 |
  
|
 |
|
|
|
|
In This Issue:
|
 |
Building a Diverse Faculty“When I became dean in 1995, there were 4 women faculty members in SEAS; now there are 14. While the number is growing, we recognize that it is not enough.” With those words, Dean Zvi Galil launched an initiative of The Earth Institute and The Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science that will more fully integrate women and men from a range of backgrounds into all aspects of academic life. The ADVANCE program is funded by a five-year, $4.2 million grant from the National Science Foundation, and provides supplemental funding to support recruiting a diverse faculty. 
President Lee C. Bollinger; Robin Bell, Director of ADVANCE at The Earth Institute and
Doherty Senior Research Scholar; Charles M. Vest, president emeritus and professor of
mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Dean Zvi Galil; Jean
Howard, Vice Provost for Diversity Initiatives, and Morton B. Friedman, Vice Dean.
Dean Galil noted that SEAS has achieved a measure of success in recent hires of women faculty but remains challenged in the effort to attract minority faculty members. He expects that the School, with the ADVANCE program, will energize the effort to create a faculty that is composed of members from diverse backgrounds whose teaching and research will enhance the strength of the School. “Our goal is to have an Engineering faculty that is more reflective of the population at large,” he said, “and I believe that we can achieve it.”
“We need a fully engaged, internationally competitive and cohesive society. There are these large issues that I think make it even more of an obligation for us to do our part in building the leadership . . . to make a 21st century faculty that reflects the ratio of ethnic richness of America.” Dr. Charles M. Vest
To implement this initiative, Dean Galil has appointed a committee, chaired by Patricia Culligan, professor of civil engineering and engineering mechanics, to oversee diversity activities within the School. A full-time diversity resource officer will be recruited to provide SEAS with the ongoing technical and administrative support needed to ensure the initiative’s success. “There are a variety of push and pull factors that influence the choices of women and minority engineers,” said Professor Culligan, who is chair of the newly established SEAS Diversity Initiatives Committee. “We look forward to working with ADVANCE to identify these factors and to develop strategies for building a more inclusive institution.”
Dr. Charles M. Vest, president emeritus and professor of mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a recognized champion of diversity in academia, stimulated discussion with a talk on “Diversity in Science and Engineering: Personal and Institutional Journeys, Obligations, and Opportunities” given in a recent visit to Columbia. Vest voiced his concern that not enough is being done to encourage women and minority students to become part of the academic pipeline to faculty status. His research has shown that there are some optimistic signs for women in science and engineering, especially in the life sciences, but the same does not hold true for minorities. “We must not ignore the earlier years,” he said, and noted that research “tells us even when we recruit minority students, they are graduating at a much lower rate.” “We need a fully engaged, internationally competitive and cohesive society,” Vest said. “There are these large issues that I think make it even more of an obligation for us to do our part in building the leadership . . . to make a 21st century faculty that reflects the ratio of ethnic richness of America.”
|
|
|
 |
