IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education (ITYC)

The NSF IUSE: Innovation in Two-Year College STEM Education (ITYC) program makes an intentional investment in the country's two-year institutions of higher education. The program has twin goals: (1) center students in the effort to advance innovation and promote success in STEM education at two-year colleges, and (2) enhance the capacity of two-year colleges to harness the talent and potential of their student and faculty populations through innovative disciplinary, multi-department, and college-wide efforts. These goals are achieved by investing in projects at two-year colleges that contribute to student success in STEM-based foundational courses and academic pathways for both majors and non-majors. The program recognizes that two-year institutions serve as a gateway to higher education and that their faculty, staff, and administrators are uniquely positioned to create innovative solutions. Projects may be in any NSF-supported discipline, including social, behavioral, and economic sciences. The ITYC program features two tracks: Track 1 focuses on the academic experiences of two-year college students through direct engagement, and Track 2 leverages institutional strengths and innovation through capacity-building at departmental or college-wide levels.