THE OFFICE OF THE CHANCELLOR UNIVERSITY*OF*MASSACHUSETTS*AMHERST*

301 Whitmore Administration Building | 181 Presidents Drive Amherst, MA 01003 | Ph: 413-545-1978

Diversity Liaisons MARCH 2014 REPORT

College of Engineering by Mathilda T. Tuuli, Assistant Director, Diversity Programs Office in collaboration with Paula Rees, DPO Director (who was unable to attend on 2/27)

Practices

• Work with NSBE, SHPE, and SWE are our primary mechanisms for supporting the college’s diversity students. We partner with them to offer professional development opportunities that are meaningful and on target.

• We also provide academic support, available to all students, by collaboration with the LRC and use of our top diversity students (and others) as study jam leaders, tutors, and SI instructors.

• We have several long-standing programs to address pipeline issues (Career Day, ESRO, Girl Scout Day) and the Outreach Leaders Program was started last year. This aims to provide sustained interactions with middle school students in nearby school districts.

• We do other things, but above are key practice highlights. • Created the faculty advisor board last year.

Strategic Ideas/Initiatives

• Connect for Success Mentoring Network - consolidating, expanding, and improving mentoring for our students with two tiers of support. Initiation is funded by Women for UMass Amherst grant.

• Designing some new programs aimed at professional development (Synthesis Bowl). • Working on strategic planning

Challenges

• Funding - writing grants! Particular demand for REU funding. • Student engagement - some of our diversity organizations are more engaged, and interested in

receiving help, than others.

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Graduate School by John McCarthy, Vice Provost and Dean

Fellowships • The Graduate School (GS) annually transfers $600,000 in fellowship funds to the STEM

Diversity Institute, where it is used to provide support for underrepresented minority graduate and post-baccalaureate students in STEM disciplines.

• The GS annually awards an additional $175,000 in fellowship funding to underrepresented minority graduate students in other disciplines.

Professional Development • The GS provides funding, programming, sponsorship, and logistical support to 2 student-

initiated organizations focused on professional development and career preparation: o Graduate Women in STEM (GWIS) — https://blogs.umass.edu/gwis/. o Graduate Students of Color Association (GSCA) —

https://umassamherst.collegiatelink.net/organization/GSCA/about.

Application Fee Waivers • The GS provides application fee waivers for McNair Scholars and those certified by their

financial aid office as qualifying for GRE fee waivers. It also waives the application for URM applicants the STEM Diversity Institute and certain other campus partners identify

Data • New this year, the GS provided each department with a list of its discipline’s national

McNair Scholar JRs and SRs, urging them to contact these highly qualified potential applicants.

• The Graduate School distributes reports on ALANA applicants to departments that request them.

• Using placement data collected during the Doctoral Program Review, the GS developed and distributed to the Deans a report on the placement of minority and women doctoral recipients.

• Using survey data collected in 2013, the GS will soon distribute to the Deans a report on how well the departments and the faculty are supporting our minority and women doctoral students.

Race/Ethnicity 2/27/2013 2/27/2014 Asian 358 393 Black 235 247 Haw/Pac Is 3 1 Hisp/Mult. 77 95 Hispanic 240 234 Multiple 125 138 NativAmer 8 3 Subtotal 1046 1111 White 3457 3409 None 405 363 International 5079 5083 Grand Total 9987 9966

Grad applications 2/2013 to 2/2014

We had a 6.2% increase in ALANA graduate applications in a year when White applications went down by 1.4% and International applications were unchanged. Most of the ALANA increase was among Asian Americans, but African-American applications were up by 5.1%. This might be a consequence of our effort to get departments to contact McNair Scholars and invite them to apply.

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STEM Diversity Institute [http://www.umass.edu/sdi/] by Sandra L. Petersen, Professor & Director 1) Diversity Forum: SBS faculty with expertise in obstacles to diversity meet with STEM women

faculty to identify problems and solutions to their recruitment, retention and promotion. 2) Partner Visiting Faculty Program: Funded by the NIH Initiative for Maximizing Student

Development, this program brings junior faculty from minority-serving Partner Institutions to work with UMass STEM faculty during a 10-week paid summer fellowship. The program fosters a sustainable relationship, enhanced research for both, and promotes success of minority faculty.

3) Enhanced Recruiting a) NEAGEP Science Days: Funded by the NSF Northeast Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate

(NEAGEP) grant (led by UMass Amherst), Partner Institutions (Medgar Evers College, Lincoln University, Bennett College, Jackson State University and the University of Puerto Rico Mayaguez) host Partner Science Day for all 10 Research Intensive Alliance Institutions (UMass, MIT, BU, Penn State, Rutgers and the Universities of Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine). At these events, faculty from the NEAGEP Alliance Institutions meet faculty and prospective graduate students from the Partner Institutions.

b) Going Home: Senior graduate students funded by the SDI return to their home institutions to present a seminar about their work and to meet with prospective graduate students. Increases the confidence of the graduate students and inspires younger students to also graduate school in STEM disciplines.

c) Fall Graduate Preview Weekend: Students from underrepresented groups interested in STEM Ph.D. programs come to UMass to meet faculty and graduate students who describe opportunities and support at our institution.

d) Rapid Response Admission Program: Graduate School provides lists of students who self-identify as members of underrepresented groups. Faculty Core Coordinators alert their colleagues to these applications. If students are accepted, the SDI contacts them to help with recruitment.

e) Recruiting at SACNAS and ABRCMS: The SDI facilitates attendance of faculty and graduate students at these meetings attended by underrepresented students in STEM disciplines.

f) Partner with Dickinson College and Penn State University to host minority undergraduate students from those institutions during a summer program of undergraduate research.

4) STEM Ph.D. Student Retention and Advancement g) Writing Workshops: Mentoring students to write NIH and NSF grants for pre- and post-doctoral fellowships. h) Tools of the Trade: Students receive funding to attend meetings on scientific methods not available at UMass i) Eminent Scientist Mentoring Program: Students identify eminent scientists in their field and the IMSD grant

funds these scientists to visit UMass and graduate students to visit their laboratories. Facilitates development of a research network and identification of postdoctoral or employment opportunities outside UMass.

j) Stage-Specific Professional Development: Seminars and workshops ranging from ethical conduct of research to maintaining mental health and developing organizational skills.

k) Near-Peer Mentoring Program: Each incoming student is connected to two near-peers who can serve as mentors. Relationships are cemented by monthly lunches of mentors and mentees at the University Club.

5) Developing Untapped Talent l) NIH Postbaccalaureate Research Education Program: Brings in 10-13 students from underrepresented groups

who have earned bachelor’s degrees within the past 3 years but not yet enrolled in graduate school. Students are paid a stipend, health insurance coverage and tuition while working in a research laboratory and taking graduate level or appropriate courses to prepare them for doctoral programs in STEM programs at UMass and elsewhere.

m) NEAGEP Research Opportunities Fair: Over 900 UMass undergraduates in STEM disciplines at UMass Amherst are invited to an event at which representatives from the 9 NEAGEP institutions, as well as Boston College and Albert Einstein University, present opportunities for them to conduct paid research at those institutions during the summer.

6) Data Acquisition to Support New Initiatives n) Collect PhD admission/enrollment/continuation/graduation data disaggregated by ethnicity/gender/nationality. o) Through examination of these data, we identify problems and write grants to obtain funds for overcoming these

problems. Working on a proposal for funding postdoc fellowships for students underrepresented in STEM. p) Planning data collection on success in STEM Ph.D. programs in NEAGEP Institutions related to GRE scores.

7) Host the local chapter of the American Association of Women in Science 8) Host SDI-Five Colleges Diversity Day

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Commonwealth Honors College (CHC) by Alex Deschamps, Associate Director/Faculty Advisor

Emerging Scholars Program – Updated Summary Fall 2013-Fall 2014 CHC, in collaboration with the Office of Undergraduate Advising and the Office of Admissions, recruits students to the Honors Residential Academic Emerging Scholars Program. The Emerging Scholars (ES) Program is not a remedial program. First year students in this program have been identified as having particularly strong academic potential but their required GPA or SAT scores fall below the CHC cutoffs required for admission directly from high school. They live together in residential halls and take three honors courses together during the two-semester academic year. ES students in are invited to apply to CHC after receiving their fall semester grades. The focus is on under-served, under-represented, and 1st generation college students. Students are invited to apply to the ES program describing their academic and leadership histories. This allows for a more comprehensive picture of each student for selecting entering cohorts. We have been able to create a “common ground” of diverse faculty and staff mentors across colleges and disciplines who are invested in the program and who now have closer links with the Honors College. This is a benefit to both CHC RC and UMass Amherst. CHC programming includes:

• Fall courses include an Honors Seminar, College Writing, and one Honors General Education course. Spring courses include Honors 291A (required for all Honors students) and one RAP seminar.

• Mentoring ‘meet and greet’ reception in the fall for all the ES cohorts to meet with faculty and staff from our various colleges and departments.

• Celebration of achievement event for the graduating cohorts each spring. We invite other cohorts of ES participants as well as faculty, staff, administrators and other campus affiliated groups.

• Panel discussions, residential programs and events, at least one Fine Arts Center event, other out of class events (some mandatory), meetings with key faculty and staff.

The AY13-14 ES cohort is comprised of 31 students, with 18 of these qualified for admission to CHC this Spring 2014 on the basis of grades last semester (2 transferring out for personal/family issues). Internal Transfer Admits Also this Spring, CHC intentionally outreached to first generation first-year students asking them to apply and 364 of these applied (minimum 3.4 GPA on at least 12 graded credits). A total of 101 of these applied, which included a range of self –identified racial and ethnic groups. Approximately half of these are ALANA. Our Assistant Director of Advising oversees their advising & our programming group collaborates with her to increase efforts for both academic and co-curricular inclusive events. Some staff members will attend AAC&U’s conference on issues of Diversity, Success, and Practices. The Residential Community Working with the Residential Staff in the CHC RC we offer a balance of academic and co-curricular programming that keep our students in constant conversations around contemporary social, cultural, and political issues that enhance their critical analysis skills and conversational intelligence. Recruitment Yield Phone calls to ~200 early accepted CHC students who identified as Black, Hispanic, Native American and Multiple. This will also happen with the list from regular admits. Ongoing and Future Plans

• Friday morning Diversity and Inclusion group meetings. • Faculty and staff forums on issues of unconscious bias and stereotypes applicable in all units of the CHC. • Diverse Alumni salons and networking events. • Common Ground events for students, staff, and faculty. • Thinking through our outreach with the Springfield Science and Technical High School. • Partnering with CMASS • Student conversations and forums on diversity not limited to race and ethnicity.

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College of Social and Behavioral Sciences by Mari Castaneda, Director of Diversity Advancement Practices

• Our college has largely focused its diversity and inclusiveness initiatives at the faculty level (tenure track and lecturer position). As DDA, I am working closely with search committee chairs in order to develop as broad a pool as possible, as well as developing strategies for recruitment and on campus interviews.

• Our college was the first to implement a diversity/inclusive statement in the job ad, and this statement has now been broadened by the Dean of Faculty to encompass a wider definition.

• Our college also added a research/teaching/service diversity question to all search committee interviews of candidates, and thus has been very intentional in its commitment to inclusiveness.

• Our college has also implemented workshops for all new faculty in order to provide mentorship and guidance throughout the first year.

Strategic Ideas/Initiatives • Currently, our college does not have a specific diversity initiative with regards to students,

however, this is something that the DDA is unable to take on because of departmental teaching/service responsibilities.

College of Humanities and Fine Arts by Laura Lovett, Advisor on Diversity Work with SODC, Center for Teaching and MSP Committee on Teaching evaluations to address concerns about use of SRTI scores for assessing faculty teaching at moments of promotion, tenure, etc., as part of retention concerns. Helping to develop and pilot a “toolkit” to help facilitate faculty peer and mentor-evaluation to supplement student scores assessment in recognition of potential student bias and differential assessment of faculty of color and female faculty and of need in Tenure Memo of August 1, 2013 suggesting multiple processes for assessment.

Work with EOD, College Search Committees and Chairs on training, developing on campus procedures for increasing the pool of candidates and successful search processes. First-year for this. Will develop further recommendations after searches close.

Isenberg School by Melvin Rodriguez, Director of Academic Support and Diversity Programs At the Isenberg School of Management, we strive to hit diversity and inclusiveness through all areas where people are concerned. This includes students, faculty, and staff. We don’t profess to have a perfect model, and just like all other units on campus as well as other business schools at predominantly White institutions of higher education, we encounter obstacles in achieving our diversity and inclusiveness goals. We have made some progress in certain areas but continue to struggle with bringing in large numbers of students from underrepresented ethnicities. Although we realize that this is an issue for many of the top business schools around the country, we are not satisfied and continue to look for better ways to address this problem including trying to work more with our corporate recruiters to help address this need. In this quick overview, we will discuss some of our initiatives, struggles, and successes that we’ve encountered.

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Faculty Recruitment: When hiring faculty we pay special attention to areas where we can increase our faculty diversity, particularly with underrepresented populations. Some major obstacles we encounter are (A) Location, (B) Competition (Salaries), and (C) current low number of underrepresented faculty on our staff. The Isenberg School has been working hard to achieve simultaneous goals of increasing the diversity of our faculty and raising our research profile. We have made great strides in both areas. In order to obtain the most highly qualified candidates from underrepresented groups we have expanded our recruitment efforts, focusing on such outlets as the PhD project (a national program for minorities who are considering doctorates). We have attended the national conference in Chicago every year and have been able to recruit a diverse doctoral student population. These relationships have developed over the past several years, thereby enhancing our ability to successfully recruit tenure-track minority faculty members who have the talent to contribute to our research profile. We have also worked hard to improve our proportion of female faculty members and these combined efforts have led to significant improvements. Since 2010 we have hired seventeen tenure-track faculty members. This group comprises 3 Caucasian females, 3 Asian females, 1 African American female, 1 Asian male, 1 African American male, and 1 Middle-Eastern male. The 7 Caucasian male hires represent less than half of our new hires. In addition, we converted an African American staff member to a lecturer position on our faculty. Staff Demographics and Awards: The School has made a concerted effort to enhance the diversity of staff as well, particularly at the director level. In the past two years we have hired 1 Hispanic female, and 4 Caucasian females as directors of functions or programs. Altogether we have 6 Caucasian male directors, 13 Caucasian female directors and 1 Non-white female director. In addition, we replaced one retiring Caucasian male Associate Dean with a Caucasian female Associate Dean. Our Associate Deans are now 2/3 female. We have re-implemented doing staff awards to recognize our staff for their dedication to the Isenberg School of Management and the University. Each year we award two or three staff members for their outstanding commitment in doing their assigned roles and going beyond. Undergraduate Student Body: Recruitment. We deal with many similar obstacles that other strong business schools do including, competition from other schools, fewer underrepresented students meeting our admissions requirements, financial aid and scholarships. Like most academic units on campus, a heavy part of our recruitment is based out of the Undergraduate Admissions Office. However, we have added other initiatives such as our CAMP Program, which targets underrepresented students from high schools throughout Massachusetts. These high school students spend a week on campus over the summer taking workshops, attending field trips, and doing team related presentations. The goal is to encourage these students to consider pursuing a business degree and recruiting them to the University. We try to attend college fairs, particular national college fairs where we are more likely to see students from underrepresented populations. On campus recruitment efforts includes our EY Partners in Education program. Through this program we are able to work with the Undergraduate Advising Office to help underrepresented students throughout their freshman year gain admission to the Isenberg School as on-campus transfers. Additionally, we do some programing with the Focus Enterprise RAP with the Undergraduate Advising Office. Challenges include students may not be as well prepared academically to satisfy the requirements for admission to the Isenberg School. We want to ensure successful graduation so for us to reduce our requirements wouldn’t be beneficial to this group of students. Percentages for Undergraduate Students as of Feb. 10, 2014: Class of 2014 16% ALANA (10% Asian, 2% Black, 4% Hispanic) Class of 2015 14% ALANA (8% Asian, 1% Black, 4% Hispanic) Class of 2016 15% ALANA (10% Asian, 2% Black, 2% Hispanic) Class of 2017 17% ALANA (13% Asian, 1% Black, 3% Hispanic) Retention of our Students. We have a good graduation rate for our underrepresented students. Many of them do exceptionally well, receive internships with prestigious firms, and are placed upon graduation. However, not all students who graduate have outstanding GPA’s. We find that some of our students from underrepresented populations can struggle academically for a number of reasons that have been researched by many for the last 20 years. Perhaps the largest reason that some of the students in this group struggle is the fact that many of them come from lower socioeconomic status, attend weaker school systems that do not prepare them well for the academic rigors that they confront once they are here.

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One of the things we have been working towards is ensuring that all Isenberg students feel that we are their home. We work diligently with the many student groups that focus on underrepresented populations. The struggle here is that we simply don’t have the staff so many of us are heavily taxed with trying to be there for everything that the organizations need. We are however, finding success through these initiatives. Graduate Student Body: Recruitment & Support. We continuously recruit for underrepresented students for both our MBA and PMBA programs. Special attention is paid to applicants from underrepresented groups. Through the MBA Office we recruit at a number of National Conferences such as National Association of Black MBAs, National Association of Hispanic MBAs, the National Association of Women MBAs, and Reaching Out. Additionally, the Isenberg School financially supports MBA students wishing to attend these conferences to do so. PhD Students: As mentioned previously, we have had success attending the National Conference in Chicago for the PhD Project. Below is a breakdown of our current PhD candidates in the Isenberg School of Management. PhD Students in Isenberg as of Feb. 25, 2014: African 2 African-American 2 Asian 22 Asian-American 2 *Caucasian 34 Hispanic 1 Hispanic American 2 Indian 6 Middle Eastern 7 *Includes 9 international: 6 Turkish, 1 Russian, 1 Israeli) Libraries by Vannoch Sin, Head of Library Human Resources & Organizational Development Practices, Strategies and Initiatives The UMass Amherst Libraries participated in Association Research Libraries’ ClimateQual survey first in 2008 and again in 2012 as part of our ongoing commitment to engage in an organizational climate assessment. The Library also drafted several documents recently that serve as frameworks to guide the organization in preparing for the future, including the Libraries 2013-2015 Three-Year Plan. The Organizational Development task force is charged with identifying ways to operationalize objectives outlined in the “Transforming the Workplace” section of the 2013-2015 Three Year Plan; including the goal of transforming the workplace and fostering diversity: “The Libraries will continue to promote organizational policies and best practices that foster a healthy organizational climate and diversity of all types.”

• In addition to the Diversity Liaisons, the Library is represented and actively participating in conversations with the Chancellor’s Diversity Advisory Committee regarding climate, recruitment, retention, and other hot topics on diversity and inclusion. Information is brought back and shared with the entire organization through Staff Council (a committee comprised of USA, PSU and MSP staff from all divisions of the Library), as well as senior management.

• It is expected that managers are evaluated on their efforts and work in support of the above, as such, the following is being included as we update job descriptions “Ability to

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work creatively, collaboratively, and effectively and to promote teamwork, diversity, equality, and inclusiveness within the UMass Amherst Libraries and the campus”.

• Equal Opportunity & Diversity will present at the March Library All Staff meeting on diversity in higher education and the university’s search processes.

• The Library hosts a Librarian career reception each fall; we have always and will continue to reach out to ALANA groups to participate.

• Last month the Student Supervisors Committee began working on marketing to reach out to RSOs, to advertise student employment opportunities at the Library. We hire some 200 student employees every year and many of them go on to pursue careers in libraries, and from time to time former student employees are hired into staff positions here.

• The benefit of a diverse Library student employee population also has an effect on the campus at large. Campus tours almost always include a visit to the Library, if the population of our current student employees is diverse; we have a better likelihood of attracting students, staff, and faculty who support diversity initiatives.

• The Library also hosts Du Bois events year round, making special efforts and allocating significant staff resources to promote Black History month and events.

• The Director of Libraries is the Board Liaison, on behalf of the Association Research Libraries (ARL) Board of Directors, to the ARL Diversity & Leadership Group to promote and support the Minority Diversity and Leadership Program, a program designed to recruit and support up-and-coming librarians from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.

College of Natural Sciences (CNS) by Sally Powers, Associate Dean for Faculty and Research and Martha Baker, Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education. Practices The CNS Women in Science Initiative (WISI) was begun in the spring of 2012 and focuses on increasing the success of women scientists at all stages of their academic careers. One priority of WISI is to create opportunities for women faculty, post docs and students in the sciences to connect to one another. Although the numbers of women have increased in each CNS department over the years, issues of isolation and underrepresentation remain a challenge. Our activities during 2013-2014 focused on developing events and using web-based resources to provide women the chance to exchange ideas, strategies, and make connections with colleagues.

• New Web Page. We developed and launched a new web page for the CNS Women in Science Initiative (WISI Home), which lists programs, events, CNS women scientists in the news, community outreach, and a variety of resources for women scientists.

• 2nd Annual CNS Women in Science Lecture. On April 7, Susan Metz, Senior Research Associate and Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Stevens Institute of Technology, will be speaking on “Moving Beyond Fixing the Women to Changing the Culture in Academic STEM Fields.” Susan Metz is a nationally recognized leader in catalyzing change in academia regarding women in science. Her lecture will address how unintended bias affects hiring, retention and promotion of women faculty and will identify research-based strategies to engender an inclusive and productive work environment. Metz has secured nearly $10 million in federal, corporate and foundation grants to work with over 200 colleges and universities to increase access, retention and advancement of women and girls in STEM fields. The lecture is open to the public and had an attendance of over 300 last year. In addition to the public lecture, Metz will provide small group consultation to three groups during her visit: 1) a campus-wide group of female faculty who are planning to submit a NSF ADVANCE grant; 2) CNS leadership—deans, department heads, and directors of interdisciplinary graduate programs. This session will focus on how CNS leadership can design and implement an effective climate survey of the college and departments; and 3) College of Engineering leadership.

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• International Visitor Leadership Program. On April 9th, CNS will host 10 women scientists from Algeria, Sudan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Nepal, Palestinian Territories, Lebanon, Libya, Oman, and Uzbekistan. The U.S. Department of State and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs sponsor this visit, and the purpose is to facilitate networking opportunities between scientists and to share best practices to champion the success of women scientists.

• Faculty Peer Mentoring Groups. We held a panel and mixer in December 2013 to bring together women faculty interested in finding out about the benefits of peer professional mentoring groups. These informal mentoring networks foster collegiality, promote learning, and help with the challenges of a career at a research university. The Dean’s office developed a web-based form (https://secure.cns.umass.edu/webforms/mentoring-interest) for faculty to indicate interest in joining a group and the Dean’s office then served as a conduit for matching faculty into new mentoring groups.

• Webinar on ‘Retaining Women in STEM Fields’: This November 4th webinar explored why women leave faculty positions and what departments, colleges and universities can do about it. The webinar featured Joan C. Williams, distinguished professor of law and the founding director of the Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California Hastings College of the Law. She drew on work prepared for the NSF-funded Tools for Change Project and discussed the ways departments can save money by eliminating a chilly climate for women, the importance of family-friendly policies, and the way the right policies can avoid legal problems.

• Lecture, "Recent Research Regarding Detection and Treatment of Breast Cancer": This October 16th lecture was presented by D. Joseph Jerry, PhD, Professor of Veterinary and Animal Sciences at UMass Amherst Science; Director, Pioneer Valley Life Sciences Institute; Co-Director, Rays of Hope Center for Breast Cancer Research, and Kaitlyn Wong, MD, Surgery Resident at Bay State Medical Center.

• CNS Women’s Caucus. Soon after WISI was begun, the CNS Women’s Caucus was formed and works closely with the Dean’s office. This year the Dean’s office has helpsupport the development of a web page for the Women’s Caucus, http://www.math.umass.edu/~nahmod/WOCS_CNS.UMassAmherst.html

• Graduate Women in STEM (GWIS). In 2012, CNS WISI sponsored a lunch to bring graduate students in CNS together to discuss whether a graduate organization focused on issues of interest to graduate women in science would be useful. As a follow-up to the lunch, a group of graduate women created a proposal to CNS for funding of GWIS. CNS approved funding for the group and reached out to the Graduate School and College of Engineering to match funding. The GWIS blog includes events, activities of interest, and summaries of GWIS’ many initiatives.

• Undergraduate Women in Science. CNS undergraduate students have formed a Residential Student Organization (RSO). The group is affiliated with the Association of Women in Science (AWIS). The group has organized a faculty panel with the topic being balancing work and family, and a student panel on internships in STEM.

• Outreach • Eureka! Starting in the summer of 2013, CNS partnered with Girls Inc. of Holyoke to bring the Eureka

Program to campus. Eureka! is a nationally recognized program designed to engage girls 12-18 to explore science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields. The program provides access to college campuses and academic STEM experts who act as program facilitators and coaches, as the girls continue through high school. More than 60 CNS faculty and graduate students volunteered to offer four weeks of STEM classes for Eureka! student scholars from Holyoke. The program has continued during the current academic year with a variety of events. This is a 5-year commitment and we anticipate 60 students will be part of the program in summer 2014. Watch video.

• Baystate Academy. CNS is working with Baystate Academy, a charter school focused on health sciences and college readiness, to develop programs that facilitate sustained interactions with UMass faculty and students from CNS. Baystate Academy serves Springfield students.

• Association for Women in Science. CNS collaborated with many university units to support a university-wide membership in this organization.

Diversity and Inclusiveness Faculty Training CNS Search Committee College-wide Trainings. Two training sessions for all members of CNS search committees were held in fall 2013. Sessions were planned and carried out with the assistance of EO&D Director Deborah Ferreira and Lori Prince, and focused on improving strategies for increasing diversity in hiring pools, recruitment, and retaining a more diverse faculty. New Web Page. We developed and launched a new web page for Faculty Diversity.

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CNS Departmental and College Personnel Committee Training. We are planning an additional workshop for CNS Departmental and College Personnel Committees on the role implicit bias may play in personnel decisions. International Programs India Roundtable. CNS is participating in the Office of International Programs initiatives for developing sustained faculty and student exchanges with Indian universities.

Hiring Initiatives Director of Student Success and Diversity. A search has been established to hire a Director of Student Success and Diversity. Director of Faculty Diversity Advancement. Negotiations are underway with a faculty candidate to fill a position for the CNS Director of Faculty Diversity Advancement. Future Initiatives

• We are developing a strategy to reach out to first generation undergraduates in partnership with CMASS.

• We will be collaborating with the International Program Office to reach out to international undergraduate students on the UMass campus.

• In 2014-2015, we will be developing college and departmental surveys to evaluate faculty work environment climate.

School of Public Health and Health Studies by Michael Begay, Associate Professor Overview of practices, challenges, strategic ideas for Campus Diversity

• Key action area: Promote and support a diverse and highly qualified faculty and staff. Specific programs:

• Professional Staff and Faculty Professional Development Program provides funds for professional development to programs of their choice. Some faculty members have selected workshops addressing challenges of diverse faculty.

• The School currently collects data on the diversity of its faculty and students. Data are reported to its accrediting body, the Council on Education for Public Health. This starting point will allow evaluation of data by appropriate SPHHS Committees and departments.

• The SPHHS Diversity Committee was established recently, and was formally adopted in the SPHHS Bylaws by faculty vote at a Faculty Assembly in 2013.

The SPHHS Diversity Committee will address with respect to diversity the following:

• Targeted faculty hires, designed to specifically enhance the diversity of faculty in divisions or departments that are lacking a diverse faculty presence.

• Better (formal) connections made between SPHHS and the STEM Diversity Institute • Faculty travel funds for diversity related travel

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• Increase activities and grants aimed at recruiting and retaining students representing diverse backgrounds

• Improved accessibility to on campus childcare, including additional spots for infant care • Improving the School climate to reduce bullying • Develop a structure of mentoring all junior faculty • Examine the historical statistics on the retention and promotion of faculty of color at

SPHHS. This information will be used to identify additional actionable priorities to attract and retain tenure track faculty of color.

Departmental planning of specific activities related to diversity include:

• Public Health - A representative from the Center for Multicultural Advancement & Student Success (CMASS) will talk to the public health peer advisor group every year to discuss CMASS’s services and how they are relevant to students that peer advisors assist. Public Health also has an interactive activity about identities and perceptions. The public health peer advisor application has been sent to CMASS to improve its diversity of peer advisors.

• Public Health - Last year the program adviser attended the Holyoke Community College Career Fair to recruit students of diversity for the public health undergraduate major. This year someone from the school’s academic dean’s office will attend to represent all four undergraduate majors.

• Nutrition – Nutrition is working to increase student diversity recruitment by working closely with Holyoke Community College. Claire Norton is on the advisory board of its nutrition concentration and works closely with its undergraduate nutrition advisor to keep her up to date on changes at UMass Amherst. Once enrolled in the nutrition program, diversity students are encouraged to participate in the HANDS (Health and Nutrition Diversity Scholars) program designed to recruit, retain, provide mentors and train high-quality student of diversity.

• Communication Disorders - The newly hired Undergraduate Program Adviser plans to ask organizations representing students of color (e.g., Asian American Student Association, Black Student Union, Native American Student Association, Latin American Cultural Center, The Indian Students' Association) if she may discuss the advantages of majoring in Communication Disorders. She is also going to request a list of undeclared students of color from the Registrar's Office and invite them to an informational social event in the department to recruit them to Communication Disorders major.

College of Nursing by Jeung Choi, Assoc prof; Chair, Cmte on Diversity & Social Justice Practices

1. Achieving Diversity Initiative (2012-2015) funded by Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) by Dr. Jean Swinney, Professor, College of Nursing. • The Achieving Diversity Initiatives: A comprehensive Approach to Nursing Workforce

Diversity Enhancement is a wide-ranging workforce diversity program. The aim of the program is to increase the number of minority, men and underserved students who successfully complete a professional school of nursing program and pass the NCLEX examination.

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• The program’s benefits for nursing students include academic support, financial support, and opportunities for community services. The program also provides pre-entry preparation program for high school students; students participate in local Middle and High School Nursing Clubs; Nursing Scholarships on admission to a nursing program; attend the annual Nursing Collaboration & Orientation Conference and workshops at UMass Amherst; Nursing stipends; SAT support; visit to the College of Nursing state of the art Nursing Simulation Lab at the UMass Amherst campus; and academic advising and support to facilitate entry into a nursing program.

2. Inviting guest speakers from healthcare institutions to give talks to nursing students about the impacts of diverse ethnic and cultural differences on health care delivery. For example, we will have a speaker, a member of Diversity Committee at Baystate Medical Center on March 31, 2014.

Strategic Ideas/Initiatives 1. Plan for mentoring program for students with minority backgrounds; focus group interviews

with students are ongoing to identify their needs and expectations.

Center for Multicultural Advancement & Student Success (CMASS) by Dr. Shelly Perdomo, Dir Practices CMASS promotes personal growth, supports academic progress, graduation and helps students further develop their agency to learn how to better advocate for themselves and maximize their higher education experience. Examples of services:

• Individual academic support • Tutoring referrals • Understanding Learning Styles • Understanding social and identity development • Academic planning and preparation • Cultural and transitional support • Personal and skill development • Financial Literacy workshops

CMASS works with Financial Aid to provide students important financial aid information and discussions on college financing. Workshops include; understanding the Financial Aid Process, completing your FAFSA, handling verification, paying back debt, Student Loans Repayment, Budget Management, identifying alternative funding sources, scholarship and Grant Search. Examples of Programs: Mentoring First Year Program is designed to assist first year and/or transfer students’ transition into university life with the support of an upper class student. Each One Reach One Mentoring program matches undergraduate students interested in pursuing graduate education with current graduate students. Bottom line College Success Program and CMASS work together to ensure that UMASS Amherst Bottom line students continue to receive the support they need to successfully complete and earn their UMASS degree. This partnership has been beneficial in providing first generation college students with additional support.

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CMASS partnership with the College of Education’s Social Justice Program offers Intergroup Dialogue course and weekend seminars to promote cross-cultural communication across difference on gender, race, ethnicity, class etc. CMASS collaborates with ICONS Program in College of Natural Sciences, the College of Nursing and College of Social and behavioral Science to assist in recruitment and retention of underrepresented students. Heritage Months: programs to celebrate the diverse cultures of our students, we offer workshops, social events, speakers, and musical events during the months of September (Latino Heritage), November (Native American Indian Heritage), February (Black History Month), and April (Asian American Heritage). Cultural Connections: held during First Week of the academic semester. This event provides students with a taste of intergenerational, cross-cultural performances, food, dance, art, and music. The performers are students, alumni, and community members. Cultural Center Celebrations: celebrating the difference and similarities of the various cultures on campus, the cultural centers (Josephine White Eagle Cultural Center, Malcolm X Cultural Center, Latin American Cultural center and Yuri Kochiyama Cultural Center) offer a range of activities, including welcome events, annual events such as NIKKOMO and KWANZA, intra-cultural seminars, cultural enrichment internships, community gatherings, cultural speakers, and ethnic/cultural food. Annual Indigenous Peoples Symposium and Powwow: a collaborative event hosted with the Anthropology Department, this annual event highlights the benefits of an interdisciplinary, co-curricular cultural and academic program. The Powwow attracts over 500 attendees from UMASS and the local community. Career Preparation: career information sessions, mock interviews, resume building workshops, and network building, offer opportunities for students to meet and interview with employers and prepare themselves for the job market. Leadership Development: leadership symposia, leadership trainings, and mentor training program provide the opportunity for first-year students to have one-on-one sessions with upper-class students, leadership workshops with the staffs of CMASS and CSD, and leadership trainings. Personal Development: trainings and workshops on topics like, time management, identity development, and public speaking are offered. Graduate School Preparation: activities include graduate school practice tests, graduate school admissions seminars, and a graduate-undergraduate student mixer. UMASS Amherst Upward Bound The UMASS Amherst Upward Bound Program is a year-round, federally sponsored, educational program serving low income and/or first generation students from the High School of Commerce in Springfield Ma. Upward Bound provides a variety of services ranging from individual tutoring, career advising, SAT and MCAS prep, college positive workshops and cultural enrichment programs to increase the rate at which participants’ complete secondary education and enroll in and graduate from institutions of Higher Education. Student participants also participate in a 6 week Upward Bound Summer Institute where they take academic courses with Faculty and Graduate Students in Composition, Literature, Math, Science and Language and engage in cross-curricular activities to support their academic, social and personal development. Challenges

o Lack of Infrastructure to support Diversity Initiatives, programs and services o Lack of Institutional priority for Diversity o Limited financial resources o Limited support for First generation Graduate Students and Graduate Students of color o Inability to work with diverse students due to lack of cultural competency of some

staff/faculty. o Lack of Underrepresented Students (Black, Latin@, Native American and Asian Pacific

Islanders) on campus Strategies

o Develop Diversity Implementation plan that is embedded in every facet of the institution o If diversity is in fact a Strategic priority for UMASS Amherst, provide the financial resources

and staff to create and sustain an infrastructure to support Diversity initiatives, programs and services.

o Develop a Graduate Student Success Center to provide support for first generation graduate students and Graduate students of color

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o Using the expertise and scholarship of our own faculty, graduate student researchers and staff to develop working sessions and provide training on cultural competencies for staff & faculty

o With the issues surrounding Admissions and Affirmative Action, the university needs to invest in creating and sustaining organic pathways to increase diversity in our student body. This can be done by;

o Develop K-12 partnerships with UMASS Amherst, Springfield, Holyoke and the College of Education’s Urban Research Institute under Dr. Jason Irizarry.

o Establish dual enrollment programs o Develop Summer Bridge programs

International Programs Office by Dr. Kalpen Trivedi, Dir., for Jack Ahearn, Vice Provost Practices Education Abroad

• We conduct regular advising workshops in partnership with CMASS. • A paying member of the Diversity Abroad Network. Carol Lebold was instrumental in getting the NAFSA

knowledge area on Diversity going years ago, has done training at the national level, and is a steering committee member for Diversity Abroad’s 2015 convention.

• We are working with the Diversity Abroad Network to host a "You too can Study Abroad" workshop to campus this year.

• Education Abroad staff devote a lot of time to promoting and working with applicants for the Gilman Scholarship, which targets students with high financial need. In common with CHC and other units who reported, high financial need frequently overlays with students of colour and first generation students. The Pell grant is a prerequisite for applying for the Gilman, and even the Education Abroad need-based scholarships. Additionally, staff are involved with Gilman at the national level by serving on committees, as readers, etc. We have a high rate of success for Gilman applications and are proud to support these students through the application process. Our own EA scholarships are worth $60K per year and target students with heavy financial need, underrepresented populations, and underrepresented regions.

• Education Abroad staff are always updating training to stay current with best practices on how to serve diverse populations: examples of recent trainings include advising students from URMs, managing health and safety concerns for LGBTQ study abroad students, etc.

• We are working with Student Affairs to bring Title IX training to all our private 3rd party affiliates as part of our study abroad fair.

International Students & Scholars

• IPO provides language and cultural acclimatization support through classes for the international population on campus (American Culture and Language Program).

• We are very interested in partnering with CHC, CMASS, and other academic units to encourage engagement of international students with domestic URMs.

• Latest literature on Intercultural knowledge and global learning suggests that we should frame these ideas as complementary and not competing agendas. We are interested in building cultural capacity among incoming international students, teaching them to recognize and respond to the diversity issues and fault lines in the domestic context, especially on gender and racial issues.

• Embed intercultural learning throughout the curricula and work of the university. • Promote intercultural research and teaching on campus.

Challenges and strategic ideas for International Diversity Specific recommendations

• Concerted development efforts and support from campus leadership and central development to raise funds to endow scholarship support for students from URMs, other diversity-identified groups, and high financial need to benefit from education abroad opportunities.

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• Early research has shown that study abroad has a positive impact on student success: graduation rates, retention, etc., and that this impact is particularly amplified with "at risk" student groups. In addition to scholarship support to increase significantly the study abroad participation of minority and high financial need students, we would like to recommend and encourage the development of short-term low-stakes international study experiences led by faculty of colour for entering freshmen from these demographic groups. This will also require new funds to incentivize both faculty and student participation.

• Similarly encourage the development of collaborative international programs in non-traditional locations (Asia, Africa, Latin America, Caribbean) that bring together RSOs and service-learning/civic engagement.

• Partner with CNS and Student Affairs, who are already focusing on international students and their integration into UMass to develop strategies and educational programming to ensure their success as UMass students.

• Develop mentoring programs for incoming international students and international faculty to help retention and success.

NOTE: UMass Amherst has an Internationalization Plan for in draft form as of 3/18/2014.