DEI Fellows Program

Apply for the DEI Fellows Program

Interested in becoming a DEI Fellow? Please complete the registration form by Friday, August 16.

Apply Now

Beginning in Fall 2024, the College of the Environment Office for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) will sponsor a new College of the Environment DEI Fellows Program. The program is designed to support faculty and staff, broadly defined, interested in developing DEI initiatives for their respective units.

Fellows will engage in a comprehensive review of literature and best practices related to DEI in STEM, receive training in developing DEI programs for their respective units, and receive training on developing and supporting the logistics required to deliver new DEI programs.

The program will run during the 2024-25 academic year and support up to 25 faculty and staff participants from across the College.

Please apply here to be considered for the DEI Fellows Program.

The deadline to apply is Friday August 16, 2024.

All applicants will be notified of their acceptance by Tuesday September 2, 2024.

If you have any questions, please contact Corey Garza (cgarza2@uw.edu) and Anastasia Schemkes (als25@uw.edu).

Program content outline + outcomes

Autumn Quarter: Establish a common framework for DEI

DEI Fellows will:

  • Learn a common framework for DEI, including but not limited to a deep dive on principles and practices of DEI; and understanding the diversity in identity factors beyond race and ethnicity, such as gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, citizenship, or religion and how these impact the way DEI Fellows do their work – whether that’s administrative, , teaching, or research.
  • Connect with the importance of DEI in the environmental sciences and the College of the Environment, and their own personal “why” for DEI.
  • Learn how to engage in an empowering and effective way across differences in identity, background, life contexts, and more.
  • Work through any internal points of discomfort or external challenges that may arise during this learning phase.

Winter Quarter: Designing a DEI initiative.

DEI Fellows will:

  • Learn from research on and examples of real-world initiatives that are increasing DEI in STEM, environmental science, and/or higher education.
  • Assess the lay of the land in their role and unit to inform designing their own DEI initiative. Steps may include but are not limited to: Identifying needs and gaps regarding DEI; identifying role-and unit-based strengths, assets, and opportunities; understanding what initiatives might already be underway in their unit; and understanding what types of initiatives would best address the most pressing needs of their respective units.
  • Design a DEI initiative unique to their role and unit that results in a tangible improvement to DEI in the College. Example initiatives may include: A new strategy to recruit, support, and retain a diverse faculty or staff population; a proposal for place-based research that centers equitable community stakeholder partnership and tangible societal benefit; revising a communications approach to better speak to a diverse audience and audience interests.
  • Work through any external challenges or internal points of discomfort that may arise during this ideation stage.

Spring Quarter: How to resource and implement a DEI initiative

Participants will:

  • Develop a step-by-step project plan for implementing the DEI initiative they identified in Winter Quarter.
  • Identify the resources required to implement the initiative and develop a plan to secure them. Resources may include personnel, collaborators, time, authority, and/or funding.
  • Take the first steps toward securing the resources outlined in their plan (Example steps might be: Build relationships with or extend invites to collaborators; write a funding proposal; request approval for allocating their time, etc.)
  • Develop a presentation on their DEI initiative to present at a Spring College DEI Fellows Symposium.
  • Work through any external challenges or internal points of discomfort that arise during this planning and presentation stage.

Participant expectations

If you are a current staff or faculty member of the College of the Environment (from any unit or program), you are invited to apply to the DEI Fellows Program if you:

  • Want to increase your knowledge and understanding of DEI.
  • Can commit to the full 2024-25 academic year.
  • Can commit to all monthly group training sessions (see program dates below).
  • All office hours are optional, and participants are encouraged to attend at least 4 of the 8 total office hours throughout the year.
  • Can commit to designing and resourcing a DEI initiative unique to your role, that you would then implement in the 2025-26 academic year.
  • Are willing to contribute to a growth-oriented and collaborative learning environment for all Fellows.

Program dates & times

  • All sessions will be held on Tuesdays at 11:30 a.m.
  • Classes will be 90 minutes (11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) and will alternate in location between: FSH 207 with a hybrid video-join option and fully remote on Zoom.
  • Lunch will be provided by the College DEI Office for all in-person Classes.
  • Office Hours will be 60 minutes (11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.) and will be held on Zoom (All Office Hours are optional, Fellows are encouraged to attend at least 4 out of the 8 total Office Hours.)
  • Check the schedule below for confirmed session locations.

Autumn Quarter

  • Video Recording of Intro Class: September 17 (remote, self-paced learning)
  • Fall Class #1: October 8 @ 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., in FSH 207 with hybrid video option
  • Office Hours: October 22 @ 11:30 a.m. – 12:30p.m., Zoom
  • Fall Class #2: November 5 @ 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Zoom
  • Office Hours: November 19 @ 11:30 a.m. – 12:30p.m., Zoom
  • Fall Class #3: December 3 @ 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., in FSH 207 with hybrid video option

Winter Quarter

  • Winter Class #1: January 14 @ 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., in FSH 207 with hybrid video option
  • Office Hours: January 28 @ 11:30 a.m. – 12:30p.m., Zoom
  • Winter Class #2: February 11 @ 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Zoom
  • Office Hours: February 25 @ 11:30 a.m. – 12:30p.m., Zoom
  • Winter Class #3: March 4 @ 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., in FSH 207 with hybrid video option
  • Office Hours: March 11 @ 11:30 a.m. – 12:30p.m., Zoom

Spring Quarter

  • Spring Class #1: April 8 @ 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., FSH 207 with hybrid video option
  • Office Hours: April 22 @ 11:30 a.m. – 12:30p.m., Zoom
  • Spring Class #2: April 29 @ 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., Zoom
  • Spring Class #3: May 13 @ 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., FSH 207 with hybrid video option
  • Office Hours: May 27 @ 11:30 a.m. – 12:30p.m., Zoom

Interested in being a DEI Fellow? Please complete the registration form by Friday, August 16.

Apply Now