Mission
Our Mission
The Illinois Center for Family and Community Engaged STEAMM (FACES) is dedicated to bringing campus and community together through shared interests in expanded opportunities and pathways for pre-college students and families to engage, explore, create, and aspire toward a future enhanced by science, technology, engineering, art, mathematics, and medicine.
Our Strategy/Approach
We provide a centralized hub for STEAMM outreach opportunities for pre-college youth and families that foster confidence and engaged learning connected to the cutting-edge research of the University. Our mission is to build long-term relationships between campus and community to increase the diversity of students in STEAMM fields, to illuminate pathways into STEAMM majors and careers, and to support educators and community partners in developing innovative and inclusive instructional practices. We do this through a three-pronged approach with a focus on:
- building networks and relationships across campus and between campus and community,
- developing and sharing resources, events, and news across the network, and
- collaborating with community organizations and across campus units to jointly define the vision and goals, pursue grant opportunities, and engage in research that promotes beneficial community and family partnerships focused on inclusive STEAMM teaching and learning in formal and informal settings.
Our Vision
We envision becoming national leaders in family and community engaged STEAMM education, where diverse representation is the norm and every student feels connected, empowered, and confident in shaping the future of STEAMM, believing, “I am the FACE of STEAMM.”