NM EPSCoR Diversity Leadership Group

As described in our response to NSF’s Reverse Site Visit Response, NM EPSCoR held a session to address increasing faculty diversity at the State Committee meeting which was held on October 26, 2009. The State Committee members agreed with our plan to:

• Complete an environmental scan of institutional diversity at colleges and universities in New Mexico and at peer institutions within our region;
• Compile pointers to existing diversity plans within and outside our state;
• Develop a best practices diversity plan for New Mexico research universities that highlights EPSCoR diversity goals and provides recommendations and approaches for increasing the participation of women and underrepresented minorities on the faculty;
• Present the draft plan to the State Committee at its next meeting, scheduled for early May, 2010.

Our diversity efforts were further advanced at the “All Hands Meeting” held November 5, 2009 when key faculty, graduate students, post-docs and other collaborators discussed how to better achieve our diversity goals. At this meeting a Leadership Diversity Group was formed; the list of members is below. This group will assist in developing and reviewing the diversity plan mentioned above and will participate in the diversity session scheduled at the Tri-State meeting in April, 2010.