Diversity
Increasing Diversity by Expanding Access and Opportunity
Diversity at Caltech means representation not only within the institution, but in each division and work unit. We aim to support access and opportunities for historically excluded and historically underrepresented groups at Caltech, across all organizational roles.
Data is integral to our efforts. Check out the current demographic data here.
Learn about the objectives we are focusing on to increase representation with a few of the initiatives that support them listed below.
Proactive, sustained outreach and recruitment of prospective students, postdocs, faculty, and staff from historically underrepresented and historically excluded groups
Caltech prioritizes attracting the best and brightest minds from around the world to become members of its institutional community. However, the Institute also recognizes the importance of engaging in sustained outreach and active recruitment of prospective students, postdocs, faculty, and staff to ensure that all of those with the interest and talent—including, importantly, historically underrepresented and excluded populations--are aware of all that Caltech has to offer. The academic divisions along with many Institute centers and offices engage in various programs and efforts intended to raise awareness of the opportunities available at Caltech and to bring those who have an interest to campus to imagine and explore a possible future at the Institute. For example, the divisions, the Undergraduate Admissions Office, and the Office of Student-Faculty Programs attend STEM-focused professional and research conferences annually to recruit prospective students to apply to Caltech's academic programs. Hosted by the Undergraduate Admissions Office, Women in STEM (WiSTEM) brings hundreds of rising high school juniors and seniors to campus during the summer to interact with Caltech faculty, students, and staff and learn about Caltech's undergraduate experience as well as the admissions process. The SFP's signature program, WAVE, welcomes hundreds of undergraduates from colleges and universities around the nation to conduct summer research with Caltech faculty and JPL scientists and engineers and to consider applying for Caltech graduate degree programs.
Strengthen institutional and organizational partnerships to exchange promising IDEA-related practices and build reciprocal relationships
Partnerships are another method that we are employing to increase diversity. These relationships exist to exchange practices and knowledge and to establish reciprocal relationships with institutions that educate and train significant numbers of students and scholars from historically underrepresented groups. For example, with Future Ignited, faculty in all divisions reached out to minority-serving institutions to nominate students to attend the event and learn more about Caltech's graduate programs and the graduate school admissions process, including how funding works. Additionally, Caltech joined the Leadership Alliance, a consortium of MSIs and Research Institutions working in concert with one another to strengthen diversity within the STEM workforce.
Cultivate K-12 STEM interest to create a diverse talent pool for the future
The CTLO, Caltech Y, CCID, and the Divisions are engaged in outreach activities intended to cultivate STEM interest among K-12 students and to provide professional development opportunities for teachers. For example, the CTLO recently formed the inaugural cohort of the Hybrid Summer Research Connection – an expansion of the long running Pasadena Schools-based Summer Research Connection program in which K-12 science teachers and high school students join Caltech research labs for six weeks. In coming years, we look forward to expanding the program to serve dozens of students and pre-college teachers. The Caltech Y's RISE Tutoring program and BSEC's STEMinstrations in PUSD bring Caltech students to local schools where they can share their love of science and engineering and inspire future generations of scientists. Additionally, multiple divisions support student involvement in outreach by providing resources to implement new ideas and awarded course credit to students involved in these efforts.
Tell Caltech's IDEA story: our values, commitment, investment, and outcomes; communicate that our work is ongoing
Increasing diversity also requires that we tell Caltech's IDEA Story by clearly broadcasting our values, commitment, investment, and providing transparency about the outcomes. Each Division has moved this work forward by prominently featuring DEI activities within the division, and data about the diversity on their websites. We make data readily accessible to internal and external audiences, and Institutional Research has completed data dashboards to highlight data about diversity and equity over time. The Office of Strategic Communications regularly highlights the contributions and experiences of a diverse range of Caltech community members in its print and digital publications.