AS&E Diversity Council
- Convened by the AS&E Office of Diversity Education and Development, the AS&E Diversity Council is a group of administrators whose positions are directly dedicated to diversity issues. The Diversity Council focuses on institutional diversity issues for undergraduates and graduate students. It works on identifying gaps and needs relating to diversity issues, and on collaborating with the administrators of appropriate offices to make sure those issues are addressed. The Diversity Council also consults with administrative offices as appropriate about issues relating to institutional diversity.
- The AS&E Diversity Fund was established in AY 1999-2000 to fund projects and events that will have the greatest potential for long-lasting positive effect on the Tufts community, and in ways that bring different groups together. The Diversity Fund is now well-established at Tufts, with a Request for Proposals sent out each semester; an Advisory Committee that makes recommendations to the Deans of Arts & Sciences and of Engineering, who make the final decisions; and grants awarded in the following areas: student life programming, student recruitment, campus climate initiatives, curriculum development, course enhancement, speaker/performance series and single events, faculty workshops, and conferences.
AS&E Office of Diversity Education and Development (AS&E Diversity Office)
- The AS&E Diversity Office works collaboratively with faculty and staff to augment the diverse community that already exists at Tufts. This office is responsible for developing, implementing, and assessing a range of programs for faculty, staff, and students, and for collaborating with offices, departments, and programs in the School of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering and other parts of the University, as appropriate, to promote diversity. The Director of the AS&E Diversity Office monitors all faculty searches as Affirmative Action Officer; administers the AS&E Diversity Fund; and convenes the AS&E Diversity Council. In collaboration with the Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT), the Program and Education Director provides workshops and consultations for faculty about effective teaching for a diverse student population. The AS&E Diversity Office, in collaboration with the University Office of Institutional Diversity, also sponsors a lecture series on “Research and Pedagogy on Inequality and Difference.”
Associate Director of Diversity Recruitment, Undergraduate Admissions
- Focuses on a range of programs within Undergraduate Admissions to do outreach to students from underrepresented groups to build the applicant pool. This position dedicated to diversity recruitment strengthens the overall commitment of the Office of Undergraduate Admissions to enrolling a diverse student body.
- The Bias Initiative at Tufts was formed to respond to and engage our community in discussions about acts of bias and intolerance. The program also seeks to provide resources for the student community to effectively respond to incidents of bias and intolerance. Its mission is to encourage an understanding of the effects of acts of bias and intolerance, to create a sense of community responsibility, and to build an environment of mutual respect through education and dialogue. The Bias Initiative has two components: The Administrative Contact Team is responsible for monitoring reported incidents and for maintaining and disseminating a list of verified reports. The Bias Education and Awareness Team (BEATBias) is a group of students, convened and advised by the Associate Dean of Students, that provides educational programming and facilitates peer-led discussions and events that foster the understanding and support of campus diversity.
- The Department of Biology at Tufts University offers a National Science Foundation (NSF) funded summer research program entitled “Integrative approaches to studying recognition systems in cells, organisms, and populations” in which 10 students work closely on a collaborative, interdisciplinary project. The goals of this summer program are: to increase students’ proficiency in biological research and collaborative skills, to educate and inspire students toward future research careers, and to develop students’ ability to effectively communicate scientific results. In addition to research, students participate in weekly discussions, seminars, field trips, and a symposium. The Department especially encourages applications from women and minorities, as well as students from community colleges and other institutions that do not traditionally offer research opportunities.
Career Services – Diversity Resources and Diverse Opportunities Newsletter
- Career Services Diverse Opportunities Newsletter provides career-related information of special interest to students of color, women, and LGBT students.
Center for Engineering Education Outreach (CEEO)
- The Tufts University Center for Engineering Education & Outreach (CEEO) is a leader in supporting efforts to integrate engineering into K-12 education. The CEEO consists of four divisions or pillars working closely to ultimately achieve the mission: outreach; educational technology development; research; student workshops and teacher professional development. CEEO works with several local school systems, and reaches a diverse audience. CEEO’s Student Teacher Outreach Mentorship Program (STOMP) places undergraduates in local-area classrooms, where they develop and teach an engineering curriculum that fosters technological literacy. Much of STOMP’s outreach is geared toward underserved communities.
- CIRCLE research seeks to increase civic and political engagement among non-college youth, and ethnic minority and immigrant youth, who are traditionally civically disengaged. CIRCLE’s research on non-college youth show that half of the 18-to-29 year-old population that do not attend college are people of color, and about 21% are immigrants. In addition, CIRCLE research show that volunteer rates vary among racial and ethnic categories.
- (formerly named DILES – the Center for Diversity and Inclusive Leadership in Engineering and Science) The Center for STEM Diversity provides an umbrella organization for programs and organizations within Tufts that are working to diversify the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) fields. The Center focuses on increasing participation of women and students from groups traditionally underrepresented in engineering and science. The Center is housed and funded by the School of Engineering, but serves the School of Arts and Sciences as well.
Center for STEM Diversity Annual Symposium
- The inaugural symposium in April 2009 showcased the accomplishments of student organizations from the School of Engineering and the School of Arts and Sciences.
Committee on Equal Educational Opportunity
- The committee consists of five or more members of the Arts, Sciences and Engineering faculty serving 5-year terms, up to three elected undergraduate students from Arts, Sciences and Engineering including at least one student from Arts and Sciences and from Engineering, and at least one graduate student named by the Graduate Student Council. The task of the committee is to concern itself with those programs intended to provide equal educational opportunity to students from all segments of society, to promote efforts to attract, support and retain students, faculty, administrators, and staff from all segments of society, and to be concerned with the creation of a positive working, learning, and living environment for the campus community.
Computer Science, Engineering, and Math Scholars (CSEMS)
- CSEMS promotes the academic advancement and degree achievement of talented undergraduates from low-income backgrounds, with an emphasis on underrepresented groups, females, and/or first-generation college-goers. The program provides students with scholarships that replace their work-study grants, thereby freeing them from the need to hold a job and allowing them to focus more on schoolwork. CSEMS students also meet weekly as a group as first-years and sophomores, and are mentored by junior-year alumni of the program, graduate students, and faculty.
Disability Services, Academic Resource Center
- The Director of Disability Services coordinates services and accommodations for students with disabilities.
Empowering Leadership Alliance (EL Alliance)
- Tufts is a member of the EL Alliance, a national network of dedicated students, faculty, and staff which provides empowering experiences and two-way programs that aim to ensure the success of minority scholars in computing at research institutions.
Group of Six Cultural Centers
- The Africana; Asian American; International; Latino; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender; and Women’s Centers — the “Group of Six” — work with students on intellectual, leadership, and personal development and serve as advisors to integrate academic and co-curricular activities for the campus community. In conjunction with a range of university departments and offices, the Centers cultivate an environment where diverse student backgrounds and philosophies are supported and valued. The Centers also work with faculty, staff, and students to address academic, climate, and diversity issues.
- Health Careers Fellows is designed to help students from educationally or economically disadvantaged backgrounds succeed in attaining graduate degrees in public health and medicine. Undergraduates chosen to join HCF are offered supplementary academic tutoring, counseling, and advising, as well as free MCAT test preparation. Students benefit from weekly meetings which help to generate a supportive community.
- Jumpstart, through Tisch College, pairs college students one-on-one in a year long commitment with a child in a low-income preschool program. Students complete 300 hours of service as Americorps members and participate in over 60 hours of training, including child development, citizenship and diversity trainings.
Minority Association of Pre-Med Students (MAPS)
- The Minority Association of Pre-Med Students is the undergraduate organization of the Student National Medical Association (SNMA), which represents the interests of medical students of color and is concerned with meeting the needs of underserved populations. The Tufts chapter of MAPS provides a supportive network of medical school-bound undergraduates, as well as an opportunity to meet medical students of color at the Tufts University School of Medicine.
National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE)
- The Tufts chapter of this national organization provides support and community for students. Many students also attend regional and national conferences, which provide good graduate school and employment networking opportunities.
- NERD Girls is a group, founded at Tufts, designed to combat the negative perception of women engineers and scientists, which is compounded by the “egghead” stereotype associated with engineering and science in general. NERD Girls work on projects, such as building a solar car or designing alternative energy sources for coastal islands, which develop and demonstrate their competence as engineers.
Orientation Programs
- Orientation for incoming First-Year students includes two programs directly concerned with diversity. “Many Stories, One Community” is a panel of returning sophomores, juniors, and seniors from a wide diversity of backgrounds who talk about their experiences at Tufts, and what they have learned about themselves and others. “In the Sack” combines an informational presentation, skits, and accounts of personal experiences to increase awareness of sexual assault and acquaintance rape.
Retention Task Force
- The Retention Task Force, convened by the Dean of Undergraduate Education, focused on assessing and developing resources and programs to support low-income and first-generation-college students. There is a significant overlap between these groups and students of color at Tufts. Some of the Task Force’s recommendations are already in place (e.g., financial aid for Summer Session courses; financial aid for pre-Orientation programs; a half-credit “College 101″ course on academic skill-building and time management), and others are in process.
Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
- The Tufts chapter of this national organization provides support and community for students. Many students also attend regional and national conferences, which provide good graduate school and employment networking opportunities.
Study group program designed to increase academic success and retention in introductory science and engineering courses
- Piloted in Biology 13 and 14 in AY2008-2009, this program will be expanded to Math 11 and Physics 11 in AY 2009-2010. Study groups, facilitated by student tutors, are offered to students who fail or do poorly on early quizzes and tests in a given course. The Center for STEM Diversity collaborates with the Academic Resource Center and faculty from the relevant departments to recruit and train the student tutors; advertise the study group program to students in the classes; and assess the outcomes.
Telescope Weekend
- The Office of Undergraduate Admissions brings students from underrepresented groups to campus to encourage prospective students to apply to Tufts (Fall weekend) and to encourage accepted students to choose Tufts (Spring weekend).
Tisch Active Citizenship Summer (ACS)
- Tisch College’s ACS program is an opportunity for Tufts students to grow as committed public citizens and leaders. Each summer fellow works to build stronger communities and societies on a local, national or international level. Fellows gain skills and experience that guide and shape their development as active citizens. ACS provides financial support to a diverse student group. Students are exposed to experiences often out of reach due to financial constraints. Additionally, Fellows work with diverse populations in the International and Project PERIS Somerville programs.
Women in Computer Science (WICS)
- WICS serves as a resource to the women in the Computer Science department, coordinating mentoring and tutoring projects and providing a friendly environment for students to socialize and discuss their coursework, research, and career opportunities in Computer Science. Founded as a Tufts student organization, it is now a chapter of the national organization ACM-W, the Association of Computing Machinery – Committee on Women in Computing.
