TimeLINE
Building a State-System Model
Building a model has required an iterative process of ideation, putting things into practice, receiving/integrating feedback, and institutionalizing policy. This is an ongoing effort, but we hope that this timeline is helpful for those considering replicating this model.
This year, our focus revolves around enhancing departmental coherence and expanding professional opportunities
We're researching the processes employed by departments for our Departmental Readiness self-assessment and are in the planning phase for continued pilot programs.
We're refining the expectations set for both mentors and mentees while concurrently developing a clear set of expectations for Department Chairs.
Our aim is to level the playing field. We're in the process of developing a database to make it easier to recruit underrepresented scholars for positions and opportunities within USM.
Strengthening our relationships and understanding of our partner institutions is crucial. This year, we've scheduled visits to Salisbury University, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, and University of Maryland, Baltimore.
TIMELINE
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
- Met with Community College of Baltimore County department chair and leaders about a parallel program for postdoctoral hiring and conversion of minoritized scholars. This program was approved in Spring 2023 and they are launching in the Fall.
- Attended the NSF Includes Aspire Alliance’s Summer Institute in June 2023. Created an action plan for improving departmental climate through institutional and system change and presented it to the Leadership Team at our summer retreat in June 2023.
- Met with a team from Cornell University FIRST program to discuss departmental readiness interventions. Minutes can be found here. They will be presenting at the RISE UPP webinar on October 31, 2023.
- Began working on a Fellowship Progress Monitoring spreadsheet where we can more easily track all our Fellows, their mentors, the training of their mentors, PD they attend, notes about their aspirations, etc.
- Began working on a Mentor Matching process document to help us outline ways we will keep track of outstanding informal mentors across the Alliance, as well as a process for how we might identify mentors.
- A new fellow was hired as Towson’s inaugural PROMISE Academy Fellow. They will join the department of Biology as a predetermined Fellow in March 2023.
- Five fellows took a field trip to the eastern shore on February 2nd. Salisbury University and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore hosted the group. Fellows got to tour facilities, meet with faculty, meet with students, and enjoy eating out in the city of Salisbury.
- Invited the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Sciences (UMCES) into the Alliance. UMCES hopes to have 3-6 fellows in the predetermined pathway in the near future.
- One Fellow transitioned to tenure track at UMCP.
- Hosted an NSF Grants 101 workshop at UMBC, in person, for APAA Fellows as well as postdocs from other institutions. We had over 40 scholars attend, including 6 APAA Fellows, and did a tour of the UMBC Campus and laboratory space with the Fellows afterwards (an assistant professor, Mercedes Burns, herself a minoritized scholar, did the tour).
- Departmental Readiness was deployed as part of UMBC’s CNMS departments. External evaluators were hired to review and score these assessments.
- Held kickoff orientation Fellows meeting in September 2023.
- Created a Professional Development spreadsheet detailing USM-wide events. Fellows will be alerted of updates to the spreadsheet at the beginning of each month.
- Worked with the National Association of System Heads to start a webinar series about Faculty Diversification efforts, and APAA and RISE UPP were featured in the first webinar on 1/31/23.
- Executed our first PROMISE Academy Newsletter in February 2023.
- Submitted manuscript about Water for Systems Change framework to understand the impact of the APAA program within the USM. It was submitted to Understanding Interventions in June 2023.
- Presented to USM Academic Affairs Advisory Committee (Provosts) on February 28, 2023.
- Presented to a group of FIRST institutions Faculty Development Core teams about Departmental Readiness in May 2023.
- Created a flyer about the PROMISE Academy.
- Wrote a manuscript, “Intentional Mentoring Networks for Minoritized Postdocs within a University System” about our mentor survey that was accepted to the UNM Mentoring Institute. It should be published after the conference (conference in October, publication anticipated in early 2024).
- Presented to the Diversity Committee of the University System of Maryland.
- UMB Leadership Team members met with T32 faculty PIs to provide overview about PROMISE and potential pipeline from postdocs rotating off T32 to mentor funding becoming PROMISE fellows
- Updated Recruitment Guide to include National Postdoctoral Association’s IMPACT fellows - URM scholars supported for professional development.
- Worked with UMBC’s URM Executive Committee to revise our short version of a Departmental Readiness Assessment tool and are currently preparing to pilot as a part of the UMBC Provost’s Fellowship for Faculty Diversity program in Fall 2022.
- Began the process of building a Sample Conversion Process document to add to the tools we have developed for our program.
- Met with Chancellor Jay Perman and Sr. Vice Chancellor Joann Boughman, as well as Chief of Staff to the Chancellor, about the progress of APAA, need for system level support, and the upcoming INCLUDES Alliance work.
- Began work with NSF INCLUDES Aspire lead Dr. Don Gillian-Daniel to create a companion resource to the Departmental Readiness that will offer departments ways to enhance their “readiness” to recruit, retain and support minoritized faculty.
- Created and approved of Affiliate and Faculty Fellows programs to facilitate broader participation in the PROMISE Academy and continued engagement of Fellows that convert into tenure-track faculty.
- Hired a new Fellow from UMB
- Two Fellows were transitioned to tenure track at UMBC.
- Hosted a APAA Information and Recruitment session at the Summer Success Institute
- Began outreach to USM departments about the Flexible Fellows. Created a brief packet highlighting 3 fellows and sent individual emails to Biology and Psychology chairs at USM institutions and at UMCES in February 2022.
- Departmental Readiness was deployed as part of UMBC’s Fellows for Faculty Diversity program with 11 departments participating.
- Held monthly Fellows meetings that took place in September, October, November and February. In October, the Fellows had the opportunity to interact with three experienced mentors across our system about “selecting mentees.”
- Participated as panelists for an ECBC Webinar on March 14, 2022 about using Systems Thinking in AGEP.
- Presented at an AGEP Symposium on Approaches to Faculty Diversity on March 29, 2022
- Three abstracts accepted to the National Postdoc Association Conference (Postdocs at PUIs, Skills Assessment, Departmental Readiness) - April 2022
- Presented the progress of APAA and INCLUDES to the USM STEM Deans at the Summer Success Institute in August 2022.
- Presented the impacts of our model at the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) conference in November 2022.
- Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment is piloting our Departmental Readiness Assessment.
- Presented APAA Program to USM STEM Deans to build relationships in broader USM (January)
- Began fleshing out the “Not-Predetermined Pathway” and renamed it the “Flexible Pathway” (Feb-March) discussed this with our EAB in April, whole APAA team in July.
- Presented to the USM AAAC committee about facilitating conversion through system-wide search waiver language, though institutional language is still preferred.
- Created and iteratively edited an Onboarding Checklist to ensure a solid transition of fellows to campuses (development notes).
- Began working with UMCP’s Advance team on a “short” Departmental Readiness Assessment tool, an adaptation was piloted at UMCP in fall 2021 (development notes)
- Created a USM Orientation for new Fellows.
- Hired 3 new Fellows: 1 at UMBC, 2 at UMCP and 1 at UMB (bringing total to 9 so far)
- Used the resources in the Guidance Document for the Recruitment and Selection of APAA Fellows to send out personal invitations to over 200 URM biomedical postdocs and advanced graduate students outside our USM network (in addition to over 100 scholars within our network) to attend a July 22 Recruitment & Information Session (Flyer).
- Began constructing the Opportunities for Professorial Advancement database with USM’s IT Department.
- Began having monthly cohort meetings with Fellows. Mentors in Residence (national URM STEM leaders) attended 3 of these meetings to connect with Fellows and provide advice.
- TU commits to hiring a Fellow for Fall 2022 start.
- Submitted two manuscripts, one on Developing a State-System Model for Faculty Diversity and the other as a review on New Efforts to Diversify Faculty: Postdoc Conversion Models, including our model.
- Presented at the National Postdoc Association Conference and presented at the AGEP National Research Conference, NSF INCLUDES Convening (August)
- Presented to the National Association of System Heads (all systems and special meeting of Senior Academic Officers).
- Presented “Cross Institutional Collaboration for Mentor Training” at the AAMC GREAT conference.
- Presented APAA model to UNC, TAMU, and UT systems offices and Provosts, soliciting their involvement in an INCLUDES Alliance Proposal.
- Project Director meets with USM staff multiple times about system support, policy, funding, legislative requests
- Finalized Annual Calendar of Structured Meetings (LT, Coordinators, Annual Retreats with broad team, Annual Meetings with EAB, virtual sessions with EAB).
- Created foundational documents: Common Learning Outcomes, Expectations for Fellows & Mentors, and Fellow Skills Assessment Tool (notes on the process for development)
- Drafted requirements for an Opportunities for Professorial Advancement database to serve both as a directory of postdoctoral fellows across the system and opportunities for those scholars (guest lectures, classes to teach, etc.).
- Annual Meeting included a self-study by the whole team to identify lessons learned & advice for other systems considering replication (agenda and notes).
- Presented APAA Program & Research on Faculty Diversification to USM Provosts to build relationships in broader USM (October)
- Hired 3 Fellows, 2 at UMCP and one at UMBC, and converted the Fellow at SU to tenure track
- Established a Guidance Document for the Recruitment and Selection of APAA Fellows which contains job ad language, recruitment contacts and suggestions, and sample rubrics.
- Revised professional development calendar around Common Learning Outcomes and Fellow needs
- Began distributing Expectations for Fellows & Mentors, and assessing Fellows with Skills Assessment Tool
- Created a prototype Opportunities for Professorial Advancement database to serve both as a directory of postdoctoral fellows across the system and opportunities for those scholars (guest lectures, classes to teach, etc.)
- Two LT members join the USM Appointment, Promotion and Rank Committee, begin conversations around system policies (such as search waivers) that facilitate conversion to tenure track.
- UMB Commits funds for a pre-determined pathway for at least 2 fellows.
- APAA Research Team presents to USM Provosts and Academic Affairs staff, with follow up at SU. SU integrates APAA input into campus diversity, equity and inclusion plan.
- Presented at AGEP National Research Meeting
- Kickoff Retreat (June) where model for Fellow Experience was generated (materials & journey maps, keys to success)
- Annual Meeting (November), welcome new Project Director
- Established Coordinator Positions on each campus
- Hired two Fellows, one at SU and one at UMCP
- Began providing professional development that leverages institutional strengths of alliance institutions
- Created Leadership Team (LT)
- Recruited External Advisory Board (EAB)
