To ensure an institution where all people of all backgrounds can thrive, we proposed to 1) cultivate and advance a climate of inclusion for all staff, students, faculty, and visitors of the Bloomberg School, across race, socioeconomic background, gender and age, citizenship, religion, sexual identity, and other characteristics that contribute to the diversity of our community; 2) increase recruitment and retention of students, faculty, staff, and leadership who come from diverse backgrounds, with special attention paid to underrepresented minorities and marginalized populations; and 3) promote health, wellness, and opportunity for all faculty, students, and staff in an inclusive environment.
Cultivate a culture of inclusivity and anti-racism
Established the position of an Assistant Dean for Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism, and Equity and an Office of Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism, and Equity (IDARE), staffed by a Director for Student Recruitment and Engagement and a Student Disability Services Coordinator.
Launched a Schoolwide IDARE Action Plan designed to coordinate with the second JHU Roadmap on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Named an Associate/Vice Chair or Director for IDARE in each academic department in the School. These leaders sit on the Schoolwide Committee on Inclusion, Diversity, Anti-Racism, and Equity and oversee implementation of the IDARE Action Plan at both the department and School levels.
Offered webinars and workshops aimed at facilitating conversations about IDARE. The team is working with the University Office of Training to offer opportunities for training on diversity, equity, and inclusion as well as microaggressions within the School.
Established and funded two one-year pilot research and practice awards of $75,000 each that are focused on building the evidence for policies, practice, and programs that eliminate and reverse the impacts of structural and institutional racism.
Recruit and retain a diverse community
Improved data transparency on the racial composition of our faculty. Continued to support the Diversity Advocate Network. All Diversity Advocate Network representatives have been provided access to department-level data on faculty diversity.
Began requiring faculty candidates to submit a written statement describing how they will uphold the principles of IDARE. This was done in recognition that a commitment to anti-racism and equity applies to all aspects of public health.
Adopted a holistic approach to our application review with less reliance on standardized test scores to increase the academic and demographic diversity of our students.
Expanded sessions during recruitment events aimed at attracting an increasingly diverse pool of applicants, including targeted recruitment events at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and minority-serving institutions. We supplemented this work by our new Director of Student Recruitment and Engagement with a workshop on how to provide a welcoming environment for prospective students, from recruitment through orientation. The workshop targeted IDARE representatives, program directors, and academic coordinators. This work is also supported by the new University-wide Vivien Thomas Scholars Initiative, which will provide support for PhD students in STEM fields who come from HBCUs and minority-serving institutions.
Developed a School-specific, cohort-based leadership curriculum targeted for mid-career faculty members, more than 50% of whom will comprise historically underrepresented and women faculty, with the potential to be the future leaders of public health.
Promote wellness, work-life balance, and opportunity
Established a Staff Assembly to foster greater communication between staff and the School’s leadership, faculty, and students. The Assembly seeks to promote a climate that supports staff participation in deliberations and decisions affecting not only the professional concerns of the staff but also the overall well-being of our School and community.
Launched the twice weekly SPHeed Read newsletter to improve information- and knowledge-sharing internally. The newsletter is a one-stop shop for School announcements, events, reminders, accolades, work features, and more.
Worked to ensure the productivity and well-being of our School community at multiple levels during the pandemic.
Partnered with the University to provide support for both students and faculty who were financially challenged by the pandemic.
Surveyed faculty on stressors and factors influencing productivity and used their responses to develop several initiatives aimed at addressing challenges of the remote work environment, including implementation of an automatic 1-year extension to the promotion clocks of faculty and updating the faculty CV template to highlight the impact of practice contributions.
Convened a COVID Mental Health Task Force that distributed wellness messages, wrote social media and op-ed content, and created and posted tip sheets for specific audiences across the School.
Developed a peer-led workshop, InThisTogether, aimed at increasing awareness of mental health issues that students, staff, and faculty may be facing during the pandemic, and orienting participants to available resources. More than 80 facilitators were trained, and the workshops were delivered in all departments.
Maintained quarterly Writing Accountability Groups aimed at providing structured time for writing and increasing productivity.
Established twice-monthly meeting-free workdays designed to reduce Zoom fatigue and increased flexibility over the summer months through endorsement of a “Summer Reset.”
Granted students pass/fail options for all of their courses, recognizing the challenges associated with learning during the pandemic. Additionally, we increased student hardship support to provide financial assistance during uncertain times.
Established a Faculty Senate working group focused on the non-tenure track experience, as part of our commitment to ensuring productivity and satisfaction across the non-tenure faculty ranks. A survey on the non-tenure faculty experience was administered to all non-tenure faculty in Summer 2021. The Senate is developing a report and recommendations from these efforts.
