According to the latest diversity rankings for the nation’s chemistry departments released by Chemical and Engineering News on May 18, 2015, Ohio State’s Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry is tied (with Purdue) for #1 in number of women faculty and is ranked #4 in percentage of minority faculty. 

This is not an easy feat. And, it is not by accident that this large department, home to nationally and internationally recognized chemists and biochemists, has become a national leader in the hiring of women and underrepresented minorities.

According to Chemistry Professor and Department Chair Susan Olesik, this is the result of “deep commitment, thoughtfulness, hard work and full engagement on the part of everyone in the department.”

The department’s active, flexible diversity plan consists of several key pieces. For example, much thought has gone into not only the structure of the search committee, which is purposely kept small and manageable, but into its training.  All search committee members must review — annually — a PowerPoint presentation by the University of Michigan-STRIDE (An NSF Advance Program.) And each committee chooses a diversity advocate member.

“The STRIDE PowerPoint is a critical tool for the search committee,” said Olesik. “It helps promote awareness of evaluation bias and shows how to develop strategies and tools for breaking the cycle of subconscious bias that is a major roadblock in diversity hiring.”

Olesik wants to emphasize that to make this plan be a roadmap for success hinges on more than a PowerPoint. It takes ongoing, mindful evaluation and examination of what works and what does not, actively seeking resources, carefully listening to experts in the field of diversity enhancement, building partnerships and networks, and creative thinking. The bottom line? Everyone in her department wants to address the issues of diversity that plague STEM disciplines and is working tirelessly to do so.

“Tied to our efforts to increase diverse faculty hiring, we have made sustained efforts to attract diverse graduate students. We believe that success in this area goes hand-in-hand with being able to recruit diverse faculty. It shows that our commitment to diversity is seamless and encompasses the spectrum of the academic enterprise.

“We want to demonstrate to those faculty members we are hoping to attract that we take diversity issues seriously, at all levels. For example, we pay close attention to the atmosphere we create for visiting faculty and students. We are fortunate in that we have a department, a university and a community beyond campus that are inclusive, welcoming and support diversity. We want to make sure that is highlighted, along with offering opportunities for our visitors to meet colleagues and peers across campus.”

It is one thing to get people here. It is another to keep them. So another vital component in the department’s diversity success story has been putting a strong mentoring program in place.  

“It’s important to women and minorities that there is a built-in system that strongly increases chances for junior faculty to make it,” Olesik said. “Our active mentoring includes all areas that impact success — teaching, research, grant writing, professional development.

“Also, we have not done this alone. The university and the Graduate School have been essential in helping us achieve this level of success in diversity recruiting.

“People always make the critical difference. Case in point: Claudia Turro, our vice chair for graduate students, has been an incredible advocate for them, putting such things in place as a process for senior graduate students to mentor our new graduate students. “

It has taken a long time to get where they are, but current numbers show they are far from done: 13 women, 1 American Indian, 2 Hispanics, 2 African Americans. The diversity committee has written a new plan for moving forward which reiterates the basics: Be committed. Find resources to help you. Reach out. Listen. Don’t stop.

—Sandi Rutkowski