Action Plan

As a part of a university-wide initiative, the SEAS DEIB Committee developed a 5-year action plan, drawing heavily from the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Action plans of the SEAS departments. All of the actions from the plan include methods for measuring progress and are divided into 6 priority areas:

  1. Scholarship, Research Practice and Teaching
  2. Diversity of the Yale Community
  3. Equitable Process, Procedure, and Response
  4. Professional and Personal Development of Inclusive Practices
  5. Acknowledgement, Recognition and Respect
  6. Communications, Transparency, and Accountability

2023-2024 Actions

  1. Establish more formal mentorship structures between undergrads, grads, postdocs and faculty, and among staff
  2. Encourage community engagement to establish a culture of addressing harmful behavior through bystander training
  3. Incentivize activities to foster inclusion and mentorship between faculty PIs and members of research groups - retreat, social activities
  4. Establish SEAS best recruiting practices for graduate students, including database of institutions/organizations/events to reach out to for recruiting purposes and including best practices of community involvement
  5. Host DEIB Town Halls, including all members of the SEAS community, for schoolwide updates and opportunities for input

2022-2023 Actions

  1. Incorporate DEIB into courses through discussions on issues encountered in research and professional settings, invited guest lecturers from diverse backgrounds, discoveries/histories of prominent URM researchers
  2. Invite speakers of more diverse backgrounds (URMs, experiences outside of academia) for departmental seminars. Host broader DEIB-focused engagements with visitors, geared toward all members of the SEAS community
  3. A semiannual message from the dean emphasizing SEAS DEIB efforts, requesting feedback, and highlighting the community diversity statement
  4. Establish a SEAS events calendar, including DEIB events, academic seminars, social events, conferences, workshops; display on website and in physical spaces
  5. Reach out to prospective graduate students, encourage to apply

• YEAR 2 SUMMARY

2021-2022 Actions

  1. Offer evidence-based diversity training for students, postdocs, staff, and faculty, ensuring sufficient opportunities and accessibility for all to participate. Training will address implicit bias, inclusive teaching, and other relevant topics
  2. Appoint SEAS DEIB point person; pursue dedicated DEIB personnel resources if enabled by the addition of staffing in SEAS
  3. Communicate regularly with SEAS communities from departments and dean's office; include key events and decisions made of relevance to the unit
  4. Create SEAS diversity website, which will include a SEAS diversity statement, highlighting opportunities and successes, including those of alumni
  5. Track and report efforts and progress annually on DEIB goals and other key DEIB metrics

• YEAR 1 SUMMARY