Faculty response to DTA program exceeds expectations
October 14, 2015
The submission period for the Diversity Transformation Award Program attracted 67 proposals, more than twice the number anticipated by the Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Team, when the period ended Friday (Oct. 9), the team reports.
"I am extremely gratified by the response," says Provost Deba Dutta, who took on the role of chief diversity officer as of July 1. "Faculty from every college are represented in these submissions, showing a campus-wide commitment to improving the overall climate of Purdue."
Those who submitted proposals are to submit their presentation slides by today (Oct. 14) and prepare to meet with the selection panel next week.
The Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Team announced the DTA program to address recruitment, enrollment, retention, and graduation of underrepresented minority students, as well as their transition into graduate programs. The program also seeks to increase the number of underrepresented minority faculty and staff members, and create a nationally recognized center of activity in studying factors affecting inclusiveness and success of underrepresented minority students and faculty.
Joining Dutta as part of the Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Team are Mark J.T. Smith, dean of the Graduate School; Ximena B. Arriaga, provost fellow and associate professor of psychological sciences; and Venetria Patton, provost fellow and professor of English and African American studies.
"Enhanced diversity and inclusiveness ensures the highest-quality education for all students, providing them exposure to a full spectrum of creativity, perspectives, and experiences," Smith says. "We hoped that by asking Purdue's faculty, we would find a rich set of new ideas. It appears we have."
By today (Oct. 14), presentation slides for the proposals should be submitted electronically using the DTA submission template (if not already submitted). Principal investigators will present their proposals Monday (Oct. 19) to an evaluation panel whose members include faculty scholars from all academic colleges. Each proposer will give a five-minute presentation, then take questions from the panel for an additional five minutes. Due to the number of proposal submissions, the panel will be split and two presentation sections will run concurrently.
Shortly after the presentations are made, the evaluation committee will select a subset of proposals for a second round of presentations on November 6. For round 2, presenters will be given 10 minutes to present, with 10 additional minutes allowed for questions.
