ABSTRACT
Professional societies invest critical resources (fiscal, personnel, time) in the creation of diversity, equity, and inclusion task forces that often produce reports that recommend actions that academic departments can take to advance equity in graduate education. As hubs for national communities within professions and disciplines, professional societies can provide the broad vision through which ideas about equity-minded practices are formed. The purpose of this study is to examine how academic departments and faculty adopt equity-minded admission, recruitment, and retention practices to promote equity and inclusion in STEM graduate education.
Project Lead
Steve Desir
University of Southern California
Project Lead
Julie Posselt
University of Southern California
GOALS & RESEARCH QUESTIONS
This study is designed to investigate the sensemaking process through which academic departments engage in constructing “what advancing equity” means for them. This study explores two key questions about the work of DEI task forces in professional societies.
1. How do organizations (in this case, a disciplinary society) successfully embed/disseminate DEI reports in ways that shift the discourse and activity of member departments?
2. What are the motivating factors that influence the adoption of equity-advancing mentoring or admissions practices in academic departments? (ie. reputation management, status, etc.)
THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES
Organizational Sensemaking and Sensegiving, DEI Strategic Change Management
METHODS
This study will consist of interviews with admission chairs, department chairs, and directors of graduate studies in STEMM departments.
CONTRIBUTION TO PROJECT GOALS
The purpose of this study is to examine how academic departments and faculty adopt equity-minded admission, recruitment, and retention practices to promote equity and inclusion in STEM graduate education.
FOCUS AREA WITHIN GRADUATE EDUCATION
Professional Societies, Equity Change Management, Admissions, Mentoring