Uniquely Connected & Thriving Together in the
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences
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In this issue:
Michael Granovetter shares his work on improving diversity, equity, and inclusion in the academic medical field; Nisha Shanmugaraj speaks on her doctoral research and its impact; Jeria Quesenberry shares ongoing progress on improving faculty searches and hires; Clara Lam reflects on an anti-Asian racism panel; Jayla Hemphill writes on the meaning of "Black Lives Matter"; Eileen Lee and Adhiti Chundur reflect on the "Grow A Garden" art exhibition; and Dietrich College shares updates on our progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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A Message from Richard Scheines
Bess Family Dean
Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences
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Welcome back to The Garden, Dietrich College's Diversity and Inclusion Newsletter! The Garden highlights individual contributions towards building a just, equitable and inclusive community. |
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Dear community members,
I hope that your winter break has been restful, your health has been good, and your spirit rejuvenated!
This past fall, we hosted a forum: "Charting Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Path Forward," which highlighted the many contributions from staff, students, and faculty – transforming our conversations into action. These leaders are helping us create a culture that promotes and sincerely embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion while fostering belonging. I am grateful for this work, and for all of you who contribute to improving Dietrich in any way, large or small. Some highlights from the forum:
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Launching new professional development https://www.cmu.edu/hr/career/civility-diversity-inclusion/diversity.html;
- Increasing yield with our student admissions;
- Investing in access and support through initiatives such as LEAP and Tartan Scholars;
- Providing meaningful community engagement through the Pittsburgh Summer Internship Program;
- Initiating faculty search and hiring practices to expand our pool of candidates. These have already succeeded in changing the makeup of our most recent two or three cohorts.
Much progress, but much work to be done — The work never stops. Let's all use every bit of strength, determination, intellect, positivity, and passion we have to move forward with grace, civility, and compassion; but let's continue to move forward. I hope we can actually gather in person later in the spring, and I look forward to all we will accomplish as a community of Gardeners!
Best,
Dean Scheines
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Granovetter Challenges M.D.-Ph.D. Inequities |
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"The Garden" spoke to sixth-year trainee of Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh's joint M.D.-Ph.D Medical Science Training Program, Michael Granovetter (he/him/his). Granovetter shared his experience leading efforts to make the academic medicine field more accessible and equitable during a pandemic. His work is focused on the medical training application process.
At CMU and in collaboration with the American Physician Science Association, Granovetter plays a major role in the space of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) by serving on committees and developing programs to help prospective-trainees.
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Gardeners at CMU: Nisha Shanmugaraj |
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Nisha Shanmugaraj (she/her/hers) is a fourth-year Ph.D. candidate in the English Department's Rhetoric program. In a conversation with "The Garden" about her research, she shared her progress on her dissertation. Her research analyzes how Indian and South Asian American women live with and resist the model minority stereotype.
Shanmugaraj hopes to impact the school of anti-racist pedagogy with her research and implement it in other areas of her life, like teaching first-year writing. Ultimately, the biggest reward would be reaching other Indian and South Asian women through her dissertation work.
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Ensuring Inclusive and Excellent Faculty with Jeria Quesenberry |
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Jeria Quesenberry (she/her/hers), associate dean of faculty at Dietrich College, updated "The Garden" on current efforts to use best practices in recruiting faculty in an inclusive way. Quesenberry, who is also a teaching professor in the Information Systems program, is inspired by her research background and personal interest in work culture and climate.
Shaping Dietrich College hiring and onboarding processes, she shared, is a collaborative effort. Questions or concerns can be sent to Quesenberry herself, at [email protected].
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Panel Reflection with Clara Lam |
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Clara Lam (she/her/hers), a sophomore in information systems and advocacy chair for CMU's Asian Student Association, took the lead in organizing a virtual panel on anti-Asian racism in September. With the help of Dietrich College, she prepared questions and moderated a discussion with three accomplished academics on the topic of anti-Asian racism and solidarity building.
Despite the virtual format, the panel was successful and Lam hopes to engage Dietrich College in more events such as this in the future.
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Student Voice: Jayla Hemphill |
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Jayla Hemphill (she/her/hers) writes for "The Garden" about the Black Lives Matter movement, and the nuances of what it truly means for Black Americans to "matter" in the United States. She also looks at how the U.S. government has co-opted the phrase as to pacify rage.
Content Warning: This piece discusses the murder and death of Black people by the police.
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"Grow A Garden" - A Dietrich Student-Led Exhibition |
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"The Garden" was fortunate enough to talk to two Dietrich students who led a collaborative and student-led art exhibition called "Grow A Garden." The exhibition displayed art from ten CMU artists about all aspects of nature, from plants and bugs to sustainability. "Grow A Garden," which ran from November 12 to 19, was about taking a step back and reflecting on the human relationship with nature.
Eileen Lee (left) is a senior graduating from the BXA program, with degrees in art and psychology. "Grow A Garden" was her initiative, after being inspired by her own experience gardening and reconnecting with nature as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adhiti Chundur (right) is a senior studying human-computer interaction and cognitive psychology. She was one of ten artists who contributed work to the "Grow A Garden" exhibition. Her artwork was two watercolor paintings and an interactive digital projection.
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"Charting Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Path Forward" Overview |
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In November, Dietrich College hosted a forum, “Charting Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Path Forward.” The forum provided an overview of the implementation of our efforts since the launch of our strategic plan. Additionally, the forum highlighted the many contributions made by our faculty, staff and students. We are grateful for their time, talent and dedication to help build a community that overcomes obstacles and where we all feel (and know) we belong. It also was an opportunity for our community to learn from our Vice Provost and Chief Diversity Officer Dr. Wanda Heading-Grant about university-wide initiatives and her vision for inclusive excellence. While we are happy to be forging forward, Dietrich College will remain steadfast in our commitment to building a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community that endures for years to come. Thank you for doing your part! Only together can we enact greater change and deliver a lasting impact.
The forum’s slideshow is available via the link to the left. You will need to log into Box utilizing your Andrew ID.
We encourage you to provide feedback on the forum and Dietrich College's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts on the following Google Form.
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Have an idea, feedback or comments to share with The Garden? |
If so, please send an email to [email protected] with the subject line "The Garden."
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Get Connected With Dietrich College |
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