Rensselaer Speaker Series Featuring Dr. Antar Tichavakunda

The Office of Multicultural Programs, in collaboration with campuswide strategic partners, will host Dr. Antar Tichavakunda, Assistant Professor of Race and Higher Education at the University of California Santa Barbara, for a series of engagement events with faculty, staff, and students. Critical discussions will take place on race relations and equity in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in higher education.  

Faculty, staff, and students are cordially invited  

Monday, February 6 
Campus Seminar 
Let’s Talk About It: Conversation with Dr. Antar Tichavakunda
Unpacking the System of Racial Inequity Within STEM Fields

Heffner Alumni House, Great Room 
2:30–4:00 p.m. 
Light refreshments will be served. 
This event has limited space, so please RSVP early. 

Tuesday, February 7  
Campus Talk
Centering Black Life to Support Black STEM Students 

EMPAC, Concert Hall 
5:00–6:30 p.m.
Light refreshments will be served. This event is free and open to the public. 

Click to RSVP

Dr. Tichavakunda received his Ph.D. in Urban Education Policy from the University of Southern California. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Tichavakunda is a product of DC Public Schools and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education Studies from Brown University. Prior to his doctoral studies, Tichavakunda worked as an 11th grade English teacher in DC Public Schools. Tichavakunda has engaged in research on college readiness, Black students’ experiences at predominantly white institutions, and more broadly, the sociology of race and higher education. He is also the author of Black Campus Life, which examines the intersection of two crises up close: the limited number of college graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields and the state of race relations in higher education.