UC professor takes on new role in equity and inclusion

University of Cincinnati associate professor Tai Collins has been appointed as the 2021 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Fellow in UC's Office of Research.

The fellowship is part of a three-pronged effort to improve diversity, equity and inclusion within the Office of Research and the UC Graduate School. The first part is the fellowship study, which will conduct research methods to learn more about the disparities in diversity and inclusion across the campus and where loopholes exist specifically in research.

The second part of the fellowship is led by Josie Evans- Phillips, assistant dean in UC's College of Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services, whose responsibility will be to create a research digest that will include the findings conducted by Collins' research and will be available for the university to review. The third component of the fellowship will consist of a diversity, equity, and inclusion board of represented faculty and staff from various colleges across campus to provide recommendations to Pat Limbach, UC's vice president of research, about how research can improve the campus to be more inclusive.

The research project will develop actionable recommendations and create more opportunities for future fellows of color to focus on other areas around the university that could create more positive outcomes.

"I think part of it is having effective conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion at the university. Another part of it is 'putting your money where your mouth is' and resources behind learning the gaps at the university with the idea of finding somebody that is an expert in this area and give them the support and resources they'll need to tell us what's going on," he said.

Overall, Collins wants to create more opportunities for future successors and conduct work to lead to outcome and change as a diversity, equity and inclusion fellow.