Foster the full inclusion of current and prospective doctoral students from diverse backgrounds.
Problem Statement
Students from all racial and ethnic backgrounds enter their doctoral programs with a unique blend of prior experiences, educational ambitions and professional goals. Doctoral education is most effective when students feel that they belong in the departmental and university community through the many years of doctoral study. Creating an inclusive environment demands change from many individuals.
The reality on university campuses today is that the campus culture and departmental climates are rarely equally welcoming and hospitable to all students. The legacies of segregation and legal discrimination mean that students of color, women, first generation college students, as well as students with disabilities, from religious minorities, and those of diverse sexual orientation and gender expression, do not perceive that the university welcomes them nor wishes to fully include them as members of the university community. This is probably even more starkly true in doctoral programs than in undergraduate life because of the lack of diversity in the graduate student and faculty populations. As a result, we must actively work to make doctoral education effective for all students.
Ensuring that access to diverse careers is available to all students requires more than simply doing new things in the traditional ways. It requires us to:
- Actively create and nurture departmental communities that include all students, faculty, and staff.
- Assume that departmental and campus resources are not used equitably or are inclusive; work to understand where unequal outcomes are present; and consider how to ensure all students are supported.
- Engage in training to reduce unconscious bias in departmental practices such as admissions, hiring, fellowship allocation, and advising.
- Actively engage students as partners in reshaping the departmental culture and climate to be fully welcoming and supportive of all students.