Posted: February 17, 2023

National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine released the Consensus Report Advancing Antiracism, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in STEMM Organizations-Beyond Broadening Participation says it's imperative for "higher education institutions and STEMM organizations should go beyond a focus on simply increasing the numeric participation of minoritized racial and ethnic groups and act to change their organizational cultures and environments."  The report provides important history and ethnography about the impacts of racism on STEMM. "Racial bias is not only more automatic but also more ambivalent and ambiguous than most people think; this means that individuals, including gatekeepers, may not be able to monitor their own bias impartially, and may unwittingly perpetuate it." Then it describes mult-tiered strategies for gatekeeprs, teams,  and leaders of organizations to take. Notable recommendations include: 

  • Admissions offices at the undergraduate and graduate levels should assess the alignment or divergence between their current admissions policies and the criteria and values of antiracism, diversity, equity, and inclusion. They should develop holistic admissions strategies that offer a systematic, contextualized evaluation of applicants on multiple dimensions. 
  • Hiring managers, directors of human resources, and supervisors should measure and review the application, offer, and acceptance rates in their organization, as well as the salaries, resource packages, and academic tracks and titles of new hires, for instances of racial and ethnic discrimination in the hiring process. These leaders should implement, as appropriate, proactive outreach and recruitment to increase applications from people from minoritized racial and ethnic groups; training and resources to eliminate bias in the hiring process for managers; and updated policies to reduce bias and discrimination in setting wages. 
  • Directors of human resources and supervisors should measure, evaluate, and address the presence of bias and discrimination in rewards and promotion; the proportion of people from historically minoritized backgrounds leaving their positions and their reasons for doing so; and access to culturally relevant mentorship for students and employees.  

Share the press release