Inclusion and Diversity
Inclusion and diversity are fundamental to Caltech's commitment to scientific excellence. Scholars with diverse talents, backgrounds, and perspectives bring fresh insights and innovative approaches that hasten solutions to the most difficult scientific problems and societal challenges.
In a message titled A More Inclusive Caltech, President Thomas F. Rosenbaum and other academic leaders outlined a series of new steps to move the Institute forward on this front. We invite you to partner with us in fostering an environment where the brightest, most creative minds from every segment of society and every corner of the globe can achieve their fullest academic and professional potential.
With your gift to any of the opportunities described below, you can support scientists and engineers whose discoveries will create a better world.
Undergraduates
First-Year Success Research Institute
Caltech's First-Year Success Research Institute (FSRI) is a comprehensive five-week program of orientation and academic support for first-year students from underrepresented and/or underserved backgrounds. By introducing students to Caltech's rigorous math curriculum, culture, and academic and student support services, FSRI eases the transition from high school to college and builds a strong foundation in research.
For more information, contact Nicole Weaver-Goller, senior director of development.
Scholarships for Students from Underrepresented Backgrounds
Caltech is committed to making an Institute education accessible to the most promising students, whatever their cultural or economic backgrounds. Admissions decisions are based solely on applicants' accomplishments and abilities, through a holistic process that looks beyond formal academic preparation to evaluate potential to succeed. Caltech also provides financial aid that meets 100 percent of students' demonstrated need. Scholarships for students from underrepresented backgrounds are another essential tool to ensure that Caltech is the destination of choice for talented, hardworking scholars who are uniform in excellence and diverse in perspective.
For more information, contact Nicole Weaver-Goller, senior director of development.
Graduate Students
Graduate Summer Research Institute
The new Graduate Summer Research Institute will bring recently admitted graduate students to campus to help them acclimate to Caltech and build community prior to the start of their graduate studies. The program is modeled after the First-Year Success Research Institute and will be operated in conjunction with the Center for Inclusion & Diversity.
For more information, contact Nicole Weaver-Goller, senior director of development.
Presidential Graduate Fellowships
A diverse cadre of graduate students enlivens the academic community, accelerates research, and inspires faculty mentors as well as other students to think about their work in new ways. With the goal of increasing diversity across the entire Institute, Caltech aims to create at least 10 centrally administered Presidential Graduate Fellowships. The fellowships will increase Caltech's competitive edge in recruiting graduate students from underrepresented backgrounds and ensure that these students can focus on their research, education, and goals instead of their funding.
For more information, contact Nicole Weaver-Goller, senior director of development.
WAVE Fellows Program
The WAVE Fellows program aims to increase the participation of underrepresented students in science and engineering PhD studies and make Caltech more visible and accessible to students who traditionally have not been exposed to the Institute. WAVE focuses on sophomores, juniors, and non-graduating seniors from other institutions of higher education who intend to pursue graduate school. The program brings students to campus for 10 weeks of summer research enhanced by weekly faculty seminars, academic and professional development workshops, and social and cultural activities.
For more information, contact Nicole Weaver-Goller, senior director of development.
Faculty
Discretionary Fund for Faculty Inclusion and Diversity
The Discretionary Fund for Faculty Inclusion and Diversity will provide recruitment funds for participation in minority-serving conferences (e.g., the Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students and the Society for Advancement of Chicanos/Hispanics and Native Americans in Science), stipends to bring visiting faculty to Caltech, and other resources to support the recruitment and retention of faculty from underrepresented backgrounds.
For more information, contact Nicole Weaver-Goller, senior director of development.
Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows Program
The new Presidential Postdoctoral Fellows Program aims to increase the number of historically underrepresented minority faculty in STEM fields at Caltech and other colleges and universities across the United States. The program will build on the success of the California Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (a partnership among Caltech, the University of California, Berkeley (lead), the University of California, Los Angeles, and Stanford University) to ensure additional postdoctoral scholars of color across the divisions. Fellows receive stipends, mentoring, and services that promote community and foster professional advancement.
For more information, contact Nicole Weaver-Goller, senior director of development.
Programs and Initiatives
Center for Inclusion & Diversity
The Center for Inclusion & Diversity is dedicated to fostering a community of equity and inclusive excellence at Caltech. The center offers a wide range of opportunities to build cultural competencies and skills, promotes and provides access to educational resources that advance academic and personal goals of inclusion, and hosts affinity spaces and skill-building opportunities for all members of the Institute community to engage with issues related to diversity and individual identities.
For more information, contact Nicole Weaver-Goller, senior director of development.
Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach
Founded in 2012, the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach (CTLO) works to build inclusive and evidence-based teaching practices at both the undergraduate and the graduate levels. The CTLO also facilitates interest in STEM among the broader community, with particular focus on schools that have a high proportion of minoritized students. Gifts to the CTLO support this vital work and enable Caltech to expand programs that engage the Institute, Pasadena, and Los Angeles communities in STEM, from kindergarten through graduate school and beyond.
For more information, contact Nicole Weaver-Goller, senior director of development.
Diversity Outreach Fund
The new Diversity Outreach Fund enables Caltech to develop and test innovative outreach initiatives aimed at increasing awareness and understanding of basic science and engineering principles among underrepresented students at local pre–k, elementary, middle, and high schools. The fund is managed by the President's Diversity Council in coordination with the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Outreach.
For more information, contact Nicole Weaver-Goller, senior director of development.
Division-based Inclusion and Diversity Funds
Each of Caltech's six academic divisions—Biology and Biological Engineering; Chemistry and Chemical Engineering; Engineering and Applied Science; Geological and Planetary Sciences; Humanities and Social Sciences; and Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy—is fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Division-based funds provide essential resources that division chairs can use to create scholarships or fellowships for minoritized students, support the recruitment of faculty from underrepresented backgrounds, invite diverse visiting faculty and other speakers to present to the campus community, and implement other initiatives that foster a diverse and inclusive academic environment.
For more information, contact Bettie Woods, executive director of development.