Workshop Description: Diversity statements are being used more and more as supplements to different academic applications. This includes graduate school, fellowships, scholarships, and faculty positions at many universities. This workshop will start with an introduction explaining why diversity statements are important and how they are used by hiring committees to evaluate candidates. The middle of the workshop will be used for small group breakouts. These groups will go over different successful diversity statements from various career stages and discuss what was viewed favorably and what could be improved. For the final portion of the workshop, there will be a discussion on everyone's thoughts about the statements before finishing with a short presentation summarizing key points for a successful diversity statement.
Overview
30 min. – Introduce diversity statements (the what, why, when, where, and how)
30 min. – Small group review and discussion of successful diversity statements
30 min. – Large group discussion of what makes a successful diversity statement
Learning Objectives:
Understand what makes a strong diversity statement and common potential pitfalls
Understand how to properly structure a diversity statement and successfully craft their narrative