Rackham Graduate School is pleased to announce the awardees of the 2019–20 Faculty Allies Diversity Grants. These grants fund activities that are designed and implemented by graduate programs to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts for their current graduate students. The grant program aims to seed new and especially innovative ideas that will help sustain diverse and inclusive graduate student communities over the long term.
This year’s awardees have proposed initiatives that address the unique climate and specific needs of their graduate programs. Some focus on student retention and completion by offering mentored summer writing opportunities, providing faculty-student conference travel grants, designing peer-to-peer mentoring programs, and organizing graduate student retreats. Others target professional development, including plans for a year-long alumni speaker series, an alumni conference to showcase careers inside and outside academia, a dedicated career day, as well as efforts to cultivate a network of alumni mentors for current graduate students. Still others prioritize inclusion and climate through departmental events to promote dialogue and understanding around multiple social identities, workshops to strengthen skills in addressing DEI issues, and support of student-led affinity groups.
Rackham has also actively recruited participants from U-M graduate programs outside of the Graduate School, including this year’s awards to the School of Social Work, the Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, and the Department of Dermatology.
Programs may apply for a Rackham Faculty Allies Diversity Grant every year, with awards of up to $12,000. Applications are due in mid-February. In addition, programs can apply for a Student Ally for Diversity Grant of up to $5,000 to support graduate students who will partner with the program’s Faculty Ally on implementing their grant activities. Together, the Faculty Ally and Student Ally lead department efforts to provide intellectual, social, and programmatic support so that graduate students from all groups—including those that have been historically underrepresented in higher education—feel welcome and thrive in their studies at the University of Michigan.
2019–20 Rackham Faculty Allies Diversity Grant Awardees
- Benjamin Allen*, Department of Cell and Developmental Biology, Medical School
- Heather Carlson, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, College of Pharmacy
- Patricia Coleman-Burns*, School of Nursing
- Gabriela Cruz*, Department of Musicology and Music Theory, School of Music, Theatre, & Dance
- Kristin Dickinson*, Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
- Pingsha Dong, Department of Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering, College of Engineering
- Robert Keith Duncan*, Neuroscience Graduate Program, Medical School
- Daniel Eisenberg*, Department of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health
- Sarah Forsdyke*, Department of Classical Studies, Interdepartmental Program in Classical Art and Archaeology, and Interdepartmental Program in Greek and Roman History, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
- Lorraine Gutierrez*, School of Social Work
- Vesa Kaartinen, Department of Biologic and Materials Sciences, School of Dentistry
- Anuj Kumar*, Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
- Petra Kuppers*, Department of English Language and Literature, English and Education, English and Women’s Studies, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
- Cagliyan Kurdak, Applied Physics Program, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
- Donald Siegel, Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering
- Geeta Mehta*, Department of Macromolecular Science and Engineering, College of Engineering
- Shahzad Mian, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Medical School
- Marie O’Neill*, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health
- Akira Ono, Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical School
- Damani Partridge*, Department of Anthropology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
- Shachar Pinsker, Department of Middle East Studies, College of Literature Science, and the Arts
- Malini Raghavan*, Graduate Program in Immunology, Medical School
- Thomas Robins*, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, School of Public Health
- Teresa Satterfield*, Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
- Amy Schulz*, Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health
- Laura Scott*, Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health
- Denise Sekaquaptewa*, Department of Psychology, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
- Keren Sharon, Department of Astronomy, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
- Allison Steiner, Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering, College of Engineering
- Amy Stillman, Department of American Culture, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
- Stilian Stoev, Department of Statistics, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
- Nils Walter, Department of Chemistry, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
- Westley Weimer, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering
- Kiyanna Williams, Department of Dermatology, Medical School
- Carolyn Yoon*, Department of Marketing, Stephen M. Ross School of Business
- Jason Young*, Department of History, College of Literature, Science, and the Arts
* Indicates a recipient of an additional Student Ally for Diversity Grant.