New UMass DEI training prioritizes retention of minority professors

The University of Massachusetts Amherst wants to ensure it uses “inclusive practices” as part of its “faculty retention” efforts.

It unveiled its new initiative called “Strategies and Tactics for Retention through Inclusive Promotion Evaluation” to help with this goal. STRIPE is a training program in collaboration with UMass Amherst’s Provost Office and ADVANCE team aimed at promoting “inclusive practices for faculty retention.”

The “new two-hour training program” will “promote best strategies and practices in evaluation and promotion processes,” the news release reads.

“STRIPE will focus on strategies and best practices to minimize inequities, support inclusion and inclusivity in faculty promotion and tenure cases,” the university stated in its news release. It should not be confused with a related program called STRIDE – “Strategies and Tactics for Recruiting to Improve Diversity and Excellence.”

These practices and strategies will “[set] the stage for greater retention of faculty, especially women and faculty from groups historically underrepresented in the academy.”