Prof. David Giedroc (Chair of Chemistry, Indiana University) revamped the diversity climate within his department by replacing old hiring and retention practices with new ones and establishing committees to monitor the changes.
Click here for to access the link to the Diversity Catalyst Lecture.
His accomplishments towards improving diversity climate include:
- Altered the function of search committees to ensure a diverse pool of applicants selected for campus interviews
- Offered FMLA-qualifying leave (tenure-clock pause)
- Aggressive recruitment of dual career chemist in the Chemistry Department at Indiana University - One open slot becomes Tenure Track (TT) + lecturer (Chem); 2 TT (Chem); 2 TT (one in Chem; one outside Chem)
- Diversity Affairs Committee (DAC): Established and funded a new standing committee to increase awareness of diversity equity issues throughout the department in a non-threatening “bottom-up” way
- Established and funded ChemGRC (Chemistry graduate representative group):
- Empowered graduate students (a far more diverse group than the faculty) to shape their own programs
- Funded travel awards, and partnered with the local section of the ACS, a student-sponsored seminar series
- Worked to enhance the graduate student experience of students from all URGs in the Chemistry Department at Indiana University
- Strengthened mentoring structure: Expectations, two-way street; establish a culture in which mentors share in mentee success URGs
- Matched service responsibilities with faculty member’s interests/passions
