DEIB in service

Faculty have many opportunities to participate in service that promotes or advances diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. Service can occur within the local department, at the campus level, within professional organizations, or in the local or research community.

Faculty at all ranks can find activities or ways to serve that match their level of expected contributions (e.g., assistant professors are expected to perform less service than tenured faculty). Some experiences can be one-time, while others involve larger or longer investments, but with more substantial impacts. 

Below are some examples of practices that promote DEIB, which you can consider implementing in your own service activities.

Outreach activities that can remove barriers and increase the participation of individuals from underrepresented groups

  1. You can participate in summer programs for K–12 education for students from underrepresented groups (ethnic or gender). See, for example, the programs referenced on the College of Engineering website and the Graduate Division's Graduate Admissions Institute.

  2. You can give talks in community colleges with low resources and diverse student populations; you can speak about your field of research and its potential as a career, or how to prepare a successful application package to your department, or simply about the joys of a research career.

  3. You can give similar presentations at high schools in under-resourced school districts.

  4. You can make available recording of talks or presentations you give to community college or high school students on your webpage – or other accessible venue – as a widely-available resource.

  5. You can participate in your scholarly professional organization’s outreach activities.

Workshops that help build multicultural competencies and create inclusive climates

  1. You can attend workshops and academic conferences whose participants mostly identify as BIPOC (Black Indigenous people of color), or are mostly female-identifying (if your field is male-dominated).

  2. You can invite BIPOC researchers (or female-identifying scholars if your field is a “male” one) to organize and lead seminars, panels and workshops (in your department, school/college, or discipline conferences or meetings). This diversifies research perspectives as well as research leadership in your field and is an accomplishment to note on their CVs.

  3. You can participate in professional or scientific associations or meetings that aim to increase diversity or address the needs of underrepresented students, staff, or faculty.

Committees that advance department, campus or discipline goals related to DEIB or removing barriers

  1. You can contribute to committees working to increase DEIB, or prevent exclusionary behaviors, such as bullying, discrimination, and sexual harassment and violence. There are a number of standing committees of the Academic Senate (e.g., Faculty Welfare, DECC) and Chancellor’s advisory committees (e.g., Work and Family, Status of Womxn, and LGBTQ+ communities) with these goals. 

  2. You can serve on student-faculty committees or as adviser to a student organization, particularly organizations that serve underrepresented groups.

  3. You can serve as a department faculty equity advisor or on your department or college DEIB committee or council. If your department does not have a DEIB committee or council, you could suggest to your chair or dean that one should be started.

  4. You can participate in creating and carrying out your department’s diversity strategic plan as part of Academic Program Review.

  5. You can participate in department assessments of climate and belonging, or initiating such assessments.