March 4, 2019

The Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance Joins Diversity Alliance to Support a More Diverse and Inclusive Faculty

(Seattle, WA) – March 4, 2019 –The Daniel J. Evans School of Public Policy & Governance joins five other top schools of public affairs to launch the Public Affairs Diversity Alliance, a joint commitment to encourage, train, mentor, and promote scholars of public affairs and policy from underrepresented groups.

The Alliance, the first of its kind, seeks to encourage and sustain a pipeline of candidates for faculty positions in criminal justice, policy, and public administration. As a founding member of the Alliance, the Evans School demonstrates its commitment to expanding the number of underrepresented people in the professoriate and the diversity of perspectives represented in the classroom.

“The changes we have to make now are big institutional changes,” emphasized Sandra O. Archibald, Professor and Dean of the Evans School. “We need to build an academic culture and community that reflects and fosters inclusiveness. We know that diversity, equity, and inclusion supercharges our academic community and accelerates knowledge generation and creativity. And, we are convinced that new thinking is needed to address many of the complex challenges we face as a society.”

Research over the last decade shows student outcomes improve when faculty identities and experiences mirror that of students. Faculty members who are concerned with education disparities may spend additional time with and generate more positive reinforcement when teaching students from diverse backgrounds and may choose to mentor them outside the classroom.

The Evans School intends to hire at least one Alliance fellow or visiting scholar annually and provide each fellow with an internal mentor and a mentor from a participating Alliance school to help maximize networking and professional development. The Alliance will also create programming to help doctoral students prepare for success as faculty members.

Participation in the Alliance is one part of an ongoing effort by the Evans School to increase diversity in its graduate programs and faculty.

American University School of Public Affairs, which initiated and founded the Alliance, will chair the Public Affairs Diversity Alliance for a two-year term. The Evans School is joined by five other fellow founding members American University School of Public Affairs, the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University, the Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan, the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University, and the Price School at the University of Southern California.