To Stay or Go? Retaining Faculty of Color in STEMM

• In Event: Friday Roundtable Session 4:55 pm
  In Roundtable Session: STEM Faculty (Table 37)

Abstract

Despite the growing diverse student body, faculty diversity fails to replicate similar progressions. Departments such as Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine (STEMM) remain at a standstill, with both male and female-identifying Faculty of color (FOC) holding 9% of faculty positions, nationally. This study aims to identify if STEMM fosters exclusionary environments, causing FOC to consider leaving their institution compared to non-STEMM FOC. It attempts to uncover barriers existing in STEMM and institutionally. The objective is to illuminate the essential departmental factors FOC require to thrive in spaces where they have historically been underrepresented. It places a critical lens on how we, as researchers critically approach STEMM equity analysis to create more inclusive spaces, to impact institutional culture.

Author

• Denise Ortiz, University of California - Los Angeles