Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The School of Architecture's student diversity initiatives include a plan for "Increasing Student Diversity." The School states, "In the context of increasing the total number of women and underrepresented minority students in the School of Architecture, the leadership overseeing recruitment has made a significant effort every year to target high schools throughout the U.S with diverse populations."

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.

Teacher Assistants (TA) are required to complete "Diversity and Inclusion Percipio Modules" including "Understanding and Overcoming Unconscious Bias."

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 2024-2025 Core Curriculum introduces, exposes, and cultivates "diverse communication skills and critical perspectives on communication, encouraging students to continually evaluate rhetorical forms and styles of argument, supporting data, and media representations."

The school has a Bias Assessment and Response Team that "reviews any reports of alleged incidents of bias, hate, or marginalizing acts." It also has a "Bias Incident Reporting Form."

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."

The School of Architecture offers a Diversity and Inclusion scholarship which is "awarded to a student from historically underrepresented populations in higher education." The scholarship "provides an award of $5,000 to one or more students annually based on the availability of funds." Students "from historically underrepresented backgrounds will be considered." The school states, individuals from the following groups "are strongly encouraged to apply:" "Black or African-American," "Latino, Hispanic, Chicanos or Chicanas Indigenous," "Native American or Alaskan Native," "Asian, Native Hawai’ian, or Other Pacific Islander," "Haitian or Caribbean," "Arab or Middle Eastern," "Biracial or multiracial," "Veterans," "Persons with disabilities," and "Members of the LGBTQIA2S+ community."

Rensselaer and the School of Architecture "have worked diligently to increase the numbers of female and minority students." According to the School, the "admissions office targets high schools with high diversity populations." The School of Architecture works "directly with several highly diverse high schools in order to encourage students to enroll in [Rensselaer] programs." Furthermore, "the Institute sponsors the Harlem Academy annually, bringing a group of high-potential 7th and 8th-grade students to campus for a 3-day program introducing them to Architecture, Engineering, and Science and Technology Studies."

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 Institute states that it is "deeply committed to fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion" and provides DEI resources such as "bias, discrimination, and racism" resources.

The Center for Career and Professional Development "provides support in evaluating a potential employer's commitment to equity and inclusion in the workplace." The Center instructs students as follows: "Look for a statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion on their website," "See if the employer provides access to mentoring, affinity or special interest groups," and "Try to determine if the employer has a Chief Diversity Officer."

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."

The 2024 RPI Forward Plan has five pillars that "guide [its] strategic choices." A "Welcoming and Inclusive Community" is the final pillar. The "framing questions" for the pillar include "What is our history around issues of inclusion, welcome, and community?" and "How do we improve Access; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; and Belonging?" among others.

The school's Center for Career and Professional Development states it is "committed to providing students from marginalized communities assistance in all aspects of the career development process, from choosing a major or career to developing networking relationships to marketing their unique skills and experiences on a resume and during interviews." The Center provides resources and support for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQ students, and undocumented students.