College of Science takes diversity to heart

‌

College of Science Dean Sophia Maggelakis

RIT’s College of Science was recognized for a third time for its efforts to build an inclusive and representative faculty reflecting the student body.

The college’s consistent recruitment and hiring efforts were recently awarded two Changing Hearts and Minds awards from the RIT’s Office of the Provost and the Office of Faculty Recruitment and Retention. The College of Science’s total three awards mark its contributions to increase diversity in its faculty and the university as a whole.

The awards were presented to College of Science Dean Sophia Maggelakis and Laura Tubbs, professor and associate dean, at the Future Faculty Exploration Program in September.

The College of Science’s recruitment efforts last year underscored RIT’s commitment to diversity. Twenty-eight percent of the college’s new hires were African American, Latino American or Native America and 21 percent are female, according to the Office of Faculty Recruitment and Retention.

The College of Science received $2,500 to apply to its successful recruitment and retention initiatives that enhance the college with different perspectives and experiences.

“This award recognizes the hard and good work of our college’s search committees and our leadership team,” Maggelakis said. “The funds will be used toward creating a college climate in which our faculty and staff feel welcome to draw upon their diverse culture, experiences and perspectives in order to work toward our common institutional goal of increasing the diversity of our faculty and creating and maintaining a culture that encourages the fair and equitable treatment of all faculty.”

Tubbs’ individual award of $500 reflects her contributions to increasing diverse faculty hires as the college’s liaison to the Future Faculty Exploration Program.