Office for Disparities Research and Workforce Diversity Webinar Series: Mission-Driven & Equity-Centered Approaches to Graduate Admissions

Overview

In June 2023, the United States Supreme Court issued pivotal rulings on affirmative action, reshaping the terrain for admissions policies and practices at all institutions of higher education, including graduate education. As colleges and universities confront this changing legal landscape, there is a pressing need to explore innovative approaches to selection processes and practices that respect the principles of diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion to enable graduate institutions to benefit from the full range of talents in the country and promote Creativity and innovation in science.

During this webinar, experts in graduate education and systemic change management will discuss evidence-based practices and case studies of successful holistic admissions programs. The webinar will provide faculty, admissions officers, and other higher education professionals with a roadmap for implementing mission-driven systemic change in graduate admissions.

This webinar is closely related to a webinar the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) hosted in 2023, “Building Equitable and Inclusive Graduate Programs: From Recruitment to Admission and Retention.”

About the speakers

Sara Xayarath Hernandez
Associate Dean of Student and Faculty Inclusion and Engagement
Cornell University Graduate School

As associate dean for Student and Faculty Inclusion and Engagement at Cornell University’s Graduate School, Hernandez serves as a member of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education’s senior leadership team and provides vision and strategic management for Cornell University’s initiatives and policies. the Graduate School related to access and diversity. , inclusion, equity and systemic change in graduate admissions and mentoring. In collaboration with partners within the Graduate School and the Provost Office of Faculty Development and Diversity, Hernandez co-directs the Faculty Advancing Inclusive Mentoring Resource Center, which supports faculty in their development as mentors and graduate students in their experiences. tutorial.

Hernandez is the principal investigator on a grant funded by the Sloan Foundation that focuses on improving holistic, equity-based admissions and mentoring practices for graduate students within the Sloan University Exemplary Mentoring Centers and Association communities. of Sloan Indigenous Graduates. He is also a member of the steering committee and a member of the leadership team of the national Consortium on Equity in Graduate Education. Additionally, Hernández serves on the steering and advisory committees of the Ivy+ Faculty Advancement Network, Council of Graduate Schools, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, and Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.

Hernández identifies as Chicana and mestiza and is the son of first and second generation immigrants. She grew up in a rural Midwestern farming community where, along with her mother, she participated in social equity work with migrant farmworker communities from a young age. She is a first-generation college graduate and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Zoology from Ohio Wesleyan University and a Master’s Degree in Regional Planning from Cornell University. Navigating life in partnership with her husband and keeping up with her young daughter brings her great joy and keeps her grounded.

Denzil A. Streete, Ph.D.
Senior Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Education
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Dr. Streete serves as Senior Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Education at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he leads the team responsible for the well-being of the Institute’s more than 7,000 graduate students. He previously served as associate vice provost for Graduate Studies and chief of staff in the Graduate Division at the University of California, Berkeley, and as assistant dean for Graduate Student Development and Diversity at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. Yale University. Driven by his own Ph.D. experience, Dr. Streete has dedicated his career to transforming graduate education, focusing on the recruitment and retention of minority students and expanding their graduate career opportunities.

In addition to speaking at campus and national conferences, Dr. Streete employs web-based approaches to student recruitment. In particular, he initiated the “Pipeline to the Ph.D. Bootcamp” in 2018 and other disciplinary bootcamps, which have provided more than 5,000 underrepresented students across the country with tools and knowledge to apply to competitive doctoral programs. She also facilitates workshops for faculty and staff with individual graduate programs to improve their hiring strategies and departmental climates.

Born in Morvant, Trinidad and Tobago, Denzil moved to the United States to pursue his university education. He graduated cum laude from St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York, with a bachelor’s degree in Economics. Subsequently, he obtained his doctorate from Teachers College, Columbia University, specializing in Comparative and International Education with a focus on Educational Economics.

About the moderator

Brittany Haynes, Ph.D.
Director of Workforce Diversity and Equity Program
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Office of Workforce Disparities and Diversity Research

Dr. Haynes is the director of the Workforce Diversity and Equity program in the NIMH Office of Workforce Diversity and Disparities Research. In this role, Dr. Haynes coordinates and advances a portfolio of research scholarship focused on achieving diversity and equity in the workforce at all levels of the scientific career, from undergraduate students to faculty, in the mental health space.

Previously, Dr. Haynes was a science program specialist in the Education Division of the Office of Policy, Communications and Education at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS). At NCATS, he worked to expand the translational science workforce by evaluating translational science training programs and developing translational science curricula. Dr. Haynes received her PhD in Cancer Biology from Wayne State University and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Haynes was also a Science and Technology Policy Fellow for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in the NCATS Division of Preclinical Innovation Intramural Training Office.

About the Office of Workforce Disparities and Diversity Research Webinar Series

The Office for Workforce Diversity and Disparities Research webinar series is designed for researchers conducting or interested in conducting research on mental health disparities, women’s mental health, health Minority mental health and rural mental health.

Record

This webinar is free, but registration required .