Enhancing DEIA Within Our Education Programs
by
Alix Schroder|November 8, 2021
The Columbia Climate School is the first new School at the University in over 20 years. In building something new, we have a real opportunity to establish the institutional structures, policies, and processes– and more importantly develop a culture– that places our values around variety, equity, addition, anti-bias, and anti-racism at the leading edge of whatever we desire do. This is the second post in our mini-series concentrating on DEIA activity. Have a look at the very first post here.
These programs are dedicated to anti-racism and to cultivating a community that is diverse, fair, and inclusive for all. Below is a summary of the efforts, activities, and reflection being carried out in the Climate School- and Earth Institute-affiliated programs.
Picture: Eileen Barroso/Columbia University
Undergraduate Program
The Undergraduate Program in Sustainable Development (SDEV) is pursuing steps to improve diversity among its professors, students, and staff, along with to incorporate equity issues in its curriculum and shows.
In 2018, the program conducted a relative analysis with other schools/programs in Columbia, and STEM programs in other universities, to examine faculty and trainee demographics. These findings were released in New Directions for Teaching and Learning. In 2020, the SDEV program participated in internal conversations about how to be more inclusive, assistance systemic modification, and promote anti-racism. The program also surveyed students and alumni to better comprehend the existing climate and identify specific areas for improvement. It also formed a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice (DEI&J) working group with representation from alumni and trainees. The group identified six focus areas for further discussion/action: (1) curriculum; (2) programs; (3) increase representation; (4) professions, alumni networking, and mentoring; (5) culture; and (6) staff and professors education.
Over the previous year, the program has continued this essential work. In February 2021, the program held a listening session with alumni and trainees, with the goal to hear from the neighborhood and prioritize which of the 6 focus locations to resolve. At the spring 2021 meeting, SDEV program directors and personnel consulted with the professors to update them on the DEI&J effort and interact program objectives of integrating ecological justice, equity, and anti-racism into pertinent courses. The program also surveyed SDEV faculty to collect details about the following topics and concerns:
Incorporate equity and environmental justice issues into their curricula;
Diversify individuals in each program (students, faculty, personnel);.
Cultivate a more inclusive environment in which students can better flourish and find out.
Incorporated modules on equity and sustainability in all sections of the required Sustainability Management course;.
Used workshop jobs that related to equity;.
Offered a brand-new SUMA optional, “Building Resilience in 21st Century Detroit: Remedies and roots to Racial Justice”;.
Offered numerous co-curricular programs, consisting of a Sustainability Skills Seminar on Environmental Justice and Activism in collaboration with WEACT, a not-for-profit company devoted to environmental justice.
Whether and how professors are currently integrating ecological justice, equity, or anti-racism topics into their courses;
Resources that can be shared more broadly among faculty who wish to include these topics;
Concepts for brand-new ecological justice courses and professors to teach them.
The program likewise held a curriculum conversation with SDEV faculty to talk about concepts of how to incorporate ecological justice problems into the curriculum for both existing and brand-new courses. The conference consisted of a fantastic discussion from the Earth Institute Environmental Justice Network.
All of this info is available in the SDEV DEIJ Action Plan.
Graduate Programs
The Earth Institutes Office of Academic and Research Programs (OARP) is leading the equity, diversity, and inclusion (DE&I) initiatives in the MS in Sustainability Management (SUMA) and the MPA in Environmental Science and Policy (ESP). OARP is likewise encouraging the other education programs connected with the Earth Institute and providing DE&I co-curricular shows to all associated trainees.
SUMA and ESP are dealing with the three interrelated objectives listed below. All this work is being carried out under the auspices of three program-specific DE&I committees that comprise professors, trainees, alumni, and personnel.
In academic year 2020-2021, each of these 2 programs performed a third-party DE&I audit to set a baseline against which to determine efficiency (available online on the connected pages above). While the audits were underway, the programs also took the following actions in each of the 3 areas above.
1. Curriculum/Co-curricular Programming.
2. Diversity.
Offered fellowships to BIPOC prospective students;.
Targeted digital advertising to BIPOC prospective students;.
Expanded outreach to historically Black institution of higher learnings and minority-serving organizations;.
Hired BIPOC faculty and staff (SUMA).
3. Addition.
Managing and Adapting to Climate.
Applications in Climate and Society.
Summer Season Internship and Capstone Workshop.
In scholastic year 2021– 2022, SUMA and ESP will be carrying out a lot of the recommendations that are consisted of in their particular DE&I audits, including: (1) Conduct curricular evaluations for the purpose of additional integrating equity and environmental justice issues in the curricula; and (2) Provide training to professors in the SUMA, ESP, and SDEV programs in DE&I mentor strategies.
OARP will continue to supply DE&I co-curricular shows– the next Sustainability Skills Seminar on Environmental Justice, Climate Justice, and Advocacy is scheduled for October 23– as well as work to improve the variety of the trainees in these programs as part of its trainee recruitment work.
In the MA Climate and Society Program, a DE&I audit was conducted in parallel with SUMA and ESP with the very same goal: to set a baseline. Students, alumni, faculty, and staff were talked to for the audit. The program has actually likewise completed the following activities (some dating to before the audit) to improve DE&I for trainees and staff:.
1. Offered implicit bias training for students.
2. Integrated DEI declarations into course curriculum (accomplished for a lot of, however not all).
3. Integrated climate justice as a key subject in the following core courses:.
Offered implicit predisposition training to professors, trainees, and personnel;.
Held a listening session for ESP students;.
Produced The Hub, an online network for BIPOC trainees and alumni affiliated with the Earth Institute, which now has some 300 members;.
Included language about DE&I in all syllabi;.
Posted Columbia Universitys anti-bias and anti-racism resources on the program sites, making it simpler for trainees to access them.
4. Supplied scholarships for all BIPOC/first-gen applicants.
5. Contributed staff assistance and funds to the DEES Seminar in Race, Climate Change, and Environmental Justice.
The program has finalized a report on that work, drafted an action strategy for 2021-2022, and are beginning a multi-stakeholder process to establish a vision and multi-year strategic strategy in collaboration with a DE&I expert. The program likewise just recently formed a DE&I Program Advisory Committee made up staff, professors, student, and alumni representatives.
PhD Program.
The PhD program in Sustainable Development believes that equity, inclusion and diversity are main to its objective and to its trainees individual and social success. With that mission in mind, the program has actually participated in the following activities:.
Upgraded curriculum to consist of readings, research study, and discussion from researchers of color and females. This includes seeking to journals that are not seen as “leading journals,” provided the predisposition versus researchers of color, often in relation to the institutes they go to, which may be less distinguished, but more available to some underrepresented populations due to cost and/or bias in admissions. In addition to efforts to include research study done by underrepresented minorities, there is also a push to look at research study significant to race, inequality, gender, and so on.
Hosted a student-led event to go over with undergrads how to prepare themselves for using to finish level economics programs. This included a much bigger (remote) “open home,” allowing greater access to the event.
The SustDev Summer School has constantly been kept in Paris and is normally concentrated on research study and researchers who are white, male, and European or American. This year the event was cohosted by the Alliance network and the Columbia Global Center in Santiago, Chile and included presentations by Latin American researchers. The occasion was also remote, permitting higher ease of access.
Enhanced effort to invite more underrepresented minorities and female researchers to present in the weekly SustDev workshops.
Earth Institute Post-doctoral Fellowship Program.
In addition, the Earth Institute currently offers Diversity Fellowships for its postdoctoral program. The Diversity Fellowships look for to promote the recruitment of outstanding postdoctoral scholars from traditionally underrepresented groups, to reflect the composition of the national swimming pool of certified candidates more carefully.
For more details on the Climate Schools DEIA efforts, please contact Alix Schroder ([email protected]) or Kathryn Lattimer ([email protected]).
In 2018, the program performed a comparative analysis with other schools/programs in Columbia, and STEM programs in other universities, to assess faculty and trainee demographics. The program also surveyed students and alumni to better understand the present environment and determine particular areas for improvement. At the spring 2021 conference, SDEV program directors and staff fulfilled with the professors to upgrade them on the DEI&J effort and communicate program objectives of integrating environmental justice, equity, and anti-racism into relevant courses. The program has actually likewise finished the following activities (some dating to prior to the audit) to enhance DE&I for trainees and personnel:.
The program likewise just recently formed a DE&I Program Advisory Committee made up staff, faculty, trainee, and alumni agents.