Faculty Committee on Equity and Inclusion

Charge

The Faculty Committee on Equity and Inclusion identifies, and shares with the Senate, effective approaches to cultivating a culture of equity, inclusivity, and respect that enhance the success of all faculty within a pluralistic context. It will alert the Senate to issues on campus that require attention, and will make recommendations for how the Senate can be helpful in addressing these issues, in collaboration with the Provost’s office and the Provost’s Diversity Committee. This committee will work with the Senate Executive Board to plan and implement two mini-retreats a year (one in the fall and one in the spring) that aim to enhance campus climate at USC. Topics might include how to better recruit, retain, and support a diverse faculty; how to achieve more gender equity in STEM fields; or how to help faculty to have difficult dialogues about culture in the classroom.

Specific Charge for 2021-2022 Academic Year

This year’s committee will examine faculty service and leadership in relation to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- One area of study is how DEI-centered service and leadership is valued, recognized, and/or rewarded within each school. For example, to what extent is DEI-centered service explicitly required or incentivized in merit review or promotion.
- An additional area of study concerns the extent to which faculty from groups underrepresented in academia [are able to] participate in service and leadership apart from/in addition to DEI-centered endeavors. The committee will research best practices in the literature and at peer institutions for supporting faculty from underrepresented groups to move into leadership positions.

Meetings: Contact committee chair for the date/locations of the committee meetings.