Annual Report on Diversity

The year 2014 was a time of strategic planning for the entire University of Rochester. The Office for Faculty Development and Diversity was no exception. By deepening existing collaborations with key diversity leaders and exploring new relationships with faculty, administration, and staff groups, we created a strategic plan for the next five years. In our Diversity Strategic Plan, the major goals and strategic objectives align with the broader University’s “Aiming Higher” 2013- 18 strategic plan. These strategic plan goals are to fortify our position as a leading research University; to strengthen education by equipping students to work in a more diverse world; to build an inclusive community; and to complete the Diversity Initiative of The Meliora Challenge. Achieving these goals will bring us closer to our core vision of a University that strives to reflect and celebrate the richness of diversity among individuals and groups.

The Office for Faculty Development and Diversity can only succeed through strong partnerships with University leadership, campus organizations, and community groups. These relationships are paramount to achieving our diversity and inclusion vision at the University. I am proud to highlight in this report some of the accomplishments of our collective work on diversity.

Vivian Lewis
Vice Provost for Faculty Development and Diversity

A more diverse faculty is key to fortifying our identity as a leading research University. Since its inception, the Office for Faculty Development and Diversity (OFDD) has focused directly on underrepresented faculty recruitment and retention. It has become increasingly clear that this can only be achieved through the long-term, broad-based commitment from University leadership and faculty. Importantly, OFDD has expanded to include the offices of the Senior Associate Provost and the Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership. Both offices play a critical role in helping achieve our faculty development and diversity mission. This section of the report describes the ongoing efforts directed toward faculty recruitment and professional development for faculty, as well as research directed towards understanding and testing factors that promote diversity.

Hiring the Best Faculty

The Office for Faculty Development and Diversity works with Deans of each school and the Faculty Diversity Officers to promote inclusive faculty hiring practices. Arts, Sciences & Engineering is a leader in this arena. Lead by Beth Olivares, Associate Dean for Diversity Initiatives, the school has developed and implemented a workshop on inclusive faculty recruitment that was given to 100 percent of faculty search committees in the school this year. Faculty Diversity Officers have now presented this recruitment workshop to some of their faculty search committees across the University. Increasingly, more experienced Faculty Diversity Officers are mentoring less experienced faculty on how to lead a faculty search committee in their schools. We anticipate that more schools will make routine use of similar material resulting in more diverse applicant pools.

OFDD administers a fund to support recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty. The Special Opportunities Fund is available on a competitive basis to departments and schools to supplement hiring of individual faculty, clusters of faculty in specified areas, visiting faculty, or postdoctoral candidates. All six schools have used the fund to recruit or retain individual faculty or to create or expand programs to promote faculty diversity.

In the 2013-14 academic year, the Special Opportunities Fund supported 19 individuals and programs. Most of the funding went to directly support faculty (nine hires and one retention package). Productivity of faculty supported by the fund has been excellent, and their impact can be felt beyond their own department. In the School of Medicine and Dentistry for example, the fund helped enable newly hired faculty to engage in research areas ranging from molecular biology to disease states such as cancer and HIV. These faculty members also contribute to medical student education by directing diversity-related student pathways and working with student groups such as Student National Medical Association and the Surgery Special Interest Group.

Starting in 2011, part of the fund was allocated to supplement hiring of post5 doctoral scholars and visiting scholars to promote building a pool of suitable faculty candidates and to help educate the University community about issues related to diversity. Four schools have used the fund in this way. In the 2013-14 academic year, six postdoctoral fellows and three programs received support. Fellows supported by the Special Opportunities Fund have published research findings in highly respected, peer-reviewed journals and have presented work at conferences in the United States and internationally.

Bianca Jackson, PhD, a leading researcher on the use of terahertz imaging to examine historical artifacts and paintings, was a fellow in the Institute of Optics this year. Jackson made international news when her new technology discovered an ancient Roman fresco underneath the painting Trois hommes armes de lances at the Louvre. Jackson has done seminal research in this field, and is now a Marie Curie Fellow at the University of Reading. Fellows have also contributed to the Rochester community through their research. Maynor Gonzalez, PhD, focused his projects this year on social determinants of health and researched ways of improving utilization and engagement in HIV prevention and health services to improve the health of marginalized groups in the community.

Retaining Excellent Faculty through Career Development

University-wide faculty development programming continues for faculty at all levels through the efforts of Carol Shuherk, Senior Associate Provost. The New Academic Leaders is a year-long series focused on deepening leadership capacity for newly appointed department chairs, division chiefs, and directors. The UR Year One program offers workshops, seminars, and social events designed to reinforce the support new faculty receive from their academic departments. The Phelps Colloquium series brings faculty and academic leaders from across the University to learn about interesting research and interact with colleagues outside their normal spheres.

To assure and improve the advancement of women faculty at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, the Advancing Women in Medicine and Science series was instituted in September. The series included topics such as “Getting Where You Want to Be: Setting Achievable Goals,” “How to Get What You Need: Improving your Negotiation Skills,” and “Polish Up your CV.” The series received overwhelmingly positive feedback, and all workshops were well attended.

Understanding Factors that Promote Faculty Diversity and Excellence

To identify and address the perceived needs of all faculty for their professional success, the University joined the Collaborative on Academic Careers in Higher Education (COACHE), a comprehensive survey of faculty based at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Of the 481 pretenure and tenured eligible faculty, 259 faculty responded to the survey (54 percent response rate). There were 191 tenured faculty and 68 pre-tenure faculty. The demographics of respondents were similar to the total faculty with 31.3 percent women and 13.9 percent faculty of color.

The COACHE survey was administered to eligible faculty in five of six schools at Rochester; faculty in the School of Medicine and Dentistry did not take part in COACHE, as they participated in the Faculty Forward survey in 2012. COACHE data indicate that the University has made progress for junior faculty in providing resources to support teaching and facilitating a broader sense that the path to tenure is clear and understandable. For all faculty, there are generally high levels of satisfaction with collegiality, quality of undergraduate students, support for interdisciplinary work, and departmental leadership.

The major areas of concern for faculty who took the survey included facilities, certain types of benefits, mentoring, promotion, and departmental engagement. OFDD approached prioritization of these major challenges by looking for themes identified through the strategic planning process; discussions with Deans and faculty leaders from the Faculty Senate and with Faculty Diversity Officers; reviewing previously conducted faculty interviews; focus groups; and town hall meetings. The results provide an opportunity to inform, with data, the campus conversation about the faculty experience here at Rochester and provide a starting point for school-based action plans.

OFDD has identified mentoring, promotion, and faculty engagement as the priority areas for initial focus. Mentoring will be addressed on a school-by-school basis. OFDD will start with a pilot program in the School of Nursing by adapting existing innovations from the Rochester Clinical Translational Science Institute and OFDD funded research. Although tenure issues were not identified broadly as problematic, there were areas of concern for women faculty and faculty of color with respect to tenure. Women faculty rated the tenure policies, clarity, and reasonableness less favorably. Faculty of color perceived tenure reasonableness as an area of concern. During this academic year, OFDD met with individual faculty members, Faculty Diversity Officers, and Deans to better understand the source of these differences.

An OFDD-based study funded by National Institutes of Health and led by Dr. Vivian Lewis, may offer additional evidence in understanding ways to support diversity among early career scholars in the sciences through mentoring initiatives. The study, which ended in September 2013, was a collaboration with academic leaders at two other medical schools and eight other higher education institutions in the region and enrolled 300 graduate students and faculty members. The study was a randomized trial investigating the role of two different types of trainee and faculty mentoring in the promotion of resilience among underrepresented minorities and women in biomedical research careers. The study compared an educational intervention aimed at the research mentors to the formation of peer mentoring groups to advance the careers and improve workplace satisfaction of minority and women faculty and graduate students. Three manuscripts have been submitted and are being reviewed. Vivian Lewis, principal investigator, has presented some of the findings at four national meetings: a National Institutes of Health meeting on interventions to increase diversity in biomedical research, the Institute on Teaching and Mentoring—Compact for Diversity, the Association of American Medical Colleges, and the Association for Translational Science Annual Meeting.

These faculty recruitment, professional development, and research efforts are critical to fortifying our identity as a leading research university. These efforts are also interconnected with the educational quality and program offerings for students at Rochester. OFDD will continue to pursue funded research opportunities as one of its core strategies for sustaining movement towards achieving the University’s vision for diversity and inclusion.

The challenges of recruiting and retaining a diverse faculty and student body are not unique to Rochester. Nationally, there are great disparities between the demographics of the population and student bodies of undergraduate and graduate programs. Furthermore, only a small proportion of graduate students pursue faculty careers in higher education. In the long run, to create a more diverse faculty, universities need to encourage and promote greater diversity among their student bodies. Rochester has made tremendous progress in admitting and graduating a more diverse student body. The Office for Faculty Development and Diversity, while focused on faculty, also works closely with allies around the University to encourage a diverse student body. All six schools have programs focused on outreach to promote student diversity.

Consistent with Rochester’s identity as a research-intensive university, there are at least 11 programs for undergraduates to participate in mentored scientific research. Each program works hard to promote diversity. To begin to facilitate interaction between the students and faculty in these programs, OFDD targeted educational pipeline programs for the second annual University-wide research conference. The keynote speaker was Dr. Margarita Dubocovich, Senior Associate Dean for Inclusion and Cultural Enhancement, Chair of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University at Buffalo, and principal investigator of the NIHfunded program Collaborative Learning and Integrated Mentoring in the Biosciences. Along with her program director and coordinator, she gave two workshops: “Academic Careers in Science and Health Care: What Faculty and Staff Need to Know” and “Taking Advantage of Research Opportunities: A Forum for Students and Faculty.” The conference also provided an opportunity for students and faculty to informally discuss research opportunities at both universities. Researchers, students, and postdoctoral fellows came together to talk about ways to help students and junior faculty develop into leaders in the sciences.

OFDD views faculty recruitment as a long-range process, and our staff frequently attend national meetings that include outreach to underrepresented students. The annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring—Compact for Diversity meeting has been the most fruitful. It is one of the largest meetings for emerging minority scholars and OFDD staff have attended with a small group of faculty and staff from Arts, Sciences & Engineering and the School of Medicine and Dentistry for the past five years.

From attending this meeting, we have created a database of minority doctoral students interested in the University of Rochester, which now totals 1,568 scholars. OFDD maintains contact with these scholars by providing notification of opportunities for postdoctoral fellowships and faculty openings at Rochester. Faculty and search committees from across the University can access this database when looking to broaden their applicant pool.

Arts, Sciences & Engineering has enjoyed tremendous success from its focus on outreach to promote diversity among graduate students. A Graduate Recruitment Specialist and a Graduate Retention Specialist have been part of the David T. Kearns Center team since 2009. The recruiter attends upwards of 30 events each year to identify and recruit a widely diverse group of applicants to Arts, Sciences & Engineering graduate programs. In 2009, the school had 63 applicants to PhD programs from underrepresented minority candidates; this fall there were 152 applicants. Admissions and enrollments have also seen increases, up from an average of four enrollees each year to an average of 10. In 2013, the retention specialist helped to create the University-wide Graduate Students of Color organization that is becoming an active and vital presence on campus, as evidenced by their participation in the Annual Diversity Conference. Professional schools also report progress on broadening educational access to underrepresented populations.

The School of Medicine and Dentistry’s Clinical Translational Science Institute, along with the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, a college of Rochester Institute of Technology, received in September 2013 a $2.1 million grant to jointly train deaf scientists. This National Institutes of Health grant is designed to build a model program that integrates activities leading each institution to facilitate the transition from a master’s degree program at Rochester Institute of Technology to PhD programs at the University of Rochester.

For the sixth consecutive year, the School of Nursing was selected as a grant recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation New Careers in Nursing Scholarship Program to expand and diversify the nursing workforce. Rochester’s School of Nursing is the only nursing school in the country to receive all six rounds of funding for both its bachelor’s and master’s accelerated programs. During the 2013-2014 academic year, the School of Nursing supported 13 students in the accelerated bachelor’s and master’s programs for non-nurses. This program attracts men and women from a broad range of cultures and backgrounds who have been traditionally underrepresented in the field of nursing.

Student Services at the Simon Business School sponsored the first annual Simon Business School Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Basketball Tournament. Twelve teams took part in the event and all proceeds raised went to the consortium. The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management is the country’s preeminent organization for promoting diversity and inclusion in American business. Rochester was the fourth business school to join the consortium and has remained a committed school partner to this organization for more than 40 years.

Inclusive Curricular Offerings

Schools and offices University-wide are doing incredible diversity and inclusion work that strengthens education for student and the entire University community. There are excellent well-established programs in Arts, Sciences & Engineering that support interdisciplinary scholarship and courses. The Frederick Douglass Institute has developed an interdisciplinary major and offers a broad range of undergraduate courses in African and African-American studies. The Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies is dedicated to addressing curricular and scholarly issues important for understanding the role of women and gender throughout history and in contemporary society. Both institutes are supported by faculty in a broad range of disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences and bring distinguished scholars to campus that make it possible for the entire community to benefit. The Office for Faculty Development and Diversity works to promote participation in these events. Additionally, other offices and schools have explored ways to incorporate diversity and inclusion into their traditional programming.

In the fall, the Eastman School of Music enhanced diversity in its curriculum by creating a course entitled “Musicians in an Era of Globalization.” The course included both undergraduate and graduate students from four departments and prepared them to communicate effectively with diverse audiences. Students analyzed examples of cross-cultural awareness in musical performance arenas and addressed current issues regarding diversity and inclusion for a more global audience. Eastman faculty are also working on promoting and identifying research and performance areas to attract more diverse students and faculty; the diversity committee at the school is helping in the process of creating two new degree tracks.

The Warner School is exploring integrating diversity and inclusion into more courses and supporting faculty as they begin to include these topics in their classes. Warner currently has at least seven core courses that provide students with an understanding of diversity within their content area. For example, the “Diversity and Equity in Higher Education” course examines the educational history of nondominant populations through the frameworks of race theory and other power structures. Faculty Diversity Officers at Warner have examined these diversity and inclusion courses, have reviewed course titles across the school, and are planning the integration of diversity within non-diversity based courses.

The Office for Faculty Development and Diversity envisions a University that “reflects and celebrates the diversity of individuals and groups.” Successfully achieving this vision demands continued work on creating an inclusive community. In order to recruit and retain a diverse faculty, OFDD must engage with the broader community, both within the University and beyond. To achieve this goal, OFDD works directly with community leaders and through campus collaborations. This year OFDD connected with more allies and strengthened networks through the work of: Catherine Cerulli (Susan B. Anthony Center); Maggie Cassie (Diversity and Inclusion Committee co-chair); Frederick Jefferson (Facing Race, Embracing Equity); and the Office of Alumni Affairs.

Annual Diversity Conference: Crossroads an Opportunity for Progress

The centerpiece event of the year for OFDD is the annual University-wide diversity conference. With more than 500 registrants, a record number of faculty, staff, students, community members, and local alumni participated this year. Keynote speaker Lee Bollinger, president of Columbia University, began the day followed by 18 peer-reviewed concurrent workshops and a poster session. The conference featured broader representation from community presenters (including the YWCA; Wegmans School of Pharmacy at St. John Fisher College; Facing Race Embracing Equity; and the Onondaga Nation). Evaluations indicated that the diverse audience strengthened the impact of the conference. The annual conference promotes respectful dialogue, openmindedness, and the acceptance of others in the celebration of diversity and inclusiveness.

OFDD works with the community and University partners throughout the year, not just at the annual conference, in sponsoring and promoting events with a similar purpose. In fact, OFDD co-sponsored 14 events this year, 10 of which included community partners or invited guests. These events are helping to shape our campus climate into a more open and inclusive environment.

Promoting Respectful Dialogue

The Conversation on Race project led by Michelle Thompson-Taylor, director of the University of Rochester Intercultural Center and Kit Miller, director of the M.K. Gandhi Institute, is an effort to provide a safe space for students, faculty, and staff to explore the areas of racial identity and belonging that are often controversial. Thompson-Taylor and Miller have facilitated discussions with more than 700 Monroe County residents and 100 University of Rochester students. This project is supported by many organizations at the University, including the Rochester Center for Community Leadership. It is hoped that the project will be the first step to undoing all forms of racism in our community. This important work can impact the lives of our students, faculty, and staff for years to come.

Through the arts, the Office for Faculty Development and Diversity and others in the University have stimulated respectful dialogue about issues of diversity. In March, the Friends of Ganondagan, along with faculty members from the School of Nursing and the School of Medicine and Dentistry, organized opportunities for dialogue related to the Geva Theatre production Informed Consent. The play explores the topic of research ethics and the Havasupai Native American tribe in Arizona. Through discussions at the School of Medicine and Dentistry, as well as at Geva Theatre, issues of communication and respect for differences of perspective related to culture and history were brought to light.

University Advancement and Rush Rhees Library recently held dialogues about race as part of the visit from author Lawrence Hill. Hill’s book, Someone Knows My Name, is a novel about a fictitious character, Aminata, who is born in Africa in the 18th century. Aminata is kidnapped into slavery in the United States, freed by the British to go to Nova Scotia, and later becomes a member of the first back-to-Africa movement that created the country of Sierra Leone. Eventually Aminata becomes a spokesperson for abolition in London. Leading up to Hill’s visit, OFDD participated in UReads by organizing and promoting small group discussions among community members, students, faculty, and staff at the University.

Celebrations of Diversity

The Office for Faculty Development and Diversity recognizes the importance of public celebrations of diversity in creating an atmosphere of inclusiveness. OFDD continues to work with each school and numerous organizations and offices to create and distribute University-wide posters detailing the various events on campus related to Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, LGBTQI Awareness Month, Native American Heritage Month, and Asian Heritage Month.

The annual Presidential Diversity Awards have provided another opportunity to celebrate the achievements and commitment of members of our community working to promote diversity and inclusiveness. The awards recognize faculty, staff, students, units, departments, or teams that “demonstrate a commitment to diversity and inclusion through recruitment and retention efforts, teaching, research, multi-cultural programming, cultural competency, community outreach activities, or other initiatives.” In 2014, the award recipients were Dr. John Cullen, advocate for policy changes to support the LGBT community, and the Office of Minority Student Affairs in Arts, Sciences & Engineering.

Open-Mindedness: Engaging with Our Entire Community

The Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership launched a four-tier scholarship program last year for high school, undergraduate, graduate, and faculty in women’s leadership. The inaugural recipients of the Urban Scholar Awards included two students and two alumnae of the Rochester City School District. The four recipients, Hani Abdulkadir Mohamud, Zhane Bennett, Sabata Harley, and Shalonda White, were recognized for their passion for community service and dedication to higher education. Catherine Cerulli, director of the Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership said, “The four women chosen were selected based on their outstanding achievement in their studies, employment, volunteer work, and activism. These women have overcome obstacles that ensure their future success. They truly embody the spirit of Susan B. Anthony.” All four women are collegebound to study fields ranging from radiology technology to social work. The Center also awarded six University Women’s Leadership Awards to undergraduate women at Rochester who have distinguished themselves through their achievements, service, and contributions to the common good.

An important effort through the Office of Human Resources, Organizational Development and Staff Diversity unit is recruitment and outreach with the greater Rochester community. This year, the office partnered with the City of Rochester on a three-day event to promote and encourage minority recruitment and hiring. The career fair featured workshops related to career training, including effective cover letters and resumes, finding jobs and internships, applying and testing for civil service jobs, interview techniques and strategies, and using the Internet to search for job openings. More than 200 individuals took advantage of the two days of training and more than 640 individuals attended the career fair.

The affinity groups have been an important force to help create a sense of inclusiveness, facilitating engagement of all of the campus community with each other. This year, the University of Rochester formally launched the Veterans Alliance at the University of Rochester in November. The group seeks to address two issues among veterans: integration and resource access for military veterans on campus and better outreach to veterans interested in pursuing higher education. The Veterans Alliance provides military veteran students, staff, faculty, alumni, and their families with resources, support, and advocacy needed to succeed in higher education. This is the seventh affinity group at the University.

During the month of April, the University of Rochester joined the local YWCA in its annual Stand Against Racism, a national movement to eliminate racism by raising awareness. The University hosted many activities and events to raise awareness about racism and highlight other social justice issues, including a half-day “Celebrating Diversity at URMC” exhibit, which featured the broad array of diversity-related activities and resources at the University of Rochester Medical Center. A Stand Against Racism event on April 25th featured President Joel Seligman and Rochester Mayor Lovely Warren at the Rochester Plaza Hotel.

Students from the Simon Business School, School of Medicine and Dentistry, and Arts, Sciences & Engineering organized the Around the World: A Celebration of Diversity fair in April. The event brought together more than 300 University and former refugee community members for a celebration of song, dance, and culture. This first-of-its-kind event connected and strengthened the bond between the University of Rochester community and the former refugee community in Rochester by initiating meaningful dialogues.

• The Stanton/Anthony Luncheon and Conversations, If You Like Ms., You’ll Love Pvt.: Women and the Making of the All-Volunteer Military. Keynote speaker Beth Bailey, PhD, professor of history at Temple University, focused her talk on the role of women in the military and how women are perceived by the media and within the ranks. A panel discussion on gender in the military followed and included Aaron Belkin, PhD, Melissa Dichter, PhD, and Stephanie Smart, JD.
• The debut of the choreopoem, We’ve Come This Far By Faith. The performance, directed by Melany Silas ’99, ’01W (MS) took audiences on an odyssey of discovery, reflection, and fellowship. Frederick Douglass’s writing was intertwined with elements of personal, social, and structural pressures as well as student accomplishments on campus and the community. The cast included Douglass Leadership House students, University alumni Wade Norwood and Malik Evans, and other Rochester community leaders.
• The Susan B. Anthony Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies and the Pride Network presented a breakfast and panel discussion highlighting the ever changing climate for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer, and Questioning students on campus.
• The Office of Minority Student Affairs networking reception and Celebration of Diversity luncheon highlighted the office’s 45th anniversary.
• The Spanish and Latino Students’ Association hosted the 25th annual Tropicana dinner.
• The A Palo Seco Flamenco dance and music ensemble, featuring artistic director Rebeca Tomas ’98, performed and held workshops.
• Michelle Thompson-Taylor led an open discussion on cultural awareness during the College Diversity Roundtable.

The Diversity Initiative is an integral part of The Meliora Challenge: The Campaign for the University of Rochester. The Diversity Initiative is a University-wide endeavor with three specific goals: scholarship and fellowship support to ensure that the best and brightest can attend Rochester; attracting and retaining a diverse faculty who can teach on issues salient to a diversifying world; improving the culture and climate on campus by supporting outside speakers, panels, workshops, and conferences that address diversity.

To support the work of the Diversity Initiative, staff in the Office of Alumni Relations and Advancement Office have worked closely to develop additional outreach opportunities. The offices collaborated on a wide array of events related to diversity during Meliora Weekend 2013. Regional events for alumni and friends were held in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Rochester, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. In addition, now in its second year, the New York Metro Women’s group continues to develop a wide range of activities to connect Rochester alumni in New York City.

Trustees Lance Drummond ’85S (MBA) and Kathy Waller ’80, ’83S (MBA) serve as co-chairs of the Diversity Initiative and provide valued leadership to the campaign efforts. Additional volunteers include Noah Drezner ’00; Nan H. Johnson ’60 (MA); Nathan Moser ’75; Kathy Murray ’74; Wade Norwood ’85; P’13, Lizette PerezDeisboeck ’87; and Francis L. Price ’74, ‘75S (MBA), P’14.

The Office for Faculty Development and Diversity has strengthened existing networks and broadened our reach, positioning the University well to work toward our common vision of becoming a University that reflects and celebrates the diversity of individuals and groups. We are confident that the Diversity Strategic Plan will help us become a more diverse and inclusive community through academic endeavors, inclusive community building, and completing our capital campaign. The research and academic efforts of OFDD and the schools will raise our profile nationally, inform a more inclusive curriculum, bolster our recruitment efforts, and help equip our students to function optimally in an increasingly diverse world. We look forward to joining with the entire community in the conversations and celebrations that will make our campus culture as inclusive as possible. The progress reported on these goals highlight our commitment to diversity and a sustained effort towards diversity and inclusion throughout the University.