B. Chad Starks of the Delaware Space Grant Consortium will be featured in a University of Delaware Department of Physics and Astronomy colloquium to be held from 11 a.m.-noon, Friday, Feb. 10, in 006 Kirkbride Hall.

Starks will speak on the topic "Building a Diverse and Inclusive University in the 21st Century.”

More than 50 years after the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and more than 40 years after the passage of Title IX, structural inequality still creates disparate experiences and opportunities for individuals of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds and women in higher education, a colloquium organizer said. Administration, faculty and staff have some understanding of the impact of inequality, yet there is much less awareness of how to address these issues individually and collectively to create institutional change.

In this talk, Starks will share his theoretical framework for addressing issues of structural inequality in institutions of higher education.

Specifically, Starks will discuss his model, which provides practical suggestions to reduce disparities through innovative approaches to recruitment, retention and other institutional processes.

These enhanced approaches can be specific to STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programs or used more broadly to improve the diversity and cultural competency in the university at-large.