Above, Co-Directors Robin Sutherland, left, and Larissa Speak unveil the Institute’s new logo, a Thunderbird.
Lakehead University
lakeheadu.ca
The new Indigenous Law and Justice Institute at Lakehead University in Ontario will have an Anishinaabe name. The name — Mino-waabandan Inaakonigewinan (seeing the law in a good way) — was bestowed by an elder during a naming ceremony.
PHOTO COURTESY OF LAKEHEAD UNIVERSITY
University of Chicago
uchicago.edu
A $100 million gift to the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago will support doctoral-level research in data and computing as well as provide funding for financial aid and stipends, among other student support initiatives.
UCLA
ucla.edu
Up to 700 students with financial need will be able to graduate from the University of California Los Angeles with few or no loans thanks to a $15 million gift. The funds will go toward scholarships as part of the school’s Affordability Initiative.
Loyola University Maryland
loyola.edu
A $1.2 million grant has gone to faculty members at Loyola University Maryland to increase the number of STEM teachers in high-needs high schools. The NSF funding will establish the Culturally Responsive Equitable STEM Teaching (CREST) Program and support scholarships for MA candidates.
University of Alabama
ua.edu
Researchers at the University of Alabama in Huntsville have attracted $750,000 in award funding from the Department of Energy in support of a fusion clean energy project. Led by faculty in mechanical and aerospace engineering, the project will be in collaboration with Los Alamos National Laboratory.
Boston Community Colleges
boston.gov
Residents of Boston pursuing an associate degree or certificate at one of the city’s six partner institutions are now eligible for free tuition and up to $250 per semester in related costs. The funding applies to students regardless of age, income, or immigration status.
Navajo Technical University
navajotech.edu
In a significant milestone for tribal colleges and universities, Navajo Technical University has become the first to offer a fully accredited PhD program. In addition to the more than 30 degree and certificate programs in STEM fields, now students at Navajo Tech will be able to earn a doctorate in Diné culture and language sustainability.
Arizona State University West
asu.edu
Significant expansion plans are in the works for Arizona State University West. The Glendale campus is surrounded by acres of vacant land that will be built up to accommodate a tripling of the current enrollment.
Little Priest Tribal College
littlepriest.edu
An NSF Equity for Excellence in STEM grant has gone to Little Priest Tribal College to enhance opportunities in STEM disciplines for students and improve cybersecurity at the college. The funding came through the Tribal Colleges and Universities Program.
Brown University
brown.edu
Students at Brown University can now register for the school’s new concentration in Critical Native American and Indigenous Studies. The 10-credit concentration offers an honors option as well as a capstone course.
Stanford University
stanford.edu
Code in Place, an open enrollment online course on coding basics, is taught by volunteer faculty around the globe. Last spring, faculty from Stanford University’s College of Engineering took over. So far, about 20,000 students worldwide have taken the course.
University of New Brunswick
unb.ca
The McKenna Institute at the University of New Brunswick is launching a three-year Digital Acceleration for Indigenous Youth initiative, funded by a $5.2 million grant from the Mastercard Foundation’s EleV Program. The initiative will focus on strengthening STEAM skills in Indigenous secondary students in Atlantic Canada to help prepare them for continuing their education.
Johns Hopkins University
jhu.edu
The Department of Transportation has awarded a $10 million, five-year grant to Johns Hopkins University to lead a new center for climate-focused transportation solutions. The new Center for Climate-Based Transportation will enlist a consortium of experts from several academic institutions, including MIT and Diné College, to address the biggest contributor to environmental challenges.
Columbia University
columbia.edu
A new biomedical research institute at Columbia University will be funded by a $175 million private gift. Most of the funds are earmarked for PhD students, with the rest going to support the work of physician-scientists. Also at Columbia, a $75 million donation will establish the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for Precision Psychiatry and Mental Health to build on advances in genomics and precision medicine.
University of Michigan
umich.edu
A $130 million appropriation from the state to the University of Michigan will go toward launching the new Electric Vehicle Center focused on accelerating research; developing improved technologies, including batteries; and training workers.
Carnegie Mellon University
cmu.edu
A $116 million grant from the Rales Foundation will go toward helping graduate STEM students at Carnegie Mellon University. The funds are earmarked for underrepresented and first-generation students and women.
Queen’s University
queensu.ca
Queen’s University in Ontario is creating the Queen’s Weeneebayko Health Education Program in partnership with the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority and the Mastercard Foundation. The new program will offer culturally informed education in health care professions to Indigenous youth in northeastern Ontario, and ultimately expand health care in the region while creating employment opportunities.
UC Berkeley
berkeley.edu
Rural health will be the focus of a new online program in public health at the University of California, Berkeley. The Rural Health Innovation Program will be funded by a $10 million grant.
Yale University
yale.edu
A $25 million gift from the Starr Foundation has gone to the Yale School of Medicine to support financial aid. The funding will make medical school more affordable for students with demonstrated financial need, and the university will match the $25 million gift.
University of Toronto
utoronto.ca
The student newspaper at the University of Toronto, The Varsity, has published its first Indigenous-focused issue, with content written by Indigenous contributors. The Varsity has committed to expanding and improving its reporting on Indigenous issues.
University of Texas
utexas.edu
A low-cost online master’s on artificial intelligence will be offered by the University of Texas starting in the spring of 2024. The Austin campus is a leading computer science school.
University of Virginia
virginia.edu
A new biotechnology institute at the University of Virginia will be partially funded by a $100 million private gift, with the university contributing $150 million and the Commonwealth of Virginia contributing $50 million.
University of Arizona
arizona.edu
A seven-level, $99 million, 108,000-square-foot lab building is under construction at the University of Arizona in Tucson. The facility will considerably expand the school’s optics capability.
Purdue University
purdue.edu
The College of Pharmacy at Purdue University has received a $20 million gift from an alumnus. The donation will establish an academy focused on leadership and entrepreneurship. Also at Purdue, a gift of $10 million to the College of Veterinary Medicine will establish the Comparative Oncology Research Center. The new center will partner with the Purdue Center for Cancer Research, benefiting both animal and human patients.
Northwestern University
northwestern.edu
A gift of $121 million will transform the biomedical research program at the Feinberg School of Medicine and the executive education program at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Of the new funds, $100 million will go to biomedical research.
University of Maryland, Baltimore
umaryland.edu
The Schools of Pharmacy and Medicine have received a $1.1 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. The funding is earmarked to increase diversity in biomedicine.
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