Spring 2020 Feedback

Montana State University is a member of the first cohort of the Aspire Alliance’s Institutional Change (IChange) network, a national effort to increase the diversity and inclusivity of STEM faculty. MSU’s IChange team consists of a diverse group of faculty members, staff, and academic leaders. Over the course of the past year, MSU's IChange team has been carefully reflecting on MSU's existing practices and developing an action plan for advancing faculty diversity. The team hosted an open forum in November to hear feedback from the community and, taking into consideration the comments received, is now sharing a final draft of the plan. Review the materials shared during the open forum and learn more about the IChange planning process.

Please review the targeted plan below aimed at increasing the inclusivity  and diversity of MSU’s professoriate. Note that the included strategies are focused on faculty but will have positive impacts on the greater MSU community.

MSU’s IChange team has committed to designing a plan to recruit and retain a more inclusive, diverse faculty. Our “Audacious Goal” is:

“By 2040, MSU faculty will mirror the diversity of the student population.”

The drafted goals below are for 2020-2025.

1. Programming/Belonging
  • Develop a robust mentorship network that supports faculty from recruitment to retirement (includes transition support, new faculty support, P&T support, and post-tenure support)
  • Develop social networking/community building opportunities for underrepresented faculty

2. Education/Workshops

2.1 Current Employees
  • Provide annual training for all HR Generalists and recruitment team members on inclusive practices and equity in hiring
  • Ensure that all search committee members receive training (bias literacy in evaluation) and review diversity data prior to review of applicants
  • Develop and deliver workshops on a wide variety of diversity and inclusion topics, including those that strengthen mentoring opportunities for underrepresented faculty

2.2 New/Incoming Employees
 
  • Update faculty and staff onboarding materials and processes to reflect diversity and inclusion values and actions (New faculty orientation to include student diversity, inclusivity in the classroom, and Indian Education for All)

3. Recruitment Pipeline
  • Develop formal relationships with other institutions to create opportunities to interact with and recruit future faculty from diverse backgrounds (exchange programs, summer research appointments, postdoc programs)
  • Support faculty networking at conferences/campus visits where faculty interact with or network with diverse candidates
  • Expand and sustain the Inclusive Excellence Hiring Program; promote the cultivation of relationships with potential candidates

4. Communications/Branding
 
  • Develop a website that clearly communicates university-wide commitment to DEI and resources available to faculty (Highlight diverse faculty and what they love about being at MSU)
  • Include resources (including D&I information) with offer letters referring new faculty to our website

5. Reporting/Accountability
 
  • Collect and report on yield data for faculty and staff hiring annually at the institutional level; share with Deans and VPs annually
  • Develop a better understanding of experiences of new faculty
 

Thank you for your engagement with this process and we look forward to hearing your feedback!

 

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The goal states, "By 2040, MSU faculty will mirror the diversity of the student population."