Meet the RISE UPP Social Science Research Team
Decades of research concludes that to increase racial diversity in the academic profession, the academic work environment needs to transform. Policies, practices, norms, and expectations must shift so that an array of methods, epistemologies, contributions, and perspectives are recognized and valued in faculty hiring, evaluation, and other reward systems. Still, even with this recognition, efforts at initiating and sustaining transformation often fail.
With this background in mind, we, the RISE-UPP Social Science Research Team (SSRT), seek to investigate the intricate dynamics of organizational transformation, specifically within the context of STEM faculty racial diversification. Central to our research agenda is the exploration of “readiness for transformation,” or the idea that certain pre-existing conditions within an organization make it more likely that transformation is initiated and sustained. We are particularly interested in understanding how the intersecting layers, or nested contexts, of academia (e.g., departments, disciplines, institutions, and state systems) interact to shape the extent to which an organization is “ready’” for transformation, as well as how that transformation unfolds.
Our approach in the RISE-UPP SSRT is guided by our research and scholarly experience as well as our campus-based practical experiences. Leslie, who is a Co-PI on the RISE-UPP Alliance and also a Co-PI on the Aspire Alliance, is a professor of higher education at Michigan State University whose research and scholarship focuses on the academic profession. Much of her work examines the relations of power among academics, with the goal of shaping departmental, disciplinary, and organizational cultures to be more just and inclusive of historically minoritized persons. In practice, Leslie often examines how academics appraise one another in peer review contexts, such as hiring, tenure, and publishing.
Dawn is a higher education researcher and practitioner focused on creating academic work environments where faculty members thrive. Her research examines an array of faculty work environment issues, including tenure and promotion, hiring, work-life integration, and workload. Dawn is the Director of the University of Maryland ADVANCE Program for Inclusive Excellence, where she leverages her research experience to develop faculty programs, education and training, and provide expertise on campus policy and practice.
Our team is also supported by a research assistant, Baili Park, who is a master’s student in higher education at the University of Maryland College Park.
As a team, we are committed to leveraging insights developed from research to the benefit of the Alliance, and iteratively using practice to inform our research. We regularly collaborate with members of the RISE-UPP team and look forward to disseminating the results of our research within the Alliance and the greater higher education community.
