Annual Report on Diversity

Through strategic planning, this was a year in which the University’s diversity initiatives advanced to ensure a more diverse and inclusive community. Through partnerships across the entire University, and with the continued support of President Seligman and the Board of Trustees, real progress has been made at the University and in the greater community. The breadth of our work continues to expand: we build the infrastructure needed for change, we increase the visibility of diversity, we improve collaborations and communication, and we raise consciousness through programming. Our work is driven by a common core vision—a University that strives to reflect and celebrate the richness of diversity among individuals and groups.

Within this report, we will outline strategies for promoting the changes needed to make our University more diverse and inclusive; we will highlight the outstanding progress achieved by our office and partners across the University; we will look ahead at our future plans and goals; and finally, we will show the data trends as they pertain to diversity of faculty, students, and staff at the University.

Vivian Lewis
Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity

Our office, the Office for Faculty Development and Diversity, works with many partners creating strategies to promote the changes needed to become more diverse at both the school level and broader University level. This goal will demand work over time and may be expressed slightly differently in each school. Thus, the Deans and Faculty Diversity Officers in each school have defined their top priority goals and strategies for the past academic year. We report here the common themes observed across schools, University units, and the Office for Faculty Development and Diversity.

Creating Infrastructure

The Office for Faculty Development and Diversity (OFDD), since its inception, has worked to integrate into the University’s infrastructure and engage the community in conversations and actions to ensure a diverse and inclusive community. As part of President Joel Seligman and Provost Ralph Kuncl’s team, we work closely with senior leadership and members of the Board of Trustees to impact policy and culture from the center. Along with the Faculty Diversity Officers, we create programmatic initiatives and build broader relationships with the faculty in each school. OFDD also works with offices for faculty development, diversity, staff, and student groups across the University to improve communication and collaboration.

The Faculty Diversity Officers structure is unique and a real agent for change at the University. Consisting of faculty members from each school, the officers work to improve the recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty through advocacy, leadership, and by creating diversity champions within each school.

Role of Faculty Diversity Officers

• Emphasize the importance of improving faculty diversity and keeping it in the forefront of faculty recruitment and retention efforts
• Implement best practices to promote diversity through the development and review of school and University policies
• Serve as organizational change agents
• Engage the broader University community in diversity efforts

Three schools (Arts, Sciences and Engineering, School of Medicine and Dentistry, and School of Nursing) have created additional infrastructure to strengthen faculty diversity. Beth Olivares, associate dean for diversity in Arts, Sciences and Engineering, is also director of the David T. Kearns Center for Leadership and Diversity, with broad responsibilities for students from low income and other underrepresented groups. Linda Chaudron, the senior associate dean for diversity in the medical school, has similarly broad responsibilities for diversity that include faculty, as well as students and graduate medical trainees. Daryl Sharp, associate dean for faculty development and diversity in the nursing school is charged with both faculty diversity and development, including inter-professional collaboration and mentoring. These new leadership positions complement and strengthen the initiatives and programming of the Office for Faculty Development and Diversity through natural synergies with other aspects of University life vital to achieving an inclusive culture.

In smaller schools and other units, infrastructure to achieve diversity takes on different forms. For example, the Warner School has its own diversity and inclusion committee, which recently celebrated its fifth anniversary (www.warner.rochester.edu/newsevents/ story/952/). Consisting of faculty and students, the Warner committee is dedicated to blending research and advocacy around issues of social justice and inclusion in higher education. At the Eastman School of Music, the diversity committee includes a group of faculty, staff, and students who meet monthly to plan programs for the University and Rochester community related to diversity. There is also a University-wide Diversity and Inclusion Committee, co-chaired by Kathy Sweetland, University Intercessor and Stanley Byrd, manager, Human Resources-Multicultural Affairs and Inclusion, consisting of staff and affinity group members that reaches even further into the fabric of the University, extending into such areas as the library system and the Memorial Art Gallery. Each of these bodies helps to provide opportunities for frank discussion about the current state of diversity and how it can be strengthened among the entire University community

The Provost’s Office contributes to infrastructure building through the faculty development work lead by Carol Shuherk, senior associate provost. Faculty development as it is supported by the Provost’s Office consists of four distinct programs: UR Year One, a year-long welcome and orientation program for new and early career faculty and their families; Conversations on Academic Leaders, peerdriven examination of leadership issues for academic department chairs and directors; Phelps Colloquium, formal research presentations fostering collegial interaction universitywide; and Future Faculty, a workshop series and set of resources designed to better prepare the next generation of faculty.

The advances in infrastructure building have yielded impressive success so far. The energy and enthusiasm of these groups has facilitated program planning and collaboration, and make the best use of scarce resources. We anticipate that the value of this structure will be of even greater importance as we strive to achieve our ambitious goals.

Making Diversity More Visible

The awareness of diversity and inclusion as an important issue serves to shape the behavior of leadership, faculty, staff, and students. We have used existing and new infrastructure to build visibility through communication, new networks, and programs. Visibility of diversity also increases when there is dedicated office space or specific language in a mission statement.

The Presidential Diversity Award has been a valuable means of showcasing the accomplishments of faculty, staff, students, or teams who demonstrate leadership in recruitment and retention efforts, teaching, research, multicultural programming, cultural competency, community outreach activities, or other initiatives that promote diversity or inclusion. The 2012 recipients were the Center for Advocacy, Community Health, Education and Diversity led by Adrienne Morgan in the School of Medicine and Dentistry, and John Fetter, assistant professor of music education at the Eastman School. This year’s awardees were chosen for their commitment to building strong connections between the University and the Rochester community. The Center for Advocacy, Community Health, Education and Diversity was praised for providing visible leadership for the School of Medicine and Dentistry’s diversity and community outreach initiatives. Fetter was recognized for his work with the Urban Strings program at Rochester City School District’s Enrico Fermi School No. 17. Both recipients were honored for their dedication to building sustainable programs and initiatives that are of great service to members of both the University community and the greater Rochester community.

Through partnerships with campus affinity groups, student offices, and volunteer faculty and staff, The Office of Faculty Development and Diversity has continued to support communications for events held to celebrate the culture and heritage of several groups. We started with a calendar of events for Black History Month and Women’s History Month in 2010, adding Hispanic Heritage Month, Asian Heritage Month, and LGBTQI Awareness Month in the following academic year. Native American History Month was added in the fall of 2011. As an ongoing reminder of the important role of Native Americans in our University, the flags from the nations of our Native American students are now on display in Wilson Commons.

Two schools in particular this year have gone beyond programming efforts to increase the visibility of their diversity efforts. The Eastman School’s diversity committee, in collaboration with deans and faculty, rewrote the school’s mission statement to reflect the importance of diversity.

The Office of Diversity in the medical school secured new office space in the central hallway of the dean’s corridor, creating a physical presence that serves as a go-to resource for faculty, students, and staff with diversity questions.

Engaging the University Community through Conversation

Every segment of the University community is important in making the climate welcoming and inclusive. Sharing perceptions through conversations, dialogues, and guest speakers helps to create the needed changes. The examples that follow illustrate the efforts of The Office of Faculty Development and Diversity and our partners to engage the broader community in this work.

The Annual University-wide Diversity Conference is the largest and most comprehensive such effort. This year’s conference, aptly titled “Change the Conversation” was designed to explore the question of how do we really move from explaining the importance of our work, to how to make change? Our keynote speaker was Claude Steele, noted psychologist and Dean of the Stanford University School of Education. There were 15 workshops and 22 posters centered on four broad themes: research, dimensions of diversity, creating an inclusive community, and building bridges beyond campus. This has become our signature event and in three short years we have expanded the attendance from 160 to more than 400. We kicked off the conference on April 19 with an alumni reception and a reading by Claude Steele from his book, Whistling Vivaldi: And Other Clues to How Stereotypes Affect Us. Partnering with the Office of Alumni Relations, we drew a crowd of nearly 200 guests. The success of the Annual Diversity Conference not only has increased the visibility of OFDD work at the University, but—because the conference brings speakers from all schools and disciplines on campus—it also has become a beacon for the greater Rochester community to see and engage with the transformational work we are doing as a University community.

Transformation is only possible through sustained, broad based efforts to continue communication and dialogue throughout the year. The Faculty Diversity Officers, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and other diversity champions have been vital in engaging in diversity work throughout the year. Let us show you some of their successes.

The Diversity of Music program at the Eastman School utilized the Special Opportunities Fund in 2011 to bring five visiting artists to join the Mbira Ensemble. One of the visiting artists was Cosmas Magaya, an internationally recognized master of the mbira dzaVadzimu. As a performer, mbira teacher, and leader of the mbira ensemble Mhuri yekwaMagaya, he has gained national and international acclaim for his extraordinary talent as a musician and teacher in the Zimbabwean music traditions. As a performer, he has completed several international tours with mbira ensembles Mhuri yekwa Rwizi and Zimbabwe Group Leaders Mbira Ensemble, including three in Europe and two in the United States. All the visiting artists performed concerts, ran workshops, and contributed to the scholarship on campus.

The Simon School of Business, through the Kalmbach Leadership Lecture Series, brings several individuals from the business community to discuss with students their careers and current challenges. This year, the series featured several prominent speakers from underrepresented minority groups, including Bertrand Gervais and Ford Greene. In addition to sharing their knowledge and expertise with all of the students, these speakers serve as role models for the school’s very diverse student body. The school’s greatest achievement around diversity is its success in enrolling underrepresented minority students into its programs—of all the domestic students in full-time programs, 17 percent in the MBA program, and 23 percent in the MS program are from underrepresented minority groups.

The Warner School of Education’s Diversity and Inclusion committee hosts Wednesday “Lunch Hour” sessions. These weekly programs draw students, staff, and faculty together for collegial discussions. One session in particular, “Unpacking Identity (ies), (De) constructing Difference”, was a workshop discussion related to social constructions of difference and identity. The committee strategically held this session during the Rochester City School District’s winter break and extended the lunch hour period to draw from the local community. They explored intersections of differences and identities rather than singular traits of individuals to celebrate the richness of diversity.

The School of Nursing spent this year working on a more cohesive work climate through improved communication for the entire school: “All School” meetings have been created and are designed to elicit suggestions regarding diversity initiatives and also to build a sense of community. The school hosted two Safe Space training sessions as well as two informal forums to discuss ways power manifests within the school. These meetings, in collaboration with working groups, are specifically addressing the diversity mission of the school through strategic goals that make up its strategic plan.

The Tana Grady-Weliky Lecture on Women and Diversity is a new endowed lecture at the School of Medicine and Dentistry providing opportunities to discuss issues related to women and diversity in healthcare and medical education. Annelle B. Primm, deputy medical director and director of the Office of Minority and National Affairs for the American Psychiatric Association, delivered the 2012 lecture, “Ebony in an Ivory Tower: Diversity and Disparities in American Medicine.” The presentation provided an overview of issues related to diversity in the health care workforce and disparities in health and health care. In addition to these lectures, the medical school has increased opportunities for networking and social gatherings geared toward underrepresented minority trainees, students, and faculty.

The University-wide Diversity and Inclusion Committee collaborated with several different divisions across the University this year to raise awareness about the current state of diversity and how it can be strengthened. The committee produces the monthly “Spotlight on Diversity” series, which helps keep the University community informed about the wide array of initiatives in place. The Spotlight highlights work of the wide breadth of achievements and resources on diversity: affinity groups, networks, institutes, scholarships, and schoolspecific work. In July 2011, the Spotlight featured The Pride Alliance at the University of Rochester, an employee resource group dedicated to creating and sustaining a positive work environment in which all individuals are valued and supported regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. The committee leaders also presented at the Third Annual Diversity Conference, addressing the erosion of trust and respect in the workplace.

Recruiting a More Diverse Faculty

The mission of the Office of Faculty Development and Diversity is to collaborate with University leadership and faculty to develop strategies that foster the hiring and retention of underrepresented faculty. Even as we develop a strategic approach to promoting diversity and inclusion, we continue to provide practical assistance to the schools and staffing units working to implement best practices in recruitment. In fall 2011, Stephen Bodgewic, executive associate dean for academic affairs and professional development at Indiana University, facilitated a retreat for Faculty Diversity Officers to build strategies to achieve their goals for diversity and inclusion. Additional workshops specifically focused on recruitment were held later in the fall for all the schools: over the course of two days, Joann Moody, a leading expert on unconscious bias and minorities in higher education, led seven workshops for faculty, department chairs, and deans.

To assist with recruiting diverse faculty, we have continued to offer supplemental financial assistance through the Special Opportunities Fund. The fund supported 15 faculty or programs from four schools this fiscal year. The expansion of the fund in fall 2011 to include post-doctoral and visiting scholars has allowed schools to invite faculty and scholars to help promote a more diverse educational environment. For example, Dr. Allan Johnson’s visit to Rochester was extended through the Special Opportunities Fund. He spoke about his research on examining systems of privilege and difference in our society. Originally scheduled to speak only to the Department of Psychiatry at Grand Rounds, through the collaboration of eight schools and offices, Dr. Johnson conducted five presentations or workshops during his visit to a variety of audiences: staff, faculty, students (from all six schools) and community members.

Arts, Sciences and Engineering (AS&E) made it a priority this year to work with faculty search committees to improve advertising language, broaden the pool of applicants, and increase awareness of committee members about potential biases in the review of applicants. Faculty Diversity Officers from AS&E met with 19 of the 24 search committees in the 2011-2012 academic year. They provided information about the pool of potential candidates, ways to reach out to likely applicants, and best practices for conducting application review and visits. The Faculty Diversity Officers remained engaged with a number of the search committees through the entire process. Another important achievement from AS&E this year was an orientation program for new faculty, introducing them to a number of school-specific topics—thus providing a continuum from recruitment to full engagement with the college community.

Similar work is taking place in Warner and Simon. Warner’s top strategy for faculty recruitment involved procedures to ensure consistent and early training for its search committees; a practice pioneered by its diversity and inclusion committee. Simon expanded its recruiting efforts of tenure-track faculty by publicizing more broadly, and expanded its efforts to reach clinical professors and leaders from the business community to play key roles as educators at Simon.

At the staff level, the Office of Human Resources-Multicultural Affairs and Inclusion provides support for both inclusive recruitment and retention activities. In addition to its ongoing focus on hiring staff at pay grades 50 and above, there is new programming geared toward the Rochester community. Community youth enrichment programs and community engagement opportunities support staff diversity efforts. For example, the Healthcare and Technology Youth Apprenticeship program provides early pipeline opportunities for area high school youth: developed in conjunction with the Rochester City School District, the program runs from September to May. Additionally, ongoing support for Affinity Groups and the local Workforce Diversity Network has increased the University’s engagement with diverse communities.

In the coming year, we will stress the importance of diversity to the academic missions of the University through teaching, research, and our new special initiative in the capital campaign. This approach will help improve the national profile of the University and facilitate the recruitment of a diverse faculty, student body, and staff.

Student education is a core mission of the University, thus the curricular interventions planned by Warner, Eastman, and Simon schools take on particular significance. Beginning in early May of 2012, members of the Warner School’s Diversity and Inclusion committee will analyze course syllabi from across the school to create a portrait of how and where diversity and inclusion are addressed in programs and courses. Their goal is to present this analysis to faculty and staff in multiple forums to spark dialogues about how the portrait aligns with Warner’s mission and vision. A course entitled “Musicians in an Era of Global Diversity” will be taught in the fall of 2012 at the Eastman School. This course will focus on issues of diversity and inclusion that performers and future music scholars will face in their professional lives, in their interpersonal business relationships, and in institutional structures. Simon will provide a more inclusive educational experience for students by identifying and bringing senior managers from diverse groups to teach short courses to MBA and MA students.

The educational plans will not be limited to our campus. The Rochester Museum & Science Center and the Rochester Initiative for Structural Equality Coalition will bring an exhibition experience called RACE: Are We So Different? to the community for three months in early 2013. The Rochester Museum & Science Center and the Rochester Initiative for Structural Equality Coalition are collaborating on plans for this exhibition with University of Rochester and several other community partners to create programs and events designed to promote awareness about racial issues and foster meaningful conversations about how we can substantially improve our understanding of each other. In addition, The Rochester Museum & Science Center will provide curriculum support on the topic to area teachers and assistance to school groups for travel and admission. Developed by the American Anthropological Association in collaboration with the Science Museum of Minnesota, RACE is the first nationally traveling exhibition to tell the stories of race from the biological, cultural, and historical points of view. Combining these perspectives offers an unprecedented look at race and racism in the United States.

As the Office of Faculty Development and Diversity looks ahead, research is emerging as an important means of increasing visibility of diversity and inclusion. Our NIH funded study, “Researcher Resilience through Multidimensional Mentoring-an Upstate New York Initiative,” is a randomized comparison of mentoring educational interventions that may promote resilience of underrepresented minorities and women researchers in biomedical, health, STEM, behavioral, and social sciences resulting in greater career satisfaction, confidence and academic success. Protégé-mentor pairs enroll for one year. Pairs are randomized into one of four study arms: mentor only receives an intervention, protégé only receives an intervention, both mentor and protégé receive an intervention, and usual practice. At the halfway point of the study we have surpassed our recruitment goal of 152 mentor-protégé pairs. Through the multisite effort of the University of Rochester, the University at Buffalo, and Upstate Medical University, we expanded recruitment to include 10 western New York colleges and universities.

We will establish a research conference devoted to diversity-related research at the University of Rochester. The pilot program will launch in the fall of 2012, and we intend to host events throughout the year to establish a network of potential workshop leaders and conference goers. As the research conference develops over time, we envision hosting two meaningful and engaging conferences a year: the Annual Diversity Conference in the spring, devoted to celebrating diversity and frank conversations about diversity, and the Research Conference in the fall, focusing on diversityrelated research in scholarship, health fields, and education.

And finally as we look to the future, we recognize the need for additional resources to support an environment that inspires creativity, embraces diversity in its broadest sense, and sparks the ongoing pursuit of knowledge. Diversity is a key component of The Meliora Challenge, our University-wide capital campaign now under way. There are three overarching areas of emphasis for the diversity campaign: (1) Improve Rochester’s ability to recruit and retain the best students by providing additional financial aid scholarship support; (2) Recruit faculty members who will teach our students about the ever-changing perspectives and problems facing our world and serve as role models for students from underrepresented groups; and (3) Provide a campus environment that is inclusive and celebrates our diversity by supporting variety of programs, including guest lectures, visiting scholars, and performances.

We think about progress holistically: impact, change, the numbers, and culture. Our broad based strategies to achieve progress reflect this holistic approach. Through bolstering infrastructure and enhanced visibility, we are engaging the greater University community. With this foundation, we strengthen our collaborations with University leaders and faculty to foster the hiring and retention of underrepresented faculty: this is a top priority for our office and our schools. While the number of underrepresented faculty has risen over the past six years, it has been at a slow pace. Hiring overall at the University is down due to the lingering effects of the economic recession. Beyond the numbers, the Office of Faculty Development and Diversity is extraordinarily proud of success in the other critical areas.

The following tables show the data trends of the entire University, individual schools, staff, and students.