The Rubenstein School has worked with others on campus in diversity and multicultural efforts, including the ALANA (African, Latino/a, Asian, and Native American) Student Center, the Center for Cultural Pluralism, and the President's Office. Over the last several years, our Dean, Associate Dean, Assistant to the Dean/Recruitment Coordinator, a faculty member, and two of our Multicultural Scholars have served or are currently serving on theUVM President's Commission on Racial Diversity. We support and participate in special events and development workshops sponsored by other academic units.
The Rubenstein School initiated a multicultural education/recruitment effort in 1988. We have expanded the program in recent years to include several components aimed at both undergraduate and graduate students. As of 2011, we now have 58 ALANA students enrolled in our School!
Faculty and staff visits to partner high schools (High School for Environmental Studies and Christopher Columbus High School in New York City) and related programs (Urban Ecology Institute in Boston) help students make connections between natural sciences, social sciences, and natural resources. Issues such as climate change, atmospheric pollution, biodiversity, and economic-environmental conflicts surrounding tourism are used to illustrate these connections. In our experience, many high-achieving multicultural students have strong natural science backgrounds but struggle to make meaningful connections between these basic disciplines and the critical issues in environment and natural resources.
Search Committees involved in hiring for positions in RSENR create and execute search plans, which succeed in identifying ALANA applicants. They make every effort to write job descriptions that will enable candidates with diverse backgrounds to be considered and then aggressively seek applications from women and people of color.
We conduct affirmative searches with guidance from the UVM Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Office and have initiated efforts to network within relevant professional venues, organizations, and conferences.
The Dean's Office provides responsive leadership to seriously address issues as they arise. We strive to create a welcoming environment for faculty, staff, and students.
