A multicultural organization development examination of school-based change strategies to address the needs of gay youth.

Today, increasingly attention has turned to the impact that school experiences have on gay youth. However, research to date has focused disproportionately on crisis intervention strategies or on meeting individually based needs rather than on the school setting. This study contributes an organization-wide examination of one public school district\u27s efforts to address the needs of gay youth at the high school level. This study examines the role of this public school district Safe Schools Committee and their participation in the Massachusetts Department of Education Safe Schools Program for Gay and Lesbian Youth and assesses the impact these efforts have had on the overall school setting in relation to gay youth issues. Two social justice change models provide the theoretical foundation for this study: multicultural education and multicultural organization development. The data for this study were gathered and analyzed using traditional qualitative research methods. Students, educators, parents, administrators, community members, and consultants at the statewide level were asked to describe their perceptions of change in the high school. The four recommendations of the Massachusetts Department of Education Safe Schools Program for Gay and Lesbian Students, the Stages of Multicultural Awareness model, and the Continuum of School Change Strategies provided useful perspectives in understanding how change initiatives impacted this school setting. Factors important to the success of this school district\u27s change initiatives were identified. The importance of prior experiences in creating a state of organizational readiness for change, the role of the Safe Schools Committee as a subsystem for change in the organization, and the importance of collaborative relationships across the organization, with community stakeholders, and with statewide resources and experts emerged as significant. Conclusions drawn from this study indicate that a systemic perspective can be critical in supporting school-based change efforts to meet the needs of gay youth and that addressing the needs of gay youth in school settings can make important contributions to increased multicultural awareness and organization development. Organization factors and behaviors of members of the Safe Schools Committee identified as particularly important to the success of these efforts are also presented

Fostering Diversity in a Faculty Development Organization

Since 1994, the Professional and Organizational Development Network in Higher Education (POD) has articulated a goal of becoming a more multicultural organization. In support of this goal, POD sponsors two key initiatives: travel and internship grants. This chapter offers an historical overview of the first nine years of these programs, selected perspectives from participants on the individual and organizational benefits of these initiatives, and a context within which to explore how POD is evolving as a multicultural organization and how it may benefit from increased attention to diversity related issues in the future

Exposure to multiple career pathways by biomedical doctoral students at a public research university

<div><p>The Broadening Experiences in Scientific Experiences (BEST) program at Wayne State University was designed to increase doctoral students’ awareness of multiple employment sectors beyond academia, improve their knowledge of transferable skills required to succeed in any career path, provide opportunities to explore diverse career paths, and gain in-depth knowledge about those paths using experiential learning opportunities. We devised a three-phase program that ranged from providing students with a broad introduction to multiple career opportunities to immersive experiential learning in a specific career sector. Importantly, program content was developed and delivered by alumni and industry experts in five employment sectors–business/industry, communication, government, law/regulatory affairs, and undergraduate/PUI teaching–in partnership with WSU faculty. This article provides data on two notable outcomes: doctoral students participate equally in BEST activities regardless of gender, race, and citizenship status, and student participation in BEST activities did not correlate with lower GRE ratings, lower GPA, or increased time-to-degree. Further, a “halo” effect of the program is evidenced by participation of students from all disciplines, not just the biomedical sciences. Centralizing BEST activities within the Graduate School will allow faculty and individual programs to save resources and time.</p></div

Demographics of doctoral students participating in BEST events.

<p>The number of events attended by unique participants from 2014–17 (total N = 223) are displayed by (A) gender, (B) ethnicity, and (C) U.S citizenship status.</p

Academic performance of students participating in BEST activities.

<p>(A) The average GRE percentile scores for incoming students. Note: some programs do not require GRE scores for admission, so not all BEST participants are included. (B) Cumulative GPAs from 2014–17. Non-BEST students did not participate in any BEST events; BEST students are those who participated in one or more BEST events. (C) Time-to-degree completion for BEST participants who graduated 2014–17. The events include Phases I, II, and III, and GPPD seminars. The duration of each event varied from one hour for GPPDs and Phase I to an average of 160 hours for Phase III participation. In three years, 125 of the unique participants completed their doctoral degrees.</p

Survey results of doctoral students in BEST target departments.

<p>(A) Phase I survey (Years 1–3) (N = 227 surveys), (B) Phase II survey (Years 2–3) (N = 70) results are shown. The scale for both surveys ranges from 1 (nothing/not at all) to 5 (a great deal).</p

Participation of doctoral students from biomedical departments in BEST events.

<p>Pre-BEST vs. BEST participation (unique participants) 2013–17. The striped bars represent participants from 2013–14, the "pre-BEST" period. The solid bars represent BEST participants from 2014–17.</p