Programs

Accountability, Climate, Equity, and Scholarship (ACES) Fellows Program

Texas A&M University’s Accountability, Climate, Equity, and Scholarship (ACES) Fellows Program is a faculty pipeline initiative that connects those advancing outstanding scholarship with relevant disciplinary units on campus.

In recognition of Texas A&M University's Diversity Plan, the ACES Fellows Program promotes the research, teaching, and scholarship of early career scholars who embrace the belief that diversity is an indispensable component of academic excellence. From this experience at Texas A&M, fellows should develop an understanding of the value of diversity and inclusion and the power that it holds for students, faculty, and staff to enrich their lives.

As a Tier 1 research and land-grant institution, Texas A&M upholds its responsibility to accountability, campus climate, equity, and scholarship by maintaining a campus that affirms equity and fosters inclusion and belonging. ACES Fellows are afforded access to invaluable academic and professional development experiences to advance their careers as scholars.

For 2020 (with Fellows to begin fall 2021), the ACES Fellows Program is funded by the Office of the Provost, and administered by the Office for Diversity at Texas A&M in partnership with five colleges: The Bush School of Government and Public Service; the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; the College of Education and Human Development; the College of Geosciences; and the College of Liberal Arts.

Eligibility and application information for the 2020-2021 ACES Fellows Program

ADVANCE Scholars Program

The ADVANCE Scholars Program is a faculty mentoring program designed to promote and advance the success of tenure-track faculty who have been historically underrepresented at Texas A&M University and in higher education. This Program is anchored in our Aggie Core Values that continuously challenge us to embrace, value, and integrate diversity and inclusion as the roadmap to achieving academic and institutional excellence. As such, the ADVANCE Scholars Program is a key component of our efforts at Texas A&M University to support the recruitment, retention, and academic success of our faculty. Through systemic approaches to increasing their professional advancement, this Program contributes to the development of an exceptional and more diverse faculty.

Participants are afforded access to invaluable academic and professional development experiences to advance their careers as scholars. The Program focuses on cultivating opportunities for personal and professional growth by addressing issues that adversely affect satisfaction, effectiveness, and retention of historically underrepresented groups in higher education. Texas A&M University recognizes that creating a more equitable climate contributes to a positive environment for the students we serve, and the university as a whole.

ABOUT THE 2019-2021 ADVANCE SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Diversity Matters Seed Grant Program

The Diversity Matters Seed Grant program supports research projects designed to make a positive impact on Texas A&M University’s Diversity Plan goals of accountability, campus climate, and equity. Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss proposal topics with their relevant Diversity Operations Committee representative(s) prior to submission.

Seed Grant Recipients

2018-2020 Funded Seed Grant Proposals
2017-2018 Funded Seed Grant Proposals
2016-2017 Funded Seed Grant Proposals
2015-2016 Funded Seed Grant Proposals

Enhancing Diversity Seminars

The Enhancing Diversity Seminars are designed to engage the campus community in dialogue around topics and issues related to diversity, campus climate, equity, and inclusion. The Office for Diversity has invited Texas A&M students, faculty, and staff to present their research to the campus community. A list of past Enhancing Diversity Seminars is available here.

Because of the diversity in experience, motivation, and knowledge in the campus community, the Office for Diversity offers sessions for participants with a variety of skill levels and knowledge about diversity. To help participants find presentations that match their interests and facilitate their personal and professional development, presenters have indicated experience and knowledge level(s) for their sessions:

Novice - Limited or no experience, training, and/or personal reflection discussing racism, privilege, and other social justice issues and identifying personal biases, prejudices, and identity.
Intermediate - Some to moderate experience, training, and/or personal reflection identifying and recognizing personal bias and prejudices, how power and authority are distributed within organizational systems, and forms of privilege, oppression, and discrimination.
Advanced - Substantial experience, training, and/or personal reflection resulting in a willingness to engage in respectful discussions and discourse about power, privilege, oppression, and discrimination; the ability to function effectively in a multicultural society; the ability to understand conflict from multiple viewpoints; and the willingness to explore personal bias and prejudices.

Presentations are structured to encourage participants to engage in self-reflection and to interact with peers and the presenter(s). Please check with your supervisor to determine whether any presentations count towards your specific training and professional development requirements.

Spectres from the Past: Slavery and the Politics of “History” in West African and African American Literature
Presenter: Dr. Portia Owusu, Visiting Assistant Professor
College of Liberal Arts, Texas A&M University
Date: Thursday, April 15
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CDT
Location: Zoom details will be provided in the reminder email on 04/14/21

This presentation considers modes of remembering slavery in African and African American cultural contexts. Its focus is on twentieth century “back to Africa” ideologies and its impact in the lives of individuals who adhered to it. The paper offers a reading of Ama Ata Aidoo’s Dilemma of a Ghost (1965), a play that explores the politics of history in a marriage between an African and African American, to argue that these ideologies historicize slavery in ways that account exclusively for the experience of those in the West. A consequence of this single focus is a misunderstanding of how Africans remember and historicize slavery. It is also fraught personal relationships – underpinned by differences in cultures and modes of memory - between Africans on the continent and those in the diaspora.

Audience Knowledge Ranking: Novice – Limited or no experience, training, and/or personal reflection discussing racism, privilege, and other social justice issues and identifying personal biases, prejudices, and identity.

Registration for campus and community members

TrainTraq link for registration for Texas A&M Employees

Enhancing minoritized scholars’ professional visibility
Presenters: Dr. Asha Ganesan, Postdoctoral Researcher & Dr. Adrienne Carter-Sowell, Associate Professor
College of Liberal Arts, Texas A&M University
Date: Wednesday, April 28
Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CDT
Location: Zoom details will be provided in the reminder email on April 27, 2021

Being visible is beneficial for career advancement and can enhance positive experiences on the job. Roles as a ghost writer, silent partner, and anonymous donor imply that no negative consequences accompany being present but not accounted for in the workplace. However, research shows being an “invisible” worker matters. Alternatively, being visible also can be detrimental for one’s identities too (McCluney & Rabelo, 2019). Data were collected in a series of studies, using mixed methods, from participants belonging to varying majority and minority groups. Results differentiated between self-reported visibility experiences and (1) willingness to disclose personal information/identities, (2) status among group members, and (3) perceived pain induced by recurring thoughts. In sum, factors related to intersectional identities influence differences in stepping out of a perpetual, professional blind spot. Implications of public “inclusion pledges” will be discussed too.

Audience Knowledge Ranking: Novice – Limited or no experience, training, and/or personal reflection discussing racism, privilege, and other social justice issues and identifying personal biases, prejudices, and identity.

Registration for campus and community members

TrainTraq link for registration for Texas A&M Employees

Requesting Funding from the Office for Diversity

Office for Diversity Guidelines for Funding Requests -- Funding requests will be considered for their potential to significantly and positively impact the University’s Diversity Plan goals:

Accountability -- Programs that enhance or establish structures and processes that promote accountability for achieving our diversity goals.
Campus climate -- Programs that promote or enhance an inclusive working and learning environment that fully recognizes, values, and integrates diversity.
Equity -- Programs that promote a campus culture that is free from discrimination and harassment and one that is committed to valuing diverse skills, knowledge, and experience.

If you have any questions or concerns accessing this application, please feel free to contact us by phone (979-458-2905) or by email (diversity@tamu.edu).