[bioundgrd] 2021 Department DEI report

[Alan D Grossman]

Dear members of the Biology Department,

I am writing this at the close of the summer, a year after George Floyd’s murder, the Biology department’s Shutdown Stem day and a year of reckoning, organizing and growth for the department. In an effort to promote and support continued transparency of policies and information in the department, in collaboration with Hallie Dowling-Huppert, the department’s new DEI officer, we have created a report of DEI initiatives and growth. The goal of this report is both to educate about what initiatives exist and provide a platform for discussion on where we need to continue to grow as a department. The report can be found The report can be found here<https://biology.mit.edu/about/diversity/2021-biology-diversity-report-and-overview/>.

We have a wide variety of initiatives and programs within our department to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion. The report includes information on:

-The hiring of a departmental DEI Officer to support DEI Initiatives, specifically focused on welcoming and inclusion in the department
-The creation of the DEI Council and Faculty DEI Committee
-New policies surrounding DEI in graduate student admissions
- A re-envisioned junior faculty mentoring program
-Improved inclusive policies for all in the department
-New and continued outreach programs to universities and colleges, including community colleges

Our overall goal is to create and sustain a diverse, welcoming, inclusive, and equitable department where our members are able to thrive, learn, and contribute to our mission of excellence in teaching, research, and service. I appreciate the many people who are dedicated to our efforts and are helping to improve our department in many ways.

Please feel free to reach out to Hallie (halliedh at mit.edu<mailto:halliedh at mit.edu>) or me, or any of the members of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council<https://biology.mit.edu/about/diversity/dei-council/> or via this feedback<https://biology.mit.edu/about/diversity/dei-council/dei-feedback-form/> form should you have any questions or want to provide input.

Best wishes for the upcoming academic year.

Alan

Alan D. Grossman
Professor and Head
Department of Biology
Building 68-530
M.I.T.
Cambridge, MA   02139

adg at mit.edu<mailto:adg at mit.edu>
Zoom: https://mit.zoom.us/my/alandgrossman

Please note: There is no need to respond to my emails outside of traditional work hours.






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