Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)

Inclusive excellence is a visible core value in the Division of Physical Sciences, where we have been undertaking efforts on multiple levels to increase access and support for people from underrepresented groups, including women, underrepresented minorities, LGBTQ, first-generation college, differently abled people, and people from underprivileged backgrounds. We are working to integrate and develop strategies for equity and inclusion throughout the operations of the division and the departments. Supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is integral in all aspects of our work; some of our efforts are listed below.

Greg Walton's talk on "Questions of Belonging: Their Implications for Performance, Merit, and Intervention" | Slides from the talk

EVC Elizabeth H. Simmons's talk on "Gender, Equity, Power Structures and Implicit Bias in STEM"

The Student Success Center

A key resource for implementing our EDI mission is the Student Success Center, which is committed to fostering an inclusive and welcoming learning community, engaging students in the process of developing and pursuing meaningful career paths and developing lifelong career management skills. To that end, the Student Success Center is dedicated to promoting a sustainable culture of academic excellence among all students within the Division of Physical Science and increasing retention and graduation rates.

Goals:

Foster a supportive and inclusive academic environment for all students within the Division of Physical Sciences.
Cultivate relationships with industry professionals for the purposes of connecting students to experiential learning opportunities like internships and full-time employment.
Increase retention and graduation rates among our diverse physical sciences student population.
Develop future leaders who are civic-minded.

EDI Fund Request

The Dean of Physical Sciences and the Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion welcome applications for funding projects designed to address EDI-related issues in the division and its departments.

The types of activities proposed could include:

Travel to EDI conference
Development of new EDI-related outreach effort
Hosting EDI panel of speakers for the division or campus
Developing a summer program for students from an under-represented group
Professional development that is EDI-specific

More information >>

Divisional EDI Strategic Plan

The Division of Physical Sciences has created a Divisional EDI Strategic Plan, following the recommendations made by the Task Force on the Status of Women in the division. The plan clearly delineates ongoing efforts, timelines, and expected outcomes at both the divisional and department levels to address EDI issues for faculty and students.

Divisional EDI Committee

This committee will advise the Dean on priorities for targeted efforts to support the Division’s equity, diversity and inclusion activities, engage the departments and partners in these efforts and advise the Dean on funding requests for equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives. More specifically, the charge of this committee includes the following:

Cultivate a culture of inclusion within the division for students, faculty and staff.
Identify and help implement best practices supporting diversity across the division.
Work closely with the departments and the Associate Dean for Education and Students in the development of programs for student success/inclusion.
Faculty on this committee will review contributions to diversity from faculty Excellence search candidates.
Work with the division’s communications officer to highlight efforts supporting diversity and the development officer to create opportunities to support new EDI programs.
Facilitate departmental and faculty participation in EDI efforts across the division.

More information and members >>