. In these student experiences, IINSPIRE students become leaders through undergraduate research projects and internships, professional meetings, and student organizations. They gain confidence as scientists, engineers, and mathematicians through training, mentoring, support and transition programs. The alliance is also focusing on expanding inclusive mentoring and teaching practices; collaborating within and across campuses to provide opportunities for students and faculty; and studying, evaluating and improving student experiences and outcomes. Another emphasis of the alliance is student success through transition points, including math during the first two years of study, transfer from two-year to four-year institutions, and entry into STEM graduate programs. A collective and committed effort by alliance members is improving educational pathways and partnerships for STEM student success.
The IINSPIRE LSAMP goal is to go beyond doubling the number of underrepresented minority (URM) STEM baccalaureate graduates in the alliance by 50%, from 350 to 525 graduates, and to pursue an array of project outcomes to broaden the participation of underrepresented minorities in STEM education across all sixteen alliance institutions in Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska. This is being accomplished by implementing, extending and sustaining comprehensive, evidence-based, and innovative strategies resulting in the graduation of well-prepared, highly-qualified students from underrepresented groups who pursue graduate studies or careers in STEM. The strategies include: practices that support student academic, social and professional development and progress in STEM majors; IINSPIRE-specific student experiences and mentoring at each institution, leveraging programs and resources that serve URM STEM students; undergraduate research experiences and training leading to a research certificate; and STEM transfer partnerships between 2-year and 4-year institutions. A key strategy is the campus-specific student experience model, which interweaves IINSPIRE-driven institutional activities, alliance-wide activities, and other institutional/partner activities and resources leveraged to support the student experience from pre-matriculation through graduation. The campus-specific student experience models as well as relationship-building among institutions have been designed through alliance-wide planning to entail institutional commitments and foster program sustainability. Research studies guided by Social Cognitive Career Theory are studying both micro- and macro-level influences to understand how IINSPIRE students thrive and persist in STEM disciplines. There are various broader impacts of the IINSPIRE LSAMP alliance, including expanding opportunities for URM students in undergraduate and graduate training and preparation for STEM professions; and promoting partnerships with community colleges, industry, diversity programs, and researchers; thus contributing to the development of a diverse workforce in STEM fields. In the longer term, alliance activities are building capacity in STEM research and bringing research into practice to improve STEM teaching and learning.
