Guidelines for Preparing Diversity, Mentoring, and Outreach Statement
Rice seeks to build a community that embraces a breadth of knowledge, thought, perspectives, experiences and backgrounds and enables us to achieve excellence in all facets of our mission. The Rice Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is working to develop knowledge, insights, resources and policy tools to increase equity and improve quality of life, in Houston and around the world (https://diversity.rice.edu/initiatives).
In keeping with these objectives, your Statement of Diversity, Mentoring, and Outreach should describe your past experience and activities, and future plans to advance diversity, equity and inclusion, in alignment with Rice University’s mission to reflect the diversity of Texas and Houston, and to meet the educational needs and interests of the university’s diverse population. Some faculty candidates may not have substantial past activities. If that is the case, we recommend focusing on future plans in your statement. A more developed and substantial plan is expected for more senior candidates.
Past Experience and Activities:
Aim to address at least two or three of the categories below; examples of past experience and activities include:
- Past Experience: Describe any past experience, activities, or background that has made you aware of challenges faced by historically underrepresented populations.
- Mentoring Activities: If you mentored students, post-docs, staff or faculty from underrepresented groups, describe the specific context and objective of the mentoring, along with your personal efforts. Include details that may be relevant, including the number of people who benefited, duration, and outcomes (i.e., success and progress of mentees during and after mentoring, including employment, educational success, etc.).
- Committee Service: If you served on a committee or board that focused on diversity, equity, climate and/or inclusion, describe the committee’s accomplishments and your role in helping achieve them. Include your position on the committee, its duration, and other relevant details.
- Research Activities: If any of your past research effort specifically contributed to diversity, equity and inclusion, either directly or through enhancing understanding of related issues, describe the work and any impact or positive outcomes it has had on the University or broader community.
- Other Activities (e.g. leadership, recruitment, retention, teaching, community, outreach): Describe the activity and its context (e.g. a specific conference or organization, student retention or outreach activity, course development to reach a specific group, outreach to a local school, or work with a diversity-related non-profit). What was your role and personal effort? How did these activities relate to campus needs?
Planned Activities:
Share activities that you would like to pursue while at Rice University and how they might fit into the research area, department, campus, or national context. You may consider but are not restricted to current or ongoing campus activities. For each proposed activity you include, describe the role you envision playing and what you would like to accomplish in the next two to five years. Who would you like to engage in your efforts, and how would you plan to engage them? Be as specific as possible, but realistic in terms of your effort and time commitment.
Rice University is located in Houston, Texas, USA and is a private, coeducational, nonsectarian university that aspires to path-breaking research, unsurpassed teaching, and contributions to the betterment of our world. Rice fulfills this mission by cultivating a diverse community of learning and discovery that produces leaders across the spectrum of human endeavor. Rice University is an Equal Opportunity Employer with commitment to diversity at all levels, and considers for employment qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, genetic information, disability or protected veteran status. We encourage applicants from diverse backgrounds to apply.