Short-Term Objectives (1 year or less)

• Collaborate with Human Resources to develop clear and intentional strategies to increase the pool of diverse candidates.
• Require all members of search committees to undergo bias training.
• Require a statement of inclusion for all job applicants.
• Develop hiring rubrics to evaluate applicants to reduce bias in search committees.

Mid-Term Objectives (1-3 years)

• Implement on-going inclusion, equity, and diversity training for all faculty, staff, and graduate students.
• Acknowledge and reward research/service/outreach (invisible labor) that focuses on inclusion, equity, and diversity in faculty/staff annual evaluations as well as the promotion and tenure process.
• Increase transparency in the promotion and tenure process by establishing clear procedures and ensuring all candidates are well-informed about the process and receive comparable advice and preparation.
• Utilize assessment tools (ex. exit interviews) to improve faculty, staff, and student hiring, recruiting, and retention.
• Ensure maternity and paternity leave are standardized for faculty, staff, and graduate students.
• Acknowledge the barrier childcare can present to faculty, staff, and graduate students and develop policies that work to address childcare needs as well as support work-life balance for all.

Long-Term Objectives (3-5 years)

• Create leadership structures that allows all members of the COSAM community to have a voice in decision-making that impacts the college by increasing the use and effectiveness of shared governance.

Short-Term Objectives (1 year or less)

• Promote student leadership through student-initiated and student-led recruitment, retention, and community empowerment efforts.

Mid-Term Objectives (1-3 years)

• Expand retention programs and support services for undergraduate students, particularly for those from marginalized communities.
• Increase scholarships opportunities (in conjunction with COSAM Office of Development) for students from groups historically excluded in STEM.
• Develop new need-based scholarship opportunities in conjunction with COSAM Office of Development.

Long-Term Objectives (3-5 years)

• Build on outreach strategies (in conjunction with the COSAM Outreach office and COSAM departments) that include developing a K-12 pathway to COSAM program for future scientist and mathematicians, specifically targeting students from groups historically excluded in STEM.
• Increase the number of undergraduate students from historically excluded groups in STEM to be commensurate with the state demographics.

Short-Term Objectives (1 year or less)

• Adopt a holistic graduate student admissions process, in conjunction with COSAM Graduate Program Officers, that includes a rubric which evaluates cognitive and non-cognitive variables such as personal statements and recommendation letters.
• Promote student leadership through student-initiated and student-led recruitment, retention, and community empowerment efforts.

Mid-Term Objectives (1-3 years)

• Develop intentional and personalized outreach strategies to recruit graduate students early and often, with an emphasis on students from groups historically excluded in STEM.
• Engage faculty in training that focuses on equitably mentoring diverse students (ex. developing cultural competency).
• Expand retention programs and support services for graduate students, particularly for those from marginalized communities.

Long-Term Objectives (3-5 years)

• Establish mutually beneficial relationships with universities in the southeast, with an emphasis on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), and community colleges to cultivate a diverse pool of graduate students.
• Generate funding for graduate school bridge programs that target individuals from groups historically excluded in STEM.
• Increase the number of graduate students from historically excluded groups in STEM to be commensurate with the state demographics.

Short-Term Objectives (1 year or less)

• Provide and support professional development opportunities (courses, conferences, etc.) for faculty and staff.
• Assess opportunities for promotion and career development with each staff member yearly during the annual review process.
• Include COSAM employment opportunities in the HR newsletter.

Mid-Term Objectives (1-3 years)

• Establish mentoring and/or coaching programs for faculty and staff.

Long-Term Objectives (3-5 years)

• Allocate funding for hiring initiatives focused on faculty from groups historically excluded in STEM (ex. AGAP or UMASS Pathways for Increasing Equity and Inclusion in Faculty Hiring).

Short-Term Objectives (1 year or less)

• Provide mechanisms for faculty and staff across departments to share their stories (ex. Flunches between faculty and staff).
• Create opportunities for alumni from marginalized communities to be involved in COSAM.

Mid-Term Objectives (1-3 years)

• Establish brave spaces which provide an affirming environment for marginalized communities in every COSAM department.
• Celebrate COSAM faculty, staff, and students semesterly through social events that highlight cultural diversity.
• Develop affinity groups for students, faculty, and staff to provide a network of support.
• Create a COSAM-wide speakers’ series which highlights the diversity of people and career paths in STEM

Long-Term Objectives (3-5 years)

• Create gender-neutral facilities that are accessible across COSAM.

Mid-Term Objectives (1-3 years)

• Create learning opportunities for students, faculty, and staff focused on real-world problems related to inequities in STEM and how they impact marginalized communities. Examples include course modules, a journal club for graduate students, and book club for faculty and staff.
• Develop an educational training program focused on equity-minded/inclusive practices.
• Create opportunities for cross-disciplinary collaborations for innovative projects related to inclusion, equity, and diversity, including committing resources and incentives for these types of initiatives.

Long-Term Objectives (3-5 years)

• Develop and implement required coursework in conjunction with University leadership at the undergraduate and graduate levels that increases awareness on the relevance and implications associated with IED in STEM, including issues that involve social justice.

Short-Term Objectives (1 year or less)

• Prominently display the COSAM mission, vision, IED statement and strategic plan on the website.
• Create an effective system of communication to include all faculty and staff to ensure that everyone receives pertinent information. Examples include updated list servs for different constituents.

Mid-Term Objectives (1-3 years)

• Provide multiple, accessible mechanisms for faculty, staff, and students to communicate (examples include town halls, forums, confidential communication, etc.).
• Create an organizational structure chart on the website of all staff and their roles within COSAM to highlight overlapping responsibilities and emphasize how staff duties directly impact faculty jobs, resources, and decisions in order to foster a more respectful dynamic between faculty and staff.
• Expand opportunities for informal interactions between faculty, staff, and students to improve the quality of their interactions.

Short-Term Objectives (1 year or less)

• Establish a mechanism to report on the progress of the IED strategic plan.
• Maintain departmental IED taskforces composed of faculty, staff, and students that serve as liaisons to OIED and are responsible for ensuring their goals and objectives are accomplished.

Mid-Term Objectives (1-3 years)

• Improve and expand on the COSAM Champions model to develop confidential reporting mechanisms for incidents of discrimination and harassment to create a safer work environment.
• Provide an external point of contact to report issues that have not been addressed to ensure they are discussed, and solutions are presented.

Long-Term Objectives (3-5 years)

• Hold department-level leadership responsible for a systematic review of policies and procedures to align operations and ensure compliance with IED goals and objectives.