Provost's Faculty Diversity Seminar

Sponsored by the Office of the Provost with assistance from the Provost’s Advisory Committee for the Faculty Diversity Seminar and the Center for Instructional Development & Distance Education (CIDDE), the annual Faculty Diversity Seminar offers ten faculty members seminar fellowships to redesign their courses to be more inclusive in terms of race and gender.

During the two-week seminar, fellows read relevant literature, discuss their courses, and draw on the intellectual and practical resources of speakers, selected readings, and local experts. The end result of this intensive two-week process is an enhanced course curriculum that not only meets the rigor and standards of the relevant field of study, but also addresses key aspects of diversity in both classroom content and course pedagogy.

Since 1995, faculty from a variety of disciplines across the University of Pittsburgh have participated in this two-week program. Past fellows found that the Seminar helped them to:

	Restructure courses to reflect diverse perspectives.
	Manage issues related to diversity in the classroom.
	Improve teaching by incorporating diversity materials and new classroom activities.
	Think more deeply about what it means to teach a diverse population.
	Work together with colleagues in different disciplines toward shared goals.

Listen to faculty tell you in their own words about their experiences in the Diversity Seminar:

Dennis Looney, French & Italian

Laurel Roberts, Biological Sciences

Application Procedures:

Each year in early January, the Office of the Provost invites full-time faculty to submit applications for the annual Provost’s Faculty Diversity Seminar, held for two weeks in May. To be considered by the selection committee, faculty are asked to submit the following information:

• Curriculum vitae
• Syllabus of the specific course that they will redesign during the seminar
• Cover letter stating why they are interested in participating and why changes in the proposed course would have a significant impact
• Letter of support from their department chair

Decisions for the year’s diversity fellows are made in mid-April.

If you have any questions about the seminar or the application process,
please contact CIDDE Director Diane J. Davis either by phone (412.624.3335) or email djdavis@pitt.edu.