Equity-Excellence Imperative in Action

How to advance student success through inclusive reform at America's research universities.

How can research universities foster both equity and excellence in undergraduate education? This compelling collection, edited by Steven P. Dandaneau, offers a rich set of answers that presents equity and excellence not as competing ideals, but as mutually reinforcing commitments. Building on the influential Boyer 2030 Report, which urged US research universities to embrace the equity-excellence imperative as central to their democratic mission, this volume brings together case studies and reflective essays to document reform efforts that are fundamentally changing the shape of undergraduate education.

Essays authored by senior administrators, faculty leaders, and other educational experts highlight institutional strategies ranging from MIT's reevaluation of grading and credit policies to Florida State's scale-up of high-impact practices. Authors describe how shared advising models, integrative general education programs, curricular analytics, and faculty incentive structures have advanced equity and student success. Perspectives from HBCUs, HSIs, regional, and land-grant universities emphasize the importance of mission-driven approaches and contextual responsiveness. Each chapter features empirical data, takeaways for practice, and candid insight into the challenges of leading change.

The Equity-Excellence Imperative in Action makes the case for sustained, systemic reform guided by the principle that true excellence requires full inclusion, and that undergraduate education is the foundation upon which the nation's research universities—and democracy itself—depend.

Steven P. Dandaneau is the executive director of the Association for Undergraduate Education at Research Universities and the associate provost at Colorado State University.