{"id":136134,"date":"2023-10-25T00:02:45","date_gmt":"2023-10-25T04:02:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/?p=136134"},"modified":"2023-10-25T00:14:08","modified_gmt":"2023-10-25T04:14:08","slug":"new-umass-dei-training-prioritizes-retention-of-minority-professors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecollegefix.com\/new-umass-dei-training-prioritizes-retention-of-minority-professors\/","title":{"rendered":"New UMass DEI training prioritizes retention of minority professors"},"content":{"rendered":"

The program aims to \u2018support diversity, equity and inclusion in faculty recruitment and retention\u2019<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

The University of Massachusetts Amherst wants to ensure it uses \u201cinclusive practices\u201d as part of its \u201cfaculty retention\u201d efforts.<\/p>\n

It unveiled its new initiative called “Strategies and Tactics for Retention through Inclusive Promotion Evaluation” to help with this goal. STRIPE<\/a> is a training program in collaboration with UMass Amherst\u2019s Provost Office and ADVANCE team<\/a> aimed at promoting \u201cinclusive practices for faculty retention.\u201d<\/p>\n

The \u201cnew two-hour training program\u201d will \u201cpromote best strategies and practices in evaluation and promotion processes,\u201d the news release<\/a> reads.<\/p>\n

\u201cSTRIPE will focus on strategies and best practices to minimize inequities, support inclusion and inclusivity in faculty promotion and tenure cases,\u201d the university stated in its news release. It should not be confused with a related program called STRIDE – “Strategies and Tactics for Recruiting to Improve Diversity and Excellence.”<\/p>\n

These practices and strategies will \u201c[set] the stage for greater retention of faculty, especially women and faculty from groups historically underrepresented in the academy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wilmore Webley, the university\u2019s senior vice provost for equity & inclusion, responded to a media inquiry from The College Fix<\/em> \u201con behalf of all the STRIPE Fellows and other UMass Amherst offices and individuals\u201d that were contacted for comment and for more information about what is in the training.<\/p>\n

\u201cLike many other universities, UMass Amherst invests tremendous resources in recruiting faculty to our campus. STRIPE was designed to increase the retention of these amazing academics,\u201d Webley told The Fix<\/em> via email.<\/p>\n

No specific training materials were available to be shared, according to the senior vice provost for the taxpayer-funded institution.<\/p>\n

The sessions will be taught by a handful of \u201cSTRIPE Faculty Fellows,\u201d each of which represent different areas of campus.<\/p>\n

Two of the fellows are biology professors and lecturers, one fellow is a sociology professor, two work in the Manning College of Information & Computer Sciences, and another is a history professor.<\/p>\n

Fellow and history professor Garrett Washington responded to an email from The Fix<\/em> with his perspective on the STRIPE program.<\/p>\n

\u201cUMass (like Fortune 500 companies, like other major R1 universities, etc.) believes that having diversity (a mixture of different people with different strengths, perspectives, backgrounds, etc.) leads to better decision-making and more success in general. So they want to recruit for diversity and to retain faculty for diversity,\u201d Washington told The Fix<\/em>.<\/p>\n

He said that part of the training will include analyzing UMass exit interviews from those who did not take a job offer and those who left their positions. This exercise \u201cshow[s] participants the complex issues of bias at work,\u201d according to Washington.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was selected because I care [a lot]about diversity\u201d and \u201chave done some work in the area,\u201d he said in response to a question about his participation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese programs are great because they present information that is very concrete and actionable,\u201d Washington said. \u201cEven someone who dislikes the idea of diversity and bias will be able to recognize that something is \u2018off\u2019 in the examples drawn from faculty stories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Last chance to support student journalists<\/span><\/a> during our Back to School fundraising campaign! We’re very close to our goal of $25,000. But we\u2019re leaving money on the table if we don\u2019t complete the matching gift offer by Oct. 31. Thank you!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

MORE:<\/strong> University of Iowa offers role-playing DEI trainings<\/a><\/p>\n

IMAGE: Dmitry Demidovich\/Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n

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