Strategic Plan FY06 - FY09
II. PROGRAM ACTIVITIES
E. Diversity
Diversity Goal:
Students, faculty, and staff who reflect the growing diversity of the US workforce and are substantively involved in the undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs of the Center.
E.1. Baseline Measures
Not required
E.2. Diversity Program Outcome
UTCM is committed to furthering the diversity of the transportation workforce. It is anticipated that increased numbers of women and minorities will be attracted to transportation through the programs of the center. By the end of the grant, UTCM will have increased the numbers of women and minorities ready to address mobility issues in the workforce.
E.3. Planned Activities
UTCM, as a part of the Texas A&M System (TAMUS), has a unique opportunity to implement diversity programs through TAMUS’s established network. TAMUS is one of the largest systems of higher education in the nation, with a statewide network of nine universities and seven state agencies. More information on the TAMUS can be found at http://www.tamus.edu/overview/about.html. Of these nine universities, Texas A&M International (in Laredo, Texas) and Texas A&M Kingsville are majority Hispanic institutions. Prairie View A&M, a Historically Black University, is located near Houston in Waller County. TAMUS in total has an ethnically and culturally diverse population of students in its programs across Texas. UTCM will develop partnerships with TAMUS campuses to promote careers in transportation mobility. Activities could include support for outreach programs, opportunities to promote targeted fellowships (see below) and collaborative research.
Specific activities may include:
- PIs will be encouraged to hire women and minorities to work on UTCM sponsored projects.
- As a result of the activities in II.D.3, existing fellowship and scholarship opportunities targeted to women and minorities will be identified. These will be actively promoted by UTCM to TAMUS students and used to attract qualified students to the transportation profession. Some examples of these are the categories of FHWA’s Eisenhower Fellowships targeted to minorities and the Hispanic Scholarship Fund Institute scholarships, co-sponsored by USDOT.
- UTCM fellowship programs, while not targeted specifically to minority students, will be advertised in minority targeted publications and promoted throughout the TAMUS, and also at other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic Serving Institutions to appeal to as diverse a student population as possible.
- UTCM will develop a partnership with the TAMU Office of Diversity to enhance opportunities for minority students, faculty, and staff in the transportation profession. TAMU has a strong commitment to diversity, with the head of the Diversity Office at the Vice President and Associate Provost level. This office sponsors a number of diversity initiatives every year, such as student conferences, festivals, and exhibits. The Texas A&M University Campus Diversity Plan was approved August 17, 2006 and is available at http://diversity.tamu.edu/DiversityPlan.aspx. A review of the core action areas of this document revealed several initiatives that could prove beneficial in UTCM diversity activities.
- UTCM will seek opportunities to support and enhance the Texas Summer Transportation Institute (STSI), which is already in place through TTI’s Center for Professional Development.
E.4. Performance Indicators
None required
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