Annual Actions

Getting You into Indiana University (GU2IU) program to offer prospective graduate students an opportunity to visit our campus, at no cost, to learn more about current research, faculty and students

Administered annual departmental Climate Survey

Supported a PBS staff member and graduate student to attend ABRCMS

Campaigning for faculty hiring to emphasize research focused on health disparities both within the department and with our collaborators in university-wide hiring initiatives

2023 Actions

The Director of Graduate Studies, Dr. Karin James initiated a holistic admissions rubric for reviewing graduate applications. Holistic reviews encourage faculty to consider multiple dimensions of an applicant including life experiences and challenges overcome. To increase transparency and decrease barriers for students from minorities groups, we posted this rubric on our graduate admission’s webpage.

PBS Professors Ben Motz, Mary Murphy, Amanda Diekman, Emily Fyfe, Dorainne Green, and Rob Goldstone, are leading the INTERACT Incubator and hosted its 2023 convening in late October. This effort brings together leading experimental social and cognitive psychologists along with teachers, K-12 administrators and other stakeholders from across the nation who are interested in advancing equity in STEM teaching and learning 

2022 Actions

Joined the Next-Gen Psych Scholars Program

Launched departmental Ombuds Committee

Conducted analysis of patterns of departmental hiring and attrition of TT faculty from 2003-2021

Conducted analysis relating word usage patterns in job ads to applicant pool demographic representation for last 6 departmental TT faculty searches

Appointed ad hoc Committee for Best Practices in Hiring and Diversity to report to the departmental Policy and Steering committee

Conducted analyses of graduate student demographics with respect to recruitment and existing student body

Redesigned departmental Diversity webpages (Summer 2022)

Participated in the development of a STEM postdoc-to-faculty program, called the STEM Inclusive Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (SIPFP), that will complement our already strong collaboration with the Center for Research on Race & Ethnicity in Society (CRRES)

Made commitment to revising undergraduate and graduate course curriculums and other training opportunities to improve inclusion of scholars from diverse backgrounds and enhance consideration of research related to cultural diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice for major content areas

2021 Actions

Developed and adopted departmental Community Standards document

Prioritization of departmental graduate student fellowships for recruitment of students with rising identities

Launched 7-Module online DEIJ training course available to all department faculty, staff, fellows, and graduate students

2020 Actions

Conducted first departmental Climate survey (spring 2020)

Dropped GRE requirement for graduate admissions and made it optional (2020)

Launched the graduate student focused Sharon Stephens Brehm Fellowship program, providing three full year-long fellowships to meritorious graduate students (2020)

With the generous support of Professor Emeritus Ken Heller, established an endowment to support underrepresented minority graduate students (2020)

2019 Actions

Launched annual support for a PBS staff member and graduate student to attend ABRCMS

Initiated PBS DEI Colloquium Support Fund (travel, lodging, and per diem) for speakers from under-represented minority groups and/or speakers presenting research about diversity, inclusion, health disparities, etc., and a prioritization to invite such speakers for colloquia across programmatic areas