Trainings and Toolkits
UB is committed to achieving inclusive excellence in a deliberate, intentional and coordinated fashion, embedding it in every aspect of our operations. We aspire to foster a healthy, productive, ethical, fair, and affirming campus community to allow all students, faculty and staff to thrive and realize their full potential.
Below we offer toolkits to assist faculty and staff in their efforts to enhance inclusive excellence across campus.
Best Practices for Conducting Diverse Searches to Hire Faculty & Staff
Diversity is essential to excellence in the University setting. This series of four videos illustrates why creating a plan for conducting a successful search is critical, as well as the importance of building an awareness of implicit bias and how to minimize its effects. Total running time: 20 minutes.
Build Positive Relationships and Create an Inclusive and Respectful Workplace
In this half-day workshop, strategies are reviewed to help you effectively manage differences and reduce negativity and the impact both can have on you and your colleagues. The workshop reveals how you can build positive relationships and assist in creating an environment that allows for the exchange of differing ideas where parties feel equally heard, respected and unafraid to voice dissenting opinions. This workshop is offered at least once a quarter.
Recruiting a Diverse and Excellent Faculty: Best Practices for Search Committees
Excellence—embracing and exhibiting the highest level of quality in research, teaching and service—can be achieved only when diverse perspectives are engaged. This workshop, conducted by Anne M. Etgen, Professor Emerita of Neuroscience at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, illustrates why we recruit faculty for diversity and excellence, obstacles to achieving faculty diversity, how schemas affect the careers of women and underrepresented minorities, and what we can do to address these issues. Supplemental materials are provided to assist search committees during the faculty search process. Total running time: 1 hour and 40 minutes.
Unplug the Power of Bias
In this three-hour workshop you will learn what bias is, recognize where it comes from and gain insight on how to recognize the impact of bias on yourself and others. This workshop provides an opportunity to broaden your understanding of relational groups beyond the obvious groups to which you feel you belong. You will become more prepared to push bias attitudes aside at the individual level of your own thoughts, words and deeds and improve your capacity for engaging in and promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace. This workshop is offered at least once a quarter.
Free Speech, Hate Speech and Academic Freedom
One of the greatest challenges for universities is the occurrence of hateful speech and conduct. Although many of these incidents have been student-initiated, these expressions are not isolated to colleges and universities, and they reflect broader societal post-election tensions. Many university teachers feel unprepared to “referee” emotionally charged political disputes between students in (or outside of) classes. Indeed, many instructors are concerned about the perception of political bias in their lectures and classroom comments, and about how to address the post-election climate (if at all) in class. This toolkit provides some helpful information and guidelines to assist faculty members with these challenges.