The Yale math department strives to create an inclusive and supportive environment for all members of its community to learn and work together. We acknowledge, welcome, and celebrate our differences, including those related to race, gender, gender identity, nationality, immigration status, sexual orientation, religion, disability status, and socioeconomic status.
Since summer 2020 the department has convened a standing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) committee that meets regularly to discuss, plan, and enact change intended to make our community more welcoming, equitable, and inclusive.
In an effort to better understand the challenges facing our community, the department partnered with the Poorvu Center in 2021 and again in 2023 to survey and collect data on the experiences of its members. The responses will inform and guide the development and prioritization of efforts to best support current and future staff, students, and faculty. We have organized these efforts around the following domains:
In 2021-22, we put in place a new introductory math major sequence. One of the main goals of the redesign [1] was to improve access to the math major for students from diverse mathematical backgrounds and high school preparation. We have since made adjustments based on collected feedback, and we are planning a minor follow-up revision of the major that will complement the new sequence and simplify the requirements for students and advisers.
The department is committed to creating and supporting a diverse graduate student program. These efforts start with increased outreach, and we now host a yearly webinar for prospective applicants and send posters to over a hundred US institutions including about 15 minority-serving universities and HBCUs. In the past few years this approach has been increasingly successful, yielding incoming graduate student classes with exceptional qualifications and potential, including two women in each of the past three years.
In order to better support the graduate students in the program the department and the DGS took the following steps:
In light of its commitment to continued learning and improvement, each year the department hosts a number of events with the goal of raising awareness and achieving progress towards a more welcoming and inclusive community. Previous highlights [4] of this series include a colloquium by Francis Su on Mathematics for Human Flourishing, a department wide forum on the climate survey results, and a standing reading group centered around DEIB topics.
For Spring 2023 the department planned a semester-long DEIB series. This series was headlined by a plenary colloquium [5] and workshop [6] from mathematician and advocate Pamela Harris [7]. The Poorvu Center hosted a workshop [8] for instructors inclusivity in teaching and mentoring.
For the Spring 2024 the department will host a plenary colloquium by Yale Professor Philip Atiba Solomon [9] f.k.a. Goff and accompanying workshops.
The 2021 and 2023 climate surveys reveal that the department is a diverse place: we have members at every stage of their mathematical training, from myriad backgrounds and lived experiences, and whose experiences in the department span a wide spectrum. As in any group that exhibits such diversity, the work of creating a cohesive, welcoming, and inclusive community is challenging, but it is important work that we commit ourselves to now and in the future.
As reflected in the surveys, while a majority of respondents feel that the department is welcoming, supportive and respectful, there is room for improvement in each of those areas. A need for increased supportive resources was noted, as was the need for increased efforts in building and sustaining community. There were strong differences in respondent’s sense of the climate, with those from underrepresented populations feeling less included and supported. Survey responses highlighted the need for a more diverse faculty, with increased interactions among all members of the department and increased awareness of DEIB issues. Details from the 2023 survey can be found in this report [10].
Links
[1] https://math.yale.edu/curriculum-revision
[2] https://sumry.yale.edu/
[3] https://math.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/advising-guideline_2021.pdf
[4] https://math.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/DEI%20Flyer-pages-1%20(1).pdf
[5] https://math.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/colloquium%20flyer%20(2).pdf
[6] https://math.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/WorkshopFlyer%20(1).pdf
[7] https://www.pamelaeharris.com/
[8] https://math.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/Belonging%20in%20Math_April%2021%2C%202023%20Workshop%20(3).pdf
[9] https://psychology.yale.edu/people/phillip-atiba-solomon-fka-goff
[10] https://math.yale.edu/sites/default/files/files/2023%20Math%20Summary%20Report%20V2.pdf
[11] https://forms.gle/KLD3gtPF9DmZZwER6
[12] https://dhr.yale.edu/discrimination-and-harassment-resource-coordinators
[13] https://oiea.yale.edu/
[14] https://smr.yale.edu/title-ix/coordinators