Diversity Action Plan

Department of Mathematics Diversity Mission Statement

The Department of Mathematics of Towson University, in accordance with the Towson University Strategic Plan and the FCSM Plan, and consistent with the department's tradition of valuing and promoting diversity-enhancing practices and measures, believes that initiatives promoting diversity among faculty, staff and students must be supported. To this end, the Department of Mathematics is committed to creating and maintaining a climate which is welcoming to individuals of all races, age groups, experiences, national origins, ethnic backgrounds, religions, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, gender, disabilities, and race. This commitment also extends to the recruitment and retention of faculty, staff and students. The department has a long-held belief that this is the type of environment that leads to productivity and an overall sense of well-being. In accordance with Towson University and FCSM Plan, this document describes the Department of Mathematics' diversity objectives, action steps, assessment and time frames for evaluation.

Department of Mathematics Diversity Action Plan

Department of Mathematics Climate

Action Steps	Assessment and Performance Measures	Responsible Person(s)	Time frame
Formalize the Department Diversity Committee: This committee will be charged with the collection of all data that is pertinent to diversity, overseeing the proper implementations of the measures contained in this document unless otherwise indicated in this document, and with keeping this document current. The chair of this committee will act as the department liaison to FCSM Plan Committee.	Department approves Diversity Committee as a standing committee to meet at least twice a semester	Chair approves, Department votes at a Department meeting	Once suggestions are approved
New adjunct faculty orientation program will include a short presentation and a handout on diversity related resources	All new adjunct faculty will participate in an orientation to the department and complete an evaluation about its effectiveness in helping them understand the department	Department. Assistant Chair/s and Diversity Committee	August of each year
Develop Committee website with relevant diversity statistics data, best practices links, reference resources	Create the website and management plan for updates	Diversity Committee and the web master	To be decided by the Diversity Committee
Adapt criteria for best practices from the FCSM website	Diversity Committee reviews the best practices established by the FCSM and adapts these for the Department. These will be posted on the department website, along with a listing of resources and contacts.	Diversity Committee and the web master	To be decided by the Diversity Committee

Department of Mathematics Faculty Recruitment

Action Steps	Assessment and Performance Measures	Responsible Person(s)	Time frame
Continue to ensure diverse composition of search committees*	Departmental Records, Office of Inclusion Records	Department Chair, Search Committee Chair	As searches arise
Continue to ensure dissemination of advertisements to diverse outlets	Office of Inclusion Records, Office of Human Resources	Search Committee Chair	As searches arise
Participate in the development of a working list of outlets for recruiting underrepresented groups to be made available on the FCSM website	Diversity Committee	Chair, Diversity Committee	Annual updates
Encourage faculty membership in minority/underrepresented group professional societies	Survey of faculty	Chair	Annual
Faculty recruitment goals will align with the statistics related to sex&, race, and ethnicity for the recruitment field	Compare recruitment statistics against national figures for doctoral degrees in each discipline	Diversity Committee	Annual
Include in the recruitment packet, Towson University's vision statement for diversity and the name/s of appropriate individuals to contact for additional information		Department Chair, Search Committee Chair	As searches arise

* This must be done to the extent possible, without over-burdening certain department members who serve to "diversify" the committee
^& For example, in Mathematics, women are an underrepresented group; in Mathematics Education, particularly in pre-secondary concentrations, men (not women) are underrepresented

Department of Mathematics Faculty Retention and Professional Development

Action Steps	Assessment and Performance Measures	Responsible Person(s)	Time frame
Collect data on faculty retention for last 5 years including number hired and number retained with related diversity information: number of tenure-track/tenured, permanent lecturer	Summarize results, compare to FCSM averages and relate to diversity. Evaluate department actions to improve retention based on data	Diversity Committee	Annual update
Evaluate the department's long tradition of using Resource and Evaluation Committees in mentoring junior faculty.	Confidential survey to junior Faculty measuring satisfaction with support from Resource & Evaluation Committees	Chair	To be decided by the Diversity Committee
Identify areas that impact faculty retention (determine resources/equipment needed by new faculty for research and teaching, ways to give credit for activities that complement teaching and scholarship, spouse or partner employment, new faculty information resources, workload/salary/travel/ compensation issues)	Survey to Faculty member eliciting support needs and extent to which they are met	Chair, R&E Committees	To be decided by the Diversity Committee
Have the Chair of the Search Committee support the transition of newly hired faculty before an R&E Committee has been designated	Include this responsibility among the description of the Search Committee Chair	Chair, Search Committee	To be decided by the Diversity Committee
Limit the size of the majority of Department Committees to at most five members. This will have the potential of reducing some unnecessary service burdens on faculty.	Department votes, Chair implements	Chair	To be decided by the Diversity Committee
Direct faculty to view the online training course developed by the FCSM and complete any questions	Faculty will develop a brief evaluation survey to determine the effectiveness of the online training course, in terms of educating faculty about diversity issues	Volunteers within the Department who will also analyze the data and report back to the Department	Once FCSM has created the course
Invite prominent speakers in the field of diversity and inclusion to address faculty during a colloquium or a Department meeting	Allocate funds for speaker. Have a brief evaluation form to be used following any sessions, so faculty can share thoughts about the content	Chair of Diversity Committee to contact FCSM Chair of Diversity Committee for names of speakers and /or resources. Committee works with Department Chair or Colloquium Chair to set up presentations	Following approval of this plan

Department of Mathematics Student Recruitment

Action Steps	Assessment and Performance Measures	Responsible Person(s)	Time frame
Department of Mathematics student recruitment goals should be aligned with Maryland ethnicity statistics	Annually review student ethnicity		Annual
Strengthen the department ties with Alumni	Alumni Committee	Alumni Committee Chair
Department continues to participate in TU Open Houses and College Fairs for geographically diverse High Schools	Check University level recruitment efforts	Chair	To be decided by the Diversity Committee
Collaborate with relevant University initiatives with diversity goals, such as TOPS		Chair	To be decided by the Diversity Committee
Facilitate TU/High school and TU/Middle School tutoring program, e.g. America Counts or grant initiatives	Summarize activities of this nature in annual Diversity Committee report	Diversity Committee	To be decided by the Diversity Committee
Encourage admissions to conduct tours in other languages (targeting 1st generation families)	Provide suggestion to Admissions	Admissions
Provide access to ethnicity statistics of students currently in the program and those who graduated on the department web page	Work with the Office of Institutional Research on obtaining the data	Diversity Committee, Department webmaster	To be decided by the Diversity Committee

Department of Mathematics Student Retention

Action Steps	Assessment and Performance Measures	Responsible Person(s)	Time frame
Assist faculty to be sensitive to the issue of diversity in the classroom	Orientation of faculty, Faculty Diversity liaison	Chair, Diversity Committee	Start now
Assist faculty with ways to introduce diversity issues in the classroom and make course material more inclusive	Orientation for new faculty. Establish resource web site with best practices for current and new faculty	May be best done at the College level – FCSM Diversity Action Committee	To be decided by the Diversity Committee
Look into the possibility of reimbursing student memberships to minority/ underrepresented group scholarly societies: Association of Women in Math (AWM), National Association of Mathematicians(NAM), Society for Advancing Chicanos, Hispanics and Native Americans in Science (SACNAS), American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES), Mexican American Engineers & Scientists, Society of (MAES)	Diversity Committee will explore possible costs and inform the Chair of the Department	Chair, Diversity Committee	To be decided by the Diversity Committee
Include the diversity link from FCSM in every syllabus along with the diversity statement*	Chair of the Diversity Committee will share the link and the statement with all full-time and adjunct faculty; statement included on Department syllabus template	Chair of the Diversity Committee	Following approval of this plan

* Towson University values diversity and fosters a climate that is grounded in respect and inclusion, enriches the educational experience of students, supports positive classroom and workplace environments, promotes excellence, and cultivates the intellectual and personal growth of the entire university community. Should you feel that you are experiencing a negative environment related to diversity issues or cultural sensitivity, we encourage you to contact the Department's Diversity Committee Chair, Dr. Kim Corum at kcorum@towson.edu.