The Action Plan for Faculty Diversity and Excellence, first issued in 2011, made a commitment to create a fund in support of interdisciplinary research on topics related to equity, inclusion and diversity. This Excellence through Diversity Fund was established in the 2012-2013 academic year. The eight projects supported in the Fund’s third cycle, listed with principal investigators, are:
• The Revisit Weekend for Diversity Scholars, co-hosted by the Fontaine Society and the Ernest E. Just Biomedical Society, encourages URM (Under Represented Minority) students newly admitted to biomedical graduate studies to meet faculty and prospective colleagues and learn more about Penn, biomedical graduate studies, graduate student life and diversity initiatives. Michael Nusbaum, Arnaldo Diaz Vazquez (PSOM).
• The Women and Liberty in Early Modern Philosophy of Education Conference will bring together Penn faculty and students with leading global scholars to advance the interdisciplinary understanding of the role played by women in developing theories and practices of education in the 17th and 18th centuries. Karen Detlefsen (SAS).
• The Penn Institute on Sex and Gender in Health will expand the work of the existing Penn Center for the Study of Sex and Gender, which is centered in the Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, to include faculty from across the University in considering the essential roles of sex and gender in human health, health conditions and engagement with health care, including support for an international conference in May 2016. C. Neill Epperson (PSOM).
• The Penn Center for Minority Serving Institutions Speaker Series will invite distinguished scholars and practitioners to share their experiences with the Penn and local communities about the important role of Minority Serving Institutions of higher education, which enroll 26% of US students and offer significant opportunities for advancement to low income and historically underrepresented individuals and communities. Marybeth Gasman (GSE).
• The Penn Special Interest Group in Health Disparities and Health Equity will advance cross-disciplinary inquiry and collaborations across the University about health disparities and health equity, with the aim of increasing Penn’s institutional visibility and external funding in the essential areas of health policy, practice and research. Eve Higginbotham, Karen Glanz, Diana Harris, Said Ibrahim, Daniel Polsky (PSOM); Antonia Villarruel (SON).
• The Women in Business Academia Conference will bring together doctoral students and faculty across disciplines and universities for constructive dialogue about their identities as scholars and open discussions of the unique challenges faced by women in academia, including such topics as navigating the academic job market, seeking formal and informal mentors, managing work/life boundaries and understanding day-to-day life as a professor. Eric Bradlow (Wharton).
• The UPHS-CHOP Alliance of Minority Physicians aims to develop leaders in medicine through national recruiting of URM students and residents, professional development workshops and networking events, mentorship and community outreach for URM faculty, staff and medical students at UPHS, CHOP and PSOM, as well as economically disadvantaged and first generation college graduates entering medical school and others who may be underrepresented in their specific disciplines. Iris Reyes, Eugenia South (PSOM).
• The Penn Honors Diversity Symposium will host URM undergraduate students interested in learning more about graduate school at a multi-day event at which they can present their work in a poster session, meet Penn faculty and graduate students and learn more about admissions, funding, research opportunities and student life at Penn. Eve Troutt Powell (SAS); Michael Nusbaum (PSOM).