Title

Diversity Plan: Academic Year 2016/2017 Status Report

Authors

Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy

Document Type

Report

Publication Date

2017

Abstract

As a result of the diversity plan implementation, the following took place:

• Held a Diversifying STEM Think Tank in which 75 STEM Professionals/Educators, Community Organizers, Diversity Officers and students discussed strategies to address the racial and gender inequities that exist in the STEM education to career pipeline.
• Implemented Diversity Speaker Series that consisted of four trainings on the following topics: LGBTQIA+ Allyship, Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Gifted Students, Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Environment, and Gender Bias Under the Microscope.
• Conducted a Student Diversity Climate Assessment in the Residence Halls examining the issues of race, sexual orientation, sex and gender/gender identity, completed by 577 /630 students.
• Facilitated 2 panel discussions which took an intricate look at “American” Culture and the “American” Education System, done in collaboration with the IRC, English Department, Social Science Department, and Human Resources.
• Developed an interdisciplinary African-American culture course that will be taught by both English and Social Science faculty Academic Year 2017-18.
• Conducted Diversifying IMSA focus groups with faculty/staff to discuss strategies to recruit diverse talent.
• Developed Bias Incident statement for Student Handbook.
• Piloted Identity Advocate Program designed for faculty/staff to better support LGBTQIA+ students.
• Enhanced Diversity-Focused External Community relations by providing Diversity and Inclusion professional development for Kane County Regional Office of Education, Northbrook School District 27, Fermilab, City of Aurora Chamber of Commerce, YWCA Aurora, Kane County Sheriff’s Department; as well as presenting on URP STEM Motivation at the Illinois Association for Gifted Children Conference (IAGC), National Association for Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), National Summit for Educational Equity (NSEE), and National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Education Round-Table.
• Entered into a partnership with University of Wisconsin-Madison to research the state of Implicit Bias at IMSA and develop interventions.

Recommended Citation

Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, "Diversity Plan: Academic Year 2016/2017 Status Report" (2017). Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: Resources. 3.
https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/diversity_resources/3