Retention

Mississippi State University and the Office of Institutional Diversity & Inclusion support faculty and staff retention through programs and initiatives designed to assist with career development, provide opportunities to network, support mentoring, and create a welcoming and inclusive environment for under-represented faculty and staff.

Get Involved

Mississippi State University faculty and staff have several opportunities to utilize their strengths and expertise through contributions to a wide variety of university committees and organizations. In addition, getting involved in one or more of these opportunities provides an avenue for professional and personal growth through networking.

Faculty/Staff Organizations

Affinity Groups

The Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion has established 4 Affinity Groups, which aim to connect faculty and staff with shared interests, practice areas and backgrounds.

Benefits of joining an Affinity Group:

A collective voice and relationship with the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion
Opportunity to become engaged in the recruitment, retention and promotion of underrepresented faculty and staff
Assist in creating an atmosphere that fosters growth and development of underrepresented faculty and staff
Opportunity to broaden cultural awareness

Structure of Affinity Group

Each Affinity Group will have a leadership team to include:

Chair: this individual leads and oversees the function of the group. The Chair helps ensure that the group is supported and outcomes are successful. The Chair will also be responsible for meeting with leadership to provide reporting on the group’s metrics.
OIDI Representative: individual within the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion that provides guidance and advises the group on initiatives.

Initiatives

Each Affinity Group should develop initiatives consistent with the goals and objects. Each can be stand alone or joint partnership with internal and external organizations.

Events: social or professional events exclusive for the faculty and staff participants of the group

Affinity Groups at MSU:

Men of Color: provides a space for its members to bond, provide and seek mentorship and affirm the unique experience of being a man of color.
Women of Color: provides an environment for members to connect, share experiences, and serve as a network for women at MSU.
Young Professionals: provides faculty and staff between 21 and 35 years of age with opportunities to develop socially, professionally and civically.
Out of State: provides a space for members, who are not originally from the state of Mississippi, to network and share experiences.

For more information or to join a group, please contact oidi@msstate.edu

Minority Faculty Writing Circles

The Office of Institutional Diversity & Inclusion (OIDI) Minority Faculty Writing Circle Program will provide mini-grants up to $100 per academic year for up to eight (8) selected groups of faculty. These groups are intended to support scholarly productivity through regularly scheduled and structured group meetings whose central focus is on writing and/or the writing process. In each meeting, participants will discuss writing goals and challenges and will receive support from the group, as well as an accountability structure. Each group will be allowed to determine their own unique approach to attain scholarly productivity.

Group Requirements

OIDI Minority Faculty Writing Groups will organize themselves, with a designated group leader. Faculty groups will be responsible for recruiting memberships through networking and communicating with faculty members across campus. Opportunities to connect with fellow faculty are provided by OIDI. Please contact OIDI or visit oidi.msstate.edu for information on these opportunities. Additional members may be added to the writing group by sending a request to oidi@msstate.edu
Each OIDI Minority Faculty Writing Group must contain a minimum of four (4) members in order to be eligible for funding. At least half of the membership must be comprised of faculty members who have historically marginalized or underrepresented identities.
Each OIDI Minority Faculty Writing Group must meet at least twice a month (scheduled times will be determined by each group)
Each OIDI Minority Faculty Writing group leader must submit a 3-5 page written report each semester that summarizes the work completed by the group and the methods in which the group supported the scholarly productivity of its members. Groups are also encouraged to share photographs of the working writing circle with OIDI. Reports and photos will be due on or before December 7, 2020 for the fall semester and on or before May 3, 2021 for the spring semester. Please submit all reports to oidi@msstate.edu on or before these dates.

Timeline

Applications due by no later than August 28, 2020
Groups will be notified of their award status by September 3, 2020
Initial meeting with all writing circle group leaders: September 10, 2020
Closing meeting with all writing circle group participants: TBD

Additional Information

The OIDI Minority Faculty Writing Group may utilize the conference room within the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center (Colvard Student Union, 2nd floor) upon request and space availability.
Funds may be used to purchase books*, supplies, or other relevant materials, including hosting luncheon or coffee shop meetings. OIDI will require original receipts with no tax included. Each group may also keep a copy for their records as well. Please contact OIDI for policies and procedures on how to utilize the ProCard or purchase materials.
All purchased items must be utilized to increase writing productivity and documented in the end of the year/semester report(s).

Faculty Senate

http://www.facultysenate.msstate.edu/

Mentoring Resources

MSSTATE Faculty Experts

http://www.msstate.edu/directory/faculty-experts/

National Center for Faculty Development & Diversity

https://www.oidi.msstate.edu/programs-services/national-center-for-faculty-development-and-diversity/