Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, spring 2022
DEI saw a busy first quarter of 2022, with initiatives that provide support to all campus constituencies and the greater Binghamton community. The division assisted in 144 searches since Jan. 1, of which 78 were open and posted, 64 closed successfully with hires, while one search failed. Overall, there are a total of 175 searches currently open for the state payroll. The division also has created a new Workshop and Training calendar on our webpage, where all divisional workshops for the UDiversity Educational Institute, Affirmative Action, the Q Center Active Ally and Search Committee Orientation workshops are now visible.
Faculty and staff support
This quarter, DEI conducted all three of our monthly search committee orientation meetings via Zoom for faculty and staff currently serving on search committees. There were additional workshops scheduled for four search committees in March. A total of 61 professionals received the training from January to March.
DEI met with SUNY ODEI twice during this quarter to discuss changes to the SUNY PRODiG process. New documentation was submitted as requested and we have tentatively received confirmation that Binghamton’s recent proposal for PRODiG funding to support five qualifying faculty has been approved. This will bring Binghamton’s PRODiG faculty numbers to 16, ahead of our next proposal that will be submitted in late summer 2022.
The call for proposals for the 2022-2023 Presidential Diversity Research Grant was announced in January. Proposals were due to DEI Friday, Mar 25. Notices were sent to all tenure-track faculty who qualify for the grant to encourage application.
DEI has finally submitted all required data for the 2020-2021 Affirmative Action Plan (AAP) to Affirmity, our consultant for affirmative action planning. Special thanks to Vicki Metritikas, assistant director of Human Resources for her assistance with the data. DEI will begin work immediately on the data for 2021-2022 once the final AAP report is delivered to DEI.
DEI will sponsor the first Faculty and Staff of Color Mixer Friday, March 25. To date, nearly 50 faculty, staff and community partners have signed up for the event.
Student support
DEI, in conjunction with the Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development, Educational Opportunity Program, Harpur Edge, Multicultural Resource Center, Alumni Engagement, Black Student Union and Office of Undergraduate Admissions sponsored the 2022 Alumni of Color Professional Panel Saturday, Feb. 12, via Zoom. The panel featured 11 alumni of color who represented the various schools at Binghamton University and was moderated by Osariemen Aiyevbomwan, president of the Black Student Union. The event included a panel discussion and breakout rooms for the areas of medicine, pre-med, nursing, engineering, business, and liberal arts and sciences.
The Affirmative Action Office received nine bias incident reports this quarter. The office has conducted five University-wide trainings since January 2022, with over 105 participants. In addition, several departmental trainings have occurred with an approximate total of 50 participants over the past quarter. The Bias Incident Response Team (BIRT) continues to meet each month in a consultative and collaborative role.
DEI has also partnered with the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to assist in its yield efforts for students of color. DEI secured four alumni of color to participate in the admitted student of color event Friday, April 1, in NYC. DEI also assisted in securing students of color on campus for a video campaign that will be sent to admitted students throughout the yield campaign. DEI worked closely with the Multicultural Resource Center to coordinate the actual videos and to encourage cultural organizations on campus to sign up for the Student Organizational Fairs that will be held Sunday, April 3 and Saturday, April 23.
DEI as a community resource
DEI brought together diversity professionals from across local industry in Broome County for an Inaugural Diversity Directors Meeting. Meetings will now occur monthly to host diversity directors who are new to the title to support diversity work among professionals. Most officers currently serve in local K-12 school districts, and others are outside education. The goal of these meetings is to share best practices in all areas of diversity work and serve as a resource to help in the areas of professional recruitment, professional development and retention, and to encourage collaborations to support the client, which, for most directors, is students.