Deadline for diversity, inclusion grant proposals Oct. 29

Preference for programs that focus on faculty, staff diversity

Faculty and administrators at Washington University in St. Louis with ideas for improving the campus environment for women, members of underrepresented minority groups, and other diverse groups are encouraged to apply for a Diversity and Inclusion Grant.

Proposals are now being accepted for program initiatives that strengthen and promote diversity on campus, including differences in gender, race, ethnicity, geography, socioeconomic status, age, politics, philosophy, disability, religion, sexual orientation and gender identity.

The Office of the Provost funds the Diversity and Inclusion Grant program, which is now in its fourth year. The program so far has awarded nearly $740,000 in grant money for 37 projects.

Professor Gerald L. Early speaks during a discussion last spring on the “Delmar Divide,” which refers to the racial and socioeconomic differences delineated by St. Louis’ Delmar Boulevard. “Delmar Divide: A Campus Conversation” was one of the winning Diversity and Inclusion Grant proposals last year. (Credit: Sid Hastings)

For the 2012-13 academic year, eight grants totaling nearly $150,000 were awarded to faculty and administrators throughout the university. See the winning proposals here.

The deadline for submission of 2013-14 Diversity and Inclusion Grant proposals is Tuesday, Oct. 29. All applications must be submitted online. To apply, visit here.

Funding is one-time only, and awards will range in size up to a maximum of $30,000. More information about the grants can be found here.

The Campus Diversity Collaborative will host a brown bag lunch session from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Sept. 30, in the Mallinckrodt Multipurpose Room on the Danforth Campus for individuals interested in the Diversity and Inclusion Grants.

The session will offer insight from past grant winners, a chance to brainstorm and share grant ideas, and time to network and seek collaborators across the university. Drinks and desserts will be provided.

To attend, RSVP by Sept. 20 at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/Diversitysession.

The Advisory Committee for the Diversity and Inclusion Grants, which is co-chaired by Adrienne D. Davis, JD, vice provost and the William M. Van Cleve Professor of Law, and Alfreda Brown, director for the St. Louis Regional Higher Education Recruitment Consortium and Human Resources project manager for diversity, will review the proposals.

The other 2013-14 advisory committee members are:
• Mariagiovanna Baccara, PhD, associate professor of economics in the Olin Business School;
• Angela Brown, MD, assistant professor of internal medicine in the Cardiovascular Division;
• Beth Elliott, director of finance and student/academic affairs in the Program in Audiology and Communication Sciences;
• Kathy Flores, PhD, professor and associate chair of material sciences in the School of Engineering;
• Chris Freeland, associate university librarian;
• Clarissa Hayward, PhD, associate professor of political science in Arts & Sciences;
• John Heil, PhD, professor of philosophy and of philosophy-neuroscience-psychology, both in Arts & Sciences;
• John Russell, PhD, professor of developmental biology in the Division of Biology and Biomedical Sciences;
• Sebi Thomas, senior project leader in Information Services and Technology; and
• Timothy Thornton, assistant vice chancellor for finance and director of financial planning.

Successful proposals should involve collaboration within or across departments, units, or schools; demonstrate tangible results (e.g. metrics of success for the short term as well as metrics to measure future impact); and include departmental or school funding support (financial and/or other).

Particular weight will be given to proposals that address retention of diverse faculty and administrative staff and work environment and recruitment.

Questions or comments may be addressed to Davis at adriennedavis@wustl.edu or Brown at alfredabrown@wustl.edu.

The committee will announce the winning proposals around Jan. 20, 2014.