http://www.dri.edu
	Summer 2006

Expanding the faces of DRI: recent diversity efforts open new doors

“There never were in the world two opinions alike, no more than two hairs or two grains; the most universal quality is diversity.”
– French philosopher Michel de Montaigne

The presidents of the Desert Research Institute and Tennessee State University sign a partnership agreement for collaborative research. Pictured from l to r: Dr. Chris Maples, vice president for research at DRI, Dr. Melvin Johnson, president of TSU, Dr. Steve Wells, president of DRI and Maria Thompson, TSU director of research and sponsored programs.

In the article “Reconsidering the Diversity Rationale” in the winter 2005 edition of Liberal Education, author Mitchell Chang tells of diversity-related research he and his colleagues submitted to the Association of American Colleges and Universities. The research helped explain how racial diversity benefits all students’ collective learning and experiences. It concluded that, because racial differences are associated with differences in viewpoints and opinions, an increase in the proportion of underrepresented students can bring to a university experiences, outlooks and ideas that potentially can enhance the educational experiences of all students. In addition, the overall educational impact of racial diversity is likely to be strongest when campuses intervene by coordinating a set of mutually supportive and reinforcing experiences.

DRI is known for its efforts collaborating with countries worldwide, from West Africa to China to Australia. But how does a higher education institution that is as unique as DRI work to increase the dynamics of those who operate in its labs and offices every day? How can DRI reach and entice minorities and underrepresented populations across the United States to come learn and work in Nevada’s premiere scientific research institution?

For several months, John Gardner, who directs DRI’s diversity outreach initiatives, and Executive Vice President for Research Dr. Chris Maples, have tackled the challenge of creating a more diverse environment at DRI. The results have the administration thinking more strategically and looking forward to opportunities that have arisen from a series of new relationships. Last November, the Las Vegas and Reno campuses of DRI saw visits from representatives of both Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutes (MSI), as well as government agencies and the private sector. Visitors came from the West Virginia High Technology Consortium Foundation, Jackson State University, Texas Southern University, The University of Texas-Pan American, Tennessee State University, California State University, Fullerton, the U.S. Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency and other organizations.

In return, the MSI coalition members gave DRI the ability to participate in the third national Minority Serving Institutions Research Partnerships Conference hosted by the University of Texas-Pan American February 1-4, 2006. Maples was a presenter at the conference, which had hundreds of participants, including business and military leaders, federal agency representatives and higher education workers. The conference brings together representatives of universities that serve predominately black, Hispanic and Native American students, as well as large research-based institutions such as DRI, which are interested in expanding their work both with corporations and the federal government. The conference’s goals include generating interest in research-related contracts, grants and minority recruitment.

from l to r: Dr. Mary M. White, Lee Allen, Dr. Donald Andrews, Dr. Chris Maples, Dr. Marcus W. Shute, John A. Gardner II and Dr. Ambrose Jerald, Jr. pause for a picture at the Minority Serving Institutions Research Partnerships Conference at the University of Texas-Pan American. Photos provided by John Gardner

The visit to DRI campuses in November and participation in the MSI conference proved to be successful in creating new relationships for universities that were unaware of what DRI had to offer their students. In April, DRI President Dr. Stephen Wells signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Tennessee State University’s President Dr. Melvin N. Johnson, designed to provide DRI faculty and students with a new avenue to establish powerful research partnerships. TSU, an 1890 Land Grant Institution, is known for its basic and applied sponsored research in a variety of disciplines, including agricultural and environmental sciences, engineering, technology and computer science, homeland security and health and biomedicine.

“ TSU is a good match for us as its goals and objectives are very similar to ours,” Wells said. “It is in the best interest for both DRI and TSU to develop long-term collaborative efforts to strengthen both our research capabilities, broaden our opportunities and enhance the expertise of faculty on both campuses. Signing the MOU is just the beginning of a great relationship between our institutions, and we look forward to working with TSU’s faculty and students.”

DRI’s diversity and outreach efforts thus far also have led to membership in the MIS National Consortium with an advisory position being held by Gardner.
“ Through this opportunity, DRI can now continue to build key relationships with the MSI community,” Gardner said.

In conjunction with national diversity, Gardner is making strides within Nevada as he is a member of the Chancellor’s Diversity Round Table within the Nevada System of Higher Education and is actively involved in local minority chambers, K-12 programs and other groups.

Making Connections and Getting Results

As a result of coming to see DRI first-hand, three universities have already expressed an interest in having a DRI team visit their own campuses. The goal will be for DRI faculty to collaborate with faculty at these universities on joint proposals designed to lead to equally balanced business for everyone and more opportunities for the future.

“ We’ve laid the groundwork. Now we want to see new faces around DRI in the future, which will happen through the open-minded efforts of DRI’s faculty and administration,” said Gardner. “I’m looking forward to more requests to form partnerships and finalize MOUs with the same outstanding results.”

According to a February 2005 report produced by GESO, the graduate teachers and researchers union at Yale University, minorities and women have made little progress in breaking into the faculty ranks of the Ivy League. In 2003, Ivy League campuses hired 433 new professors into tenure-track jobs, but only 14 were black and 8 were Hispanic. Women received 150 of the jobs.