A Pitt program earned a first-of-its-kind Middle States Association accreditation

The STEM PUSH Network, a project by The University of Pittsburgh's Broadening Equity in STEM Center (BE STEM), has achieved a major milestone in its goal of increasing equity and opportunity for Black, Latino and Indigenous students in postsecondary STEM.

Six network precollege STEM programs, including Pitt’s Gene Team, have earned first of its kind accreditation from the Middle States Association Commissions on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS), validating the demonstrated progress STEM PUSH is making in broadening access for underrepresented students. 

“This accreditation — and the results that we’re seeing — prove the collective can accomplish what no one program can, and we’re thrilled for our program and admission partners, but most of all for the students who will ultimately benefit from this effort,” said Alison Slinskey Legg, principal investigator and director of BE STEM.

All six programs in the pilot accreditation cohort earned the credential after completing a rigorous self-study, followed by site visits from MSA-CESS. They each demonstrated a shared goal of broadening participation in STEM as well as continuous improvement in equitable recruitment practices, college outcomes and persistence, and development of STEM competencies.

“This is a huge accomplishment for our network of dedicated community-based educators, admissions professionals and researchers, and it’s a big leap forward toward the systems change we hope to see in developing, and recognizing, the potential of innovative, culturally sustaining pedagogy and programming in preparing underrepresented students for STEM,” Slinksey Legg said.

Rebecca Gonda, director of outreach programs for the Department of Biological Sciences and senior personnel with the STEM PUSH Network, said the accreditation is an important validation of the work Gene Team is doing and will help position them to do even more.

“This is getting people excited and calling attention to what’s going on with our program,” she said. “Something like this really draws attention to the work we’re doing with the students from people who might not have heard about Gene Team, and that will have an impact,” she added.

— Nick France, photography by Tom Altany