Over the course of a year, fellows collaborate with an external mentor and pursue an ambitious scholarly project aimed at advancing their research to the next level. This year’s class includes:

• Dereck Barr-Pulliam, , focusing on how individuals solve complex problems in auditing and accounting contexts.
• Chris Brody, , analyzing musical form in tonal and Baroque music, using corpus-based methods to study structure and style.
• Marci DeCaro, , exploring the cognitive processes underlying learning and performance, emphasizing how insights from cognitive science can improve educational instruction.
• Minjie Huang, , studying executive compensation, corporate culture, investments and behavioral finance.
• Heehyul Moon, , researching health disparities, dementia caregiving and service utilization among racially and culturally marginalized older adults.��
• John Ritz, , using electroacoustic music and interactive computer systems to create innovative chamber and experimental works that integrate live performance with technology.
• Caroline Sheffield, , working on multimodal literacy in social studies education, the integration of technology in classroom instruction and site-based teacher education.
• Susan Tanner, , studying the intersection of artificial intelligence, linguistics and law.
• Hui Wang, , focusing on energy storage materials and solid-state battery technologies.
• Alex Widdowson, , studying the development of crime over the life course, the long-term consequences of criminal behavior and justice system involvement, and prisoner reentry.

To be considered for the program, faculty must be associate professor rank, nominated by their unit and show a “consistent record of scholarship with the passion and desire to achieve greater national recognition.”

The new Ascending Star Fellowship provides mentorship, funding and other support to high-performing associate professors. The goal is to boost the national impact of the fellows’ scholarship, with a heavy focus on work in diversity, inclusion and community empowerment.

The UofL Office of Research and Innovation launched the program last year, selecting its inaugural class in partnership with the . This year’s class — representing four schools — includes:

• , an associate professor in the Department of Philosophy whose work focuses on feminist bioethics, specifically on clinical encounters��between�� health��professionals and��members��of��marginalized communities;��
• an associate professor��in the Department of Mathematics whose work focuses on developing analytic��and computational tools, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, to study nonlinear fluid equations;
• , an associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering, whose research focuses on electrochemistry, wastewater treatment, solar cells and more;��
• , an associate professor in the Department of History whose work lies at�� the intersection of human rights, religion and foreign relations history;
• , an associate professor in the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development, whose work focuses on health promotion, with a particular focus on underserved populations and rural communities;
• , an associate professor in the Kent School of Social Work, whose work focuses on utilizing trauma-informed organizational change interventions to disrupt systems of oppression and investigating the scope and complexity of child trafficking across the U.S.;
• , an associate professor in the Hite Institute of Art & Design and a nationally recognized glass artist;��
• , an associate professor in the College of ����ֱ�� and Human Development whose work focuses on the intersection between Black education and sociopolitical factors and the role sociopolitical forces play in creating disparities in Black education;
• , an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, whose work focuses on microfluidics, electrokinetics and colloid science, including tracing the unique “DNA” of whiskey.��

“I’m extremely pleased with the quality and diversity of the work already being done by this new cohort,” said M. Cynthia Logsdon, the Office of Research and Innovation’s director of research academic programs, who leads the fellowship program. “They’re already stars, but with the Ascending Stars Fellows program, we hope to help them in advancing their scholarship, magnifying their national recognition and extending the impact of their work.”

In addition to other supports, the and UofL’s , aimed at improving equity for female STEM faculty, will provide educational and enrichment activities geared toward advancement of diverse communities and populations.

To be considered for the program, faculty must be associate professor rank, must be nominated by their unit and must show a “consistent record of scholarship with the passion and desire to achieve greater national recognition.”

In the summer of 2020, President Neeli Bendapudi charged the to lead a taskforce in bringing forth recommendations to guide UofL in becoming a premier anti-racist metropolitan research university.

“To be an anti-racist institution, UofL cannot rest on the racial advancements of the 20^th century,” Bendapudi said. “We are facing long-held racist beliefs, action and inaction, and we aren’t shying away from the fight.”

The agenda, now in the final stages of development, underscores the strategic vision of the university as a great place to learn, work and invest through celebration of the unique attributes every individual brings to the university community.

“The approach of this work focuses on evaluating policies and institutional behaviors as a means of shifting cultural values and perspectives toward greater racial equity,” said V. Faye Jones, interim senior associate vice president for diversity and equity.

CARA progress

Representatives from throughout UofL’s campuses — faculty, staff, students, trainees (residents and post docs) and administration — helped develop the agenda. These five subgroups of the taskforce have carefully and thoughtfully drafted a report of six priority areas, and action steps, which are now being refined. Completion of a final plan, along with implementation is expected this year.

The six broad priority areas are:

• Culture, Policies, Practices and Procedures
• Equity in Work, Compensation, Professional Development and Reward
• Curriculum and Instruction
• Images and Communication
• Recruitment and Retention of Diverse Talent
• University and Community Relationships

This year the taskforce anticipates a report with action plans for every strategy, a data dashboard making diversity data transparent and accessible and a CARA cultural impact to improve the lived experiences of the entire Cardinal family.

Campus movement

As details of CARA are being finalized, movement to support the agenda is already in motion. Every unit throughout campus is laying groundwork to break down barriers and make changes that reflect our anti-racism goal.

For example, leadership from each of the four Health Sciences Center schools participated in a 10-week immersive executive leadership program with the Aspen Institute focused on leading institutional diversity, equity and inclusion. Not only this, but leaders at many schools and units throughout the university have set aside funding to support dedicated diversity, equity and inclusion positions at the director, assistant dean and associate dean levels.

Faculty, staff and student support is one area of growth. Through the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD), faculty, staff and students can receive on-demand access to mentoring, professional development and support leading to success in the academy. Several faculty of color are being supported by their school’s dean and the to participate in NCFDD’s Faculty Success Program designed to help faculty increase research and writing productivity while maintaining a healthy work/life balance. This opportunity will provide needed resources as the faculty pursue tenure. Meanwhile, Human Resources has developed an affirmative action review process for faculty tenure and promotions, seeking to understand whether decisions made regarding tenure and/or promotion adversely impact members of certain groups.

Launched through the Office of Research and Innovation, the new ��provides mentorship, funding and other support to high-performing associate professors. The goal is to boost the national impact of the fellows’ scholarship, with a focus on work in diversity, inclusion and community empowerment.

Other actions, too, are helping the CARA progress, as staff and faculty have opportunities to participate in book studies and Continuing ����ֱ�� sessions on the topics of implicit bias, microagressions, power and privilege, health disparities and racial justice. A new Lunch and Learn series also helps welcome, mentor and retain Black faculty, with plans to extend to Hispanic and Latino faculty. Development of a faculty search document, Strategies and Tactics for Recruiting to Increase Diversity and Excellence (STRIDE) will lead to workforce change, and a new Employee Resource Group is focused on faculty and staff who identify as Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders.

The Office of Diversity and Equity, in collaboration with the Employee Success Center, also is working to better incorporate diversity and equity in university onboarding, leadership and retention programs, policies and practices. Programs and services to support employees and students experiencing racial trauma also give credence to one of UofL’s guiding principles as a Community of Care.

A new Undergraduate Student Success Taskforce, coordinated through the Office of Diversity and Equity, aims to make it easier for underrepresented, underfunded and first generation students to have an equal opportunity for achievement. The group will work to improve information sharing, communication and collaboration across units; identify gaps in services, student performance and experience; and develop creative ways to eliminate barriers and build student success. The taskforce will have a plan in place this fall.

A course for first-year students taught by student success center staff also is being revised in time for the new academic year to more intentionally thread themes of diversity, equity and inclusion throughout the curriculum. All GEN 100 instructors will be trained on what it means to be an anti-racist institution and tie the work of CARA to first year students’ experience as they join the university community.

And advancement is working to raise funds for student financial support aimed at racial equity. The School of Nursing’s Breonna Taylor Memorial Scholarship and the J.B. Speed School of Engineering’s diversity education scholarship through are two examples.

New committees and groups

The Student Government Association recently created a diversity and inclusion committee, the Staff Senate created a and new recognized student organizations have launched this year, including the Black Graduate Student Association (BGSA).

Jason Deakings helped lead the effort in bringing together the BGSA. As a CODRE student representative, he’s also helping shape CARA. Deakings worked on a committee to explore anti-racism initiatives at other universities, and had the opportunity to listen to both graduate and undergraduate student ideas and concerns related to the agenda.

“Inclusiveness is of paramount importance for students,” Deakings said. “Even as new RSOs have been created, we are working toward unification and progressing inclusivity.”

Inclusiveness and belonging are key, says Jones.

“We��must ensure equity in all of our practices and policies��that are inclusive of our multiple identities,” she said.

As the world begins to recover from the devastating effects of the recent global COVID-19 pandemic, we maintain our commitment to providing education that is fair, just and true, and leads toward an end of the devastating effects of the long-term racial pandemic.