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Biology Professor Named Project Kaleidoscope Director

Despite increased emphasis on the need to increase diversity in STEM fields, there’s still a dearth of understanding when it comes to bringing about the kind of institutional change that will actually make a difference.

That’s the viewpoint of Dr. Kelly Mack, who had been a biology professor at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) until recently appointed to serve as executive director of Project Kaleidoscope, or PKAL—an initiative of the Association of American Colleges & Universities (ACC&U) that focuses on building and sustaining strong undergraduate programs in the STEM fields.

Since 2008, Mack had been on loan from UMES, serving as a program director for the National Science Foundation (NSF) ADVANCE Program, which focuses on the advancement of women in the academic science and engineering disciplines. She left both positions to lead Project Kaleidoscope full-time.

Mack, who assumed her new post earlier this month, said her top priority at PKAL will be to ensure that PKAL is “poised to lead the nation in addressing the most pressing demands of undergraduate STEM education.”

“As our nation seeks to maintain global preeminence in light of an increasingly diverse population in our country, it is critical that we focus our attention on developing the very best talent that our country has to offer, regardless of gender or the racial [or] ethnic group from which it comes,” Mack said.

AAC&U officials said Mack, who had already been engaged with AAC&U’s Institute on Integrative Learning and the Departments, is a “perfect successor” to outgoing PKAL executive director Susan Elrod.

“Kelly Mack brings to this new position an impressive range of leadership skills as well as a true passion for helping STEM students and faculty members excel,” said AAC&U President Carol Geary Schneider.

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