Two proposals submitted in the second round of the university’s Anti-Racism Faculty Hiring Initiative have been approved for funding.
“Each of these faculty clusters will open important new areas of inquiry that will significantly deepen and broaden the university’s anti-racism research, teaching and engagement capabilities,” Provost Susan M. Collins said, in announcing the selection committee’s selections.
Three faculty members will be recruited to LSA as part of the Indigeneity, Race, and American Belonging cluster.
These scholars will pursue anti-racist work on the Indigenous experience that investigates legal status, historical disparities, heritage and belonging from strategically different perspectives, examining infrastructures that perpetuate the institutionalization of and struggle against racism in North America.
The second approved cluster, Advancing Anti-Racism through Art Based Social Work Practice, Arts Leadership, and Community Engagement, will recruit four faculty members, two in the School of Social Work and two in the School of Music, Theatre & Dance.
These faculty members will strengthen the schools’ capacity to research and teach how the arts can be robust platforms to address racism and advance justice.
The latest clusters join two others — Racial Justice in Healthcare: Informatics and Data-Driven Approaches, and Racial Justice and Technology — that were previously selected under the Anti-Racism Faculty Hiring Initiative, which is supported by the Office of the Provost.
Faculty hired through the initiative will participate in the interdisciplinary Anti-Racism Collaborative at the National Center for Institutional Diversity. Launched in March 2021, the collaborative supports both current and new faculty who are engaged in research on anti-racism, racial equity and racial justice.
Proposal submissions for the third and final round of the initiative will open March 11, 2022, and close April 1. Additional information about the process for the next round will be available on the Office of the Provost website by Jan. 5.
The Anti-Racism Faculty Hiring Initiative was launched in 2020 along with several other new anti-racism efforts and as the university expanded existing anti-racism efforts. Collins invited deans to create the cross-campus faculty hiring initiative that focuses on anti-racism, systemic racism and racial injustice.
The three-year initiative will bring to the Ann Arbor campus’ schools and colleges at least 20 new tenure-track faculty members with scholarly expertise in racial inequality and structural racism.
This article originally appeared in the December 15, 2021 edition of The University Record
The University of Michigan community will honor the life and legacy of civil rights leader the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with virtual and in-person events and activities as part of the university’s annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Symposium next month.
The theme of the 2022 symposium is “This is America,” which event organizers said will explore the images of America as defined and interpreted through history, popular culture and myriad perceptions. It also challenges the validity of these images through the lens of King’s teachings and observations.
“The diverse thematic content of ‘This Is America’ encourages communities to explore images that either build or dismantle efforts to promote a just society,” said Robert Sellers, vice provost for equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer.
“‘This Is America’ allows all disciplines to examine their commitment to social justice through practices, delivery, access, public policy, culture, research and doctrines.”
The university’s annual keynote memorial lecture will take place in Hill Auditorium at 10 a.m. Jan. 17. The lecture also will be streamed live. The keynote speaker or speakers for the lecture will be announced in the coming days.
Also, as part of the campuswide initiative to honor King, departments and units around campus will facilitate a range of activities including workshops, films, panel discussions and speakers throughout January.
The events are designed to facilitate both reflection and action toward revitalizing a commitment to the ongoing work of social justice and racial equality.
All members of the university community and the community at large are invited to observe King’s holiday and recognize his commitment to social justice and global peace.
“I am proud and look forward to the way our campus community has come together to create meaningful platforms for discussion that will engage faculty, staff and students,” Sellers said.