Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

On November 10, 2021, Dr. Stephanie Hicks, a Lecturer at the Program on Intergroup Relations (IGR) at the University of Michigan, and a faculty affiliate of the Institute for Research on Women and Gender at U-M, spoke to Rensselaer about dialogic pedagogy and flexible technology.

Ibram X. Kendi’s How To Be An Antiracist was selected as Rensselaer's 2020-21 “Community Read” with the goal of "[encouraging] readers to think about how to create and actively participate in an antiracist society." The university planned to incorporate the book into many School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (HASS) Inquiry courses, with HASS faculty and Student Life staff "employing intergroup dialogue as a pedagogical innovation that can address [issues of global concern]."

As part of its "Statement of Antiracist Commitments and Solidarity," the Department of Science and Technology Studies "will center decolonizing and designing justice, using critical race theory as foundational to this work," as part of the Design, Innovation, and Society major. Additionally, the department will focus on the study of racism within its two other majors.

The Paul B. and Barbara J. Zuber Award for Underrepresented Students (1990) is given to one Black, Latinx, Native American or multi-racial graduating senior and one continuing student who has "exhibited service and leadership to the Institute and their community while maintaining outstanding academic performance."

The Garnet D. Baltimore Endowed Scholarship at RPI was "established at Rensselaer in response to the need for scholarships for students from underrepresented groups—including African American students and women— for generations to come."

Rensselaer's Office of Multicultural Programs "seeks to create a more inclusive campus environment designed to educate the community about the knowledge, skills, and attitude that make for a culturally vibrant Institute." The Office offers multiple resources for underrepresented students and has several ongoing projects and initiatives.

The Rensselaer Diversity and Inclusion Speaker Series brings distinguished scholars, leaders, and artists to the Institute and its Spring 2023 academic engagements center on "critical discussions on race relations and equity" in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in higher education.

Rensselaer has a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Dashboard where it tracks the university's progress in implementing various DEI and antiracism measures.

Faculty within the Science and Technology Studies Department's graduate program have research projects students could engage in range from ethnomathematics to robotics and other emerging technological risks/opportunities, such as feminist and anti-racist theory to the history of computing.

Rensselaer has many identity-based clubs and organizations, such as the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).

The Department of Science & Technology Studies Statement of Antiracist Commitments and Solidarity reads in part as follows: "We, the faculty and current graduate students...stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, and all Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) movements to end racism on campus and in higher education. Institutional racism may occur through admissions, advising, classroom interaction, curriculum...We commit to continue educating ourselves and our students about the effects of racism within and beyond our institution...."

In May of 2022, RPI held the Garnet D. Baltimore Students of Color Graduation ceremony in order to "honor the accomplishments of all the Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and International students who are graduating from Rensselaer."