Presenters: Adrienne Smith, Cynosure Consulting and Rebecca Zulli Lowe, Cynosure Consulting

Abstract: Asset maps serve as a simple, yet impactful tool for helping underrepresented groups connect with important people, programs, and resources that would support their recruitment and retention in STEM. In contrast to a traditional deficit-focused mindset, asset mapping was born out of an approach that seeks out existing strengths and works to build capacity by leveraging current resources as a foundation for further innovation. At the end of this talk, individuals will walk away with a list of steps that they can use to develop a comprehensive map that could be distributed immediately to current and future STEM (including high school seniors). These steps include identifying current assets within an array of existing categories (e.g., tutoring centers, individual faculty mentors, local chapters of STEM associations) designed to help mappers think expansively about existing supports. Additional steps involve reviewing contact lists and asking others to assist in the identification of assets, performing internet searches of the school/organization website looking for key words, and reading through the university directory to highlight offices that work on diversity issues or support the individuals targeted. The assets can be plotted directly onto a campus map and supplied to underrepresented groups, so they are aware of and can locate the resources and supports available to them. Additionally, the formation of the maps can be a beneficial exercise for departments to use to assess their own assets and strategically plan for the development of new assets.