Diversity & Inclusion at the INFO College
The College of Information Studies at the University of Maryland was founded in the 1960s with an overtly activist mission.
The UMD INFO College is a notably welcoming and encouraging environment, with members of the college community representing a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.
With a history of activism, the UMD INFO College continues today to champion accessibility, diversity, inclusion, and democratization of information. Our faculty, staff, and students, who come to us from over 63 countries, create a welcoming and encouraging environment. Diversity and inclusion is central to the mission of the college and is seen across courses, research, scholarship, events, and community development.
In the past few years, surveys taken of the college students, faculty, staff, and alumni have shown the college to have embraced diversity and inclusion as central to the mission of the school. The numbers of students in the MLS program who identify as LGBTQ or a person with a disability, for example, are far above the national averages. Many INFO students at the University of Maryland – regardless of their educational focus – have listed the emphasis on diversity and inclusion as a main reason for choosing to enroll here.
Diversity and Inclusion Efforts
The faculty and staff of the INFO College engage in a wide range of scholarly, professional, community, and educational projects related to diversity and inclusion. With a broad focus on promoting access to and the ability to understand and effectively use information and information technologies, the INFO College has courses, centers, research tools, conferences, and resources devoted to promoting greater inclusion for individuals and communities in information.
This range of diversity and inclusion efforts at the INFO College includes:
- Improving health and technology literacy skills for socio-economically disadvantaged students;
- Mapping and demonstrating the century-long impacts of redlining of communities;
- Designing apps to promote STEM learning in low-income communities;
- Working to improve access to legal information for who cannot afford representation;
- Promoting equity and justice as key functions of archives; and
- Making the world accessible for people with disabilities, among much else.
The History of Activism at the INFO College
Land Acknowledgement
Every community owes its existence and strength to the generations before them, around the world, who contributed their hopes, dreams, and energy into making the history that led to this moment. Some were brought here against their will, some were drawn to migrate from their homes in hope of a better life, and some have lived on this land for more generations than can be counted. Truth and acknowledgment are critical in building mutual respect and connections across all barriers of heritage and difference.
At the College of Information Studies, we believe it is important to create dialogue to honor those that have been historically and systemically disenfranchised. So, we acknowledge the truth that is often buried: We are on the ancestral lands of the Piscataway People, who were among the first in the Western Hemisphere. We are on indigenous land that was stolen from the Piscataway People by European colonists. We pay respects to Piscataway elders and ancestors. Please take a moment to consider the many legacies of violence, displacement, migration, and settlement that bring us together here today.
The land acknowledgment we use was organized by Ghonva Ghauri from MICA and approved by Piscataway elders.
Diversity & Inclusion Leadership
In addition to teaching, service, and research, the INFO College has several positions and organizations specifically devoted to promoting and celebrating diversity and inclusion in the INFO College and connecting the INFO College to wider university, local, state, national, and international communities.
- Renee Hill, Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Faculty Equity Administrator – Coordinates efforts related to diversity and inclusion in the INFO College, serves as the primary representative of the INFO College on campus-wide and broader community initiatives, and is primarily responsible for monitoring and evaluating diversity efforts at the INFO College.
- The Diversity Committee – Collaborates to lead efforts related to the INFO College’s ability to inclusively engage and meet the needs of all faculty, staff, students, and partners. This includes, but is not limited to, promoting awareness of diversity issues within the College; facilitating efforts to increase the representation of underrepresented populations among the students, staff, faculty, and partners; arranging for the College to work with organizations and be represented at diversity events; and coordinating the James Partridge Award.
Student Organizations
The INFO College also is home to several student organizations focused on inclusion of traditionally underrepresented groups in STEM or higher education:
iDiversity is an organization for INFO College graduate students interested in inclusion information practice and diversification of the information professions. iDiversity hosts a range of talks and events on these topics. The activities of the organization include providing information literacy tutoring at local educational institutions, helping local libraries with fundraising, building free libraries for communities with no local library access, and other advocacy projects.
InfoSci FI aims to develop a professional presence, provide volunteer experiences, and create a positive environment for female-identifying students pursuing a career in technology. InfoSci FI will hold monthly meetings consisting of professor panels, networking events, and advising support.
The iSchool Graduate Student of Color Collective (iSG-SOCC) is a student-led and student-focused group at the UMD INFO College (aka UMD iSchool) that aims to provide a supportive space for graduate students of color at the iSchool. The goal is to build a welcoming collective and learning environment for students of color interested in cultivating advocacy, visibility, and community.
The Ladies in Tech at Shady Grove purpose/mission statement: To create a collaborative and communicative environment for women interested in computational and engineering fields such as Data Science, Cybersecurity, and Biotechnology. Through working on projects, L.i.T Club will introduce and raise skills that will help members jump-start their careers in the tech industry.
Learn more about INFO student organizations.
Questions?
For any questions or suggestions about diversity and inclusion efforts at the college, please contact the INFO College’s Diversity Officer, listed above.