Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

UMass Lowell's Department of Environmental, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (EEAS) holds diversity, equity, and inclusion as core values. 

Goals

The goals of the EEAS department’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) activities are to:

• Foster a welcoming and supportive environment for all students, especially those from historically excluded groups
• Connect students, staff, and faculty with resources for support and success
• Discuss DEI issues and racism explicitly in class and in professional development activities, especially from disciplinary perspectives
• Increase the diversity of the department to reflect the US population
• Evaluate our activities and progress yearly

The department’s DEI Committee has the responsibility to facilitate, support, and evaluate DEI activities. Several activities are already in progress and the planned efforts for the next year aim to formalize, expand, and track those activities.  We expect the planned activities to advance not just DEI but the closely-related issues of retention, recruitment, and overall student success.

Activities

The planned activities for Fall 2024 - Spring 2025 are:

• Build upon web presence, with resources for students
• Add one undergrad and one grad student to committee, with stipend
• Implement graduate peer mentoring program
• Encourage paid internships and scholarships
• Continue tracking:  DEI activities, composition of student body
• Apply for AGU Bridge program
• Discuss DEI issues and racism explicitly in class and in professional development activities
• In Spring 2025, evaluate existing efforts and develop plan for AY25-26