Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.59
Liaison Bambi Ingram
Submission Date July 29, 2016
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Alabama at Birmingham
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 3.00 / 3.00 Julie Price
Sustainability Coordinator
Sustainability
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Does the institution have a publicly posted non-discrimination statement? :
Yes

The non-discrimination statement, including the website URL where the policy is publicly accessible:

http://www.uab.edu/policies/content/Pages/UAB-BT-POL-0000052.aspx

UAB is committed to equal opportunity in education and employment, and the maintenance and promotion of nondiscrimination and prevention of discriminatory harassment in all aspects of education, recruitment and employment of individuals throughout the university.


Does the institution have a discrimination response protocol or committee (sometimes called a bias response team) to respond to and support those who have experienced or witnessed a bias incident, act of discrimination or hate crime?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s discrimination response protocol or team (including examples of actions taken during the previous three years):

This bias reporting system has just been completed in partnership with the Faculty Senate.

http://www.uab.edu/studentaffairs/biasreporting/


Does the institution have programs specifically designed to recruit students from underrepresented groups?:
Yes

Does the institution have programs specifically designed to recruit staff from underrepresented groups?:
Yes

Does the institution have programs specifically designed to recruit faculty from underrepresented groups?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s programs to recruit students, staff and/or faculty from underrepresented groups:

The Comprehensive Minority Faculty and Student Development Program CMFSDP provides undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships totaling $733,000 annually. In addition, the CMFSDP assists departments with hiring and retaining African-American faculty, including professional development support for tenure-track faculty.

The Equity Leadership Council:
An equity advisor (EA) is appointed by the dean or director of each school or unit with regular faculty and serves as a member of The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Equity Leadership Council. The council meets regularly during each academic year. Equity Advisors have a central role in faculty training, monitoring the faculty search and other hiring processes, and consultations on matters of equity. Equity Advisors leverage their direct experience with local culture and climate to advise their deans in terms of strategy, policy, training, climate, and accountability. Although Equity Advisors report directly to their deans, they also work closely with and provide invaluable advice to the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. They represent the most important advisory council for the Office.

The duties and responsibilities of equity advisors include the following:

Collect and maintain information on faculty vacancies, tenure decisions and promotions in the school or unit.
Serve as a non-voting member of each faculty recruitment, tenure and promotion committee in the school or unit.
Maintain a database of journals and publications read by minorities and women in each subject area of the school or unit.
Review all advertisements for faculty vacancies before they are published.
Serve as a resource for faculty recruiting for the dean or director and department chairs in the school or unit.
Provide an annual report on recruiting activities in the school or unit to the dean or director and to the Vice President for Diversity Equity and Inclusion.
Certify that all recruitment policies and procedures have been followed for each recruitment activity by signing the Faculty Recruitment Experience Report.

UAB Equity Advisors provide leadership in establishing diversity as a core value within the unit.

https://www.uab.edu/dei/resource-groups/equity-leadership-council

The UAB Title VI Program on the Recruitment and Retention of Black Faculty and Administrators supports a committee to advise the president and administration.

UAB is an NSF-affiliate for LSAMP scholarships. We have 10 scholarships for underrepresented minority students in math, science, technology or engineering. The scholarships provide up to $3,800 per year in support of tuition. Entering freshman, freshman and sophomores are eligible for support.


Does the institution have mentoring, counseling, peer support, academic support, or other programs to support students from underrepresented groups on campus?:
Yes

Does the institution have mentoring, counseling, peer support or other programs to support staff from underrepresented groups on campus?:
Yes

Does the institution have mentoring, counseling, peer support or other programs to support faculty from underrepresented groups on campus?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s programs to support students, staff and/or faculty from underrepresented groups:

The Alliance for LGBTQ equality at UAB offers the above support programs: http://www.uab.edu/alliance/campus-resources

The African-American Faculty Association:
https://www.uab.edu/dei/resource-groups/african-american-faculty-association

The Commission on the Status of Women:
https://www.uab.edu/women/

The Equity Leadership Council:
https://www.uab.edu/dei/resource-groups/equity-leadership-council

UAB Wellness administers the Employee Assistance and Counseling Center: We provide confidential support services for employees and members of their immediate household with free resources for resolving work-related and personal problems.

UAB Student Health and Wellness: The SHWC Counseling Service assists in developing students’ potential in physical, academic, spiritual, psychosocial, emotional and vocational areas.

Individual and couples counseling
Crisis counseling
Wellness programs
Group opportunities
Educational resources

Confidential counseling services are available to all currently enrolled UAB students at no cost. Psychiatric services are also available.


Does the institution have training and development programs, teaching fellowships and/or other programs that specifically aim to support and prepare students from underrepresented groups for careers as faculty members?:
Yes

A brief description of the institution’s programs to support and prepare students from underrepresented groups for careers as faculty members:

The Comprehensive Minority Faculty and Student Development Program CMFSDP provides undergraduate scholarships and graduate fellowships totaling $733,000 annually.

The Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP) is designed to enhance the academic performance of underrepresented minority students through regular meetings to discuss academic opportunities and to learn about programs at UAB to help students succeed.

UAB annually offers The Bridge to the Doctorate funding through the NSF to provide support for minorty students to attend grad school and earn a PHD in STEM fields. The support includes an annual stipend of $30,000, tuition, fees, and health insurance for a 2-year period. During the past 12 years, 120 students have been awarded these fellowships at UAB, UAH, UA, and Auburn.

UAB is an AGEP institution and the lead investigator for this effort in Alabama:
http://epscor.ua.edu/alabama-minority-serving-institutions.html


Does the institution produce a publicly accessible inventory of gender-neutral bathrooms on campus?:
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Does the institution offer housing options to accommodate the special needs of transgender and transitioning students?:
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The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.