Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The University of Michigan Office of Research advances the excellence of research scholarship and creative activity across all three campuses by fostering new research and providing central services in research policy, research ethics and compliance, contract development and negotiation, federal relations, technology transfer, business engagement, and communications.

As outlined in OVPR’s Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, OVPR is committed to maintaining a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment as a means to attract and retain the best talent to carry out this mission. All of our units have the responsibility to incorporate the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in their activities and operations, but ultimately our ability to fulfill our commitment rests with all of us as individuals.

Below are some specific guidelines and resources available in support of our commitment:

DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION (DEI) AREAS OF FOCUS

  • Recruitment, Retention, and Development
  • Education and Scholarship – Advance DEI in OVPR Research Community
  • Climate and Culture – Promoting an Equitable and Inclusive Community

 

 GUIDELINES FOR ALL OVPR FACULTY AND STAFF

All faculty and senior staff involved in search committees or hiring efforts should complete the 1.5-hour Strategies and Tactics for Recruiting to Improve Diversity and Equity (STRIDE) program offered by ADVANCE (every 3 years). OVPR staff should participate in at least two (2) DEI related training sessions or events per year (to be reported annually).

DEI Tools and Resources

The current worldwide crusade to dismantle systemic and institutional racism has provided an invaluable opportunity for each of us. We should welcome the occasion to engage in dialogue with one another and to contemplate the experiences of people of color within our OVPR community, our U-M community, and beyond.  In the first section of this list, you will find resources dedicated to the increase of knowledge, awareness, and understanding of anti-racism foundations, and tools to help devise plans of action as we work together to annihilate racism.

In OVPR, we must be a place of inclusion and safety for all staff, faculty, and learners, and we are committed to ensuring our environment is one that celebrates the diversity within our community.  Below you will find a set of resources, tools, and information to help individuals, teams, and units make progress in cultivating a more inclusive, welcoming, and diverse environment for all.

OVPR

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Plan

Read the DEI 1.0 Plan
Read the DEI 2.0 Timeline
DIVERSITY

We commit to increasing diversity, which is expressed in myriad forms, including race and ethnicity, gender and gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, language, culture, national origin, religious commitments, age, (dis)ability status and political perspective.

 

EQUITY

We commit to working actively to challenge and respond to bias, harassment and discrimination. We are committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, veteran or familial obligations.

 

INCLUSION

We commit to pursuing deliberate efforts to ensure that our campus is a place where differences are welcomed, different perspectives are respectfully heard and where every individual feels a sense of belonging and inclusion. We know that by building a critical mass of diverse groups on campus and creating a vibrant climate of inclusiveness, we can more effectively leverage the resources of diversity to advance our collective capabilities.

Anti-Racism / Anti-Hate Support and Resources

ENGAGING IN ANTI-RACISM WORK AND PRACTICING SOLIDARITY

XENOPHOBIA RESOURCES

COVID-19

Positive Climate / Inclusive & Effective Work Environment
  • ADVANCE Program
    • The ADVANCE Program focuses on four areas relevant to the success of a diverse and excellent faculty: recruitment, retention, climate, and leadership development. Together, these encompass not only multiple stages of faculty careers but also multiple mechanisms by which faculty diversity and excellence at U-M are enhanced
  • American Philosophical Association Guidelines for Non-Sexist Use of Language
    • The guidelines listed on this site are designed to foster a deeper appreciation of how easily bias slips into our thoughts and theories
  • Bias Interrupters Toolkits
    • Bias interrupters are tweaks to basic business systems (hiring, performance evaluations, assignments, promotions, and compensation) that interrupt implicit bias in the workplace, often without ever talking about bias. This site offers menus of bias interrupters that organizations can implement into their business systems, as well as steps that individuals can take to help level the playing field in their workplace
  • Designated Personal Pronouns
    • A practical resource dedicated to the empowering and inclusive use of personal pronouns in the English language
  • Expect Respect Campaign
    • Expect Respect is a unique partnership among students, faculty and staff with intentional collaboration and campus unity around our values
  • Inclusive Teaching
    • Centralized resources to support instructors in incorporating more inclusive teaching methods in their classrooms
  • Gender Inclusive Restrooms
    • A Google map marking Gender Inclusive Restrooms around campus. You will also find a link to an accessible list of the restrooms.
  • Guidelines for Inclusive Language
    • Linguistic Society of America’s guidelines that highlight ways to both proactively write inclusively and avoid past pitfalls or habits that may unintentionally lead to marginalization, offense, misrepresentation, or the perpetuation of stereotypes.
  • Media Education and Resources
    • U-M and local community offices that offer education and resources to help build skills to manage workplace issues
  • Religious Holidays Calendar
    • Assists with the scheduling of events to avoid conflicts with major cultural and religious holidays
  • National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance
    • Resources curated by the National Association to Advance Fat Acceptance (NAAFA) to assist with raising awareness and providing education about size diversity
  • VA College Toolkit
    • This toolkit provides members of college faculty, staff, and administration with resources to support student Veteran
    Effective Practices
    Health and Wellness
    • Depression Center Toolkit
      • A toolkit created by experts from the University of Michigan Depression Center that offers mental health information, tools, support and resources
    • Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office
      • FASCCO offers a number of services designed to help active or retired staff and faculty members and their immediate benefit-eligible adult family members with personal difficulties encountered at both work and home
    • Health Equity (CDC)
      • Information on the CDC’s Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) advancement of health equity and women’s health issues across the nation through CDC’s science and programs
    • Health Professionals Advancing LGBTQ Equality (GLMA)
      • Resources and information focused on ensuring health equity for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ) and all sexual and gender minority (SGM) individuals, and equality for LGBTQ/SGM health professionals
    • Help, Empower, Affirm, and Love (H.E.A.L.)
      • A compilation of resources aimed to help support the needs of people in different aspects of mental health and different walks of life
    • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Think Cultural Health
      • Resources for information on cultural and linguistic competency, health equity, health disparities, and more
    • U-M Counseling and Psychological Services
      • Resources available at the University of Michigan and in our Ann Arbor community for student mental health and is intended for a variety of constituents — students, faculty, staff, parents, family members, and loved ones

     

    Climate Concerns / Incident Reporting
    • Campus Climate Support
      • U-M resource committed to providing support for those who may have been targets of or affected by campus climate concerns
    • Equity, Civil Rights & Title IX Office 
      • The Equity, Civil Rights & Title IX Office oversees, facilitates and supports the University’s efforts to ensure equal opportunity for all persons regardless of race, color, national origin, age, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, religion, height, weight, or veteran status in employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.
    • Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office (FASCCO)
      • The Faculty and Staff Counseling and Consultation Office provides support and assistance to university staff and faculty in resolving personal or work-related concerns.
    • Mediation Services
      • Mediation Services helps faculty and staff address and resolve workplace problems by providing confidential consultations as well as mediation services.
    • Michigan Medicine Office for Health Equity & Inclusion (OHEI)
      • “Go-to” resource for all matters pertaining to diversity, equity and inclusion at Michigan Medicine
    • Office of the Ombuds
      • The Office of the Ombuds at the University of Michigan is a place where all students are welcome to come and talk in confidence about any campus issue, concern, problem, or dispute
    • Office of the Staff Ombuds
      • The Staff Ombuds Office offers free and confidential conflict management services to help non-bargained-for UM-Ann Arbor and Michigan Medicine staff resolve issues and promote a civil and positive working environment.
    • Office of Student Conflict Resolution (OSCR)
      • The Office of Student Conflict Resolution (OSCR) offers a spectrum of conflict resolution pathways that are educationally focused, student-driven, community-owned, and restorative in nature, which are adaptable to meet the needs of individuals experiencing conflict
    Training and Professional Development
    • Diversity Toolkit: A guide to discussing identity, power and privilege (USC)
      • A toolkit designed by MSW students at USC’s Suzanne Dworark-Peck School of Social Work to aid in creating productive discourse around issues of diversity
    • Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Training and Education at U-M
      • Training and educational resources provided by Organizational Learning to help create a community where people’s differences contribute to further learning and advancements in all fields of study and patient care
    • OIE Education and Training Programs
      • Programming and services for faculty, staff, students, and management to support diversity, inclusiveness, equal access, equitable treatment, and cultural understanding and competency offered by the Office for Institutional Equity (OIE)
    • Project Implicit – Implicit Association Test (IAT)
      • A tool developed by researchers from Project Implicit that investigates social cognition – thoughts and feelings that are largely outside of active awareness or control
    • Spectrum Center Education and Training
      • The Spectrum Center Education & Training team at the University of Michigan works with students, faculty, and community members who may or may not identify in LGBTQ+ community, to discuss best practices when creating and maintaining spaces open to LGBTQ+ identified individuals. In addition to trainings and workshops, the Spectrum Center also provides consultations to staff and faculty units/departments regarding LBGTQ+ competency and organizational allyhood
    • STRIDE Faculty Recruitment Workshops
      • Workshops offered by the Committee on Strategies and Tactics for Recruiting to Improve Diversity and Excellence (STRIDE) that provide background information and concrete advice about practices that make searches more successful
    • Veterans Center Faculty and Staff Training
      • Workshops offered by the Committee on Strategies and Tactics for Recruiting to Improve Diversity and Excellence (STRIDE) that provide background information and concrete advice about practices that make searches more successful
    Additional Resources
    • CEW+
      • CEW+ empowers women and underserved individuals in the University of Michigan and surrounding communities by serving as an advocate and providing resources to help them reach their academic, financial, and professional potential
    • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at U-M
      • U-M’s website for DEI strategic goals and objectives provides transparency, timely updates, and a variety of resources for the university community and the public
    • Faculty Allies for Diversity in Graduate Education
      • The Faculty Allies for Diversity is a group of faculty members who work within their programs in collaboration with Rackham’s diversity initiatives on recruitment, admissions, climate, retention, and completion issues. Thus, the Faculty Allies play important leadership roles in their programs and, as a collective, move forward our broader university mission around promoting diversity and excellence
    • Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) Diversity Resources
      • Resources and tools offered by Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) – a non-profit coalition of colleges, universities, hospitals, research labs, government agencies, and related non- and for-profit organizations, committed to diversifying the pipeline of faculty, staff, and executives in academia.
    • Manterrupting, Bropropriation, and Mansplaining
      • Research on gender bias and the pervasive interruption of women and tips for mitigation
    • National Center for Institutional Diversity (NCID)
      • The National Center for Institutional Diversity (NCID) seeks to strengthen and integrate research about diversity, equity, and inclusion in education and society, and to promote its effective use in addressing contemporary issues
    • Services for Students with Disabilities
      • The Office of Services for Students with Disabilities supports the University’s commitment to equity and diversity by providing support services and academic accommodations to students with disabilities
    • Sexual Assault Prevention & Awareness Center (SAPAC)
      • The University of Michigan Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC) provides a wide array of supportive services for survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, stalking, sexual harassment, and gender-based harassment
    • Voices of the Staff
      • Voices of the Staff is a volunteer-based initiative that gives U-M staff members a forum for sharing ideas and defining the campus community issues that matter most to them
    • Women of Color in the Academy Project
      • The Women of Color in the Academy Project (WOCAP) is a campus-wide faculty network at U-M that supports scholarship focused on understanding the experiences of women of color in the academy and advocacy work to address the challenges and issues faced uniquely by women of color in the academy
    • Women of Color Task Force
      • The Women of Color Task Force (WCTF) is a University of Michigan staff organization that provides professional development, networking, and training opportunities for employees, with a focus on addressing the needs of women of color staff

    Contributions to this page are encouraged from across the OVPR community. If you know of a resource that you would like to see added to this list, email UMORDEICOMMITTEE@umich.edu

    Unit DEI Leads