Princeton University is committing to advancing access, diversity, inclusion, and belonging within academic departments, centers, institutes, and programs. Below is a sampling of initiatives, best practices, and next steps departments can utilize to inform their work and build a more diverse and inclusive academic community. There are a variety of resources departments can use to promote an inclusive academic environment.
Departmental Initiatives and Best Practices
Initiatives and best practices implemented by Princeton academic departments, centers, institutes and programs:
- Created a climate and inclusion section on the departmental website (e.g. Physics, Molecular Biology and Princeton Neuroscience Institute)
- Posted a diversity, inclusion and community values statement on the departmental website (e.g. Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Chemistry, and Sociology)
- Developed and promoted a departmental policy on professional conduct (e.g. Physics and Princeton Neuroscience Institute)
- Hosted a visit day for prospective underrepresented graduate students (see MolBio Scholars Program and EEB program)
- Integrated diversity and inclusion topics into all department seminar speaker series with discipline-specific scholars and researchers
- Administered departmental climate surveys to gather relevant information about the experiences of department members (various departments)
- Hosted workshops on inclusive mentoring, teaching and innovation, preventing sexual harassment/bystander intervention and implicit bias (various departments)
- Piloted modifications to address gender imbalances in graduate seminar participation and explored blind grading of undergraduate work (various departments)
- Created opportunities for female graduate students and postdocs to share perspectives and build community (see Princeton Society of Women Engineers, Princeton Women in STEM, Princeton Women in Computer Science, Princeton Female Researchers in Chemistry and Brain Womxn Advocating Visibility and Equity in Science)
Possible Next Steps
Some recommendations for academic departments, centers, institutes and programs interested in enhancing an inclusive climate:
- Partner with the Office of the Provost to create a departmental climate committee
- Develop a departmental diversity, inclusion and community values statement
- Develop a departmental policy on professional conduct
- Partner with the Office of the Provost to administer departmental climate survey
- Partner with the Office of the Provost to host professional development workshops
