Diversity

Ensuring our school is a welcoming place for everyone

At the School of Science, diversity, equity, and inclusion aren’t just buzzwords. They are the hallmarks of our commitment to creating and maintaining a safe, welcoming community for everyone.

We are dedicated to continually increasing the diversity of our total population—both among students and faculty and staff. To make that goal a reality, we have put a number of initiatives and programs in place to promote early STEM education, increase the number of diverse students seeking STEM degrees, and provide support for underrepresented faculty and staff.

Statement from Dean DiTusa against anti-Asian hate

We are sure that you have received the statement from Chancellor Paydar on March 18, 2021 addressing the recent violence against persons of Asian descent in our country.

The School of Science is in full support of this statement and the commitments therein. We believe that it is the shared responsibility of all of us to embrace individuals from a wide range of identities, perspectives, viewpoints, affiliations, heritages, and experiences with full understanding and sensitivity.

The School of Science at IUPUI stands in solidarity against hate directed toward the Asian American community. There is no place in society for hatred against other human beings, and we hope you will join us in not only speaking out against such atrocities, but also hoping they never happen again.

First-year student demographics (2020-2021)

20%21st Century Scholars

33%first-generation students

24%African American or Latinx

64%female

International and out-of-state student demographics (2020-2021)

173undergraduate students are from out of state

84graduate students are from out of state

80international undergraduate students

122international graduate students

Helping our students succeed

We work hard to ensure that all of our students have the support they need to succeed.

Tools for a successful first year

Incoming first year students can take part in a summer Bridge program to ease the transition between high school and college.

These five-day sessions take place the week before school starts and give you a jump start on your science education.

You can also register for a learning community. These communities place you in a cohort that takes classes together throughout your freshman year, including your First Year Seminar.

Learn more about first year programs

Academic support for every stage of your journey

Every department and program within the School of Science offers academic support. You can stop in during a faculty member’s office hours, make an appointment at a departmental resource center, or even get help finding a tutor.

Learn more about academic support

Funding and support for scholars

We offer a number of funding and support opportunities for underrepresented students who are interested in research.

The Diversity Scholars Research Program (DSRP) is a competitive scholarship awarded to students who hope to continually participate in faculty-mentored research throughout their time at IUPUI. If you win a DSRP award, you’ll become part of a student community with special academic and research opportunities, as well as financial support.

The Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program, funded by the National Science Foundation, is designed to broadening the participation of underrepresented minority students in STEM disciplines by providing financial support, research opportunities, and academic programming.

Increasing opportunities for women faculty

In late 2019, we created a program funded by the National Science Foundation called Project EPIC, which seeks to improve the institutional climate and address inequities in the representation, retention, and advancement of women—particularly women of color.

It provides intensive training for school leaders at multiple levels to help them become equity-minded and committed to the goals of furthering women scientists. It also hopes to increase understanding among school leaders of how different forms of discrimination, including racism, sexism, and classism, overlap and affect women scientists of color.

Learn more about Project EPIC

Supporting early STEM education

We are happy to support our community’s K–12 schools in their efforts to encourage STEM learning.

We host field trips, present in area classrooms, and provide a number of academic and research opportunities for both students and teachers.

Learn more about our community outreach efforts

Promoting diversity at the school level

The members of our Diversity Council act as stewards of diversity and work toward awareness, education, and advocacy for—and inclusion of—all people. The council promotes respect and equitable treatment of all, embracing a diversity of gender, cultural, religious, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, ability, age, economic status, and experiential differences.

It provides leadership to improve and maintain as inclusive, informed, and diverse an environment in the school as possible in all aspects of our work and mission. This leadership extends to interactions with campus and community initiatives.

For more information about the diversity council, contact the chairperson, Cynthia Williams.

School of Science DEI Ambassadors

A team of DEI ambassadors have come together to develop new (and amplify existing) initiatives related to diversity, equity, and inclusion in the School of Science at IUPUI. The ambassadors also serve as a liaison to their representative departments, keeping faculty and staff informed of new action items that will ensure our school is a welcome environment for all.

Department representatives

Biology—Lata Balakrishnan
Chemistry—Brenda Blacklock
Earth Sciences—Cam Macris
Computer Science—James Hill
Mathematical Sciences—Dan Ramras
Physics—Rui Chang
Psychology—Marian Logrip

Staff representatives

Jane Alexander
Jaime Sperandio

IUPUI land acknowledgement

IUPUI acknowledges our location on the traditional and ancestral territory of the Miami, Potawatomi and Shawnee people. We honor the heritage of Native peoples, what they teach us about the stewardship of the earth and their continuing efforts today to protect the planet. Founded in 1969, IUPUI stands on the historic homelands of Native peoples and, more recently, that of a vibrant Black community, also displaced. As the present stewards of the land, we honor them all as we live, work and study at IUPUI.