Abstract:

The Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and People of Color (BILPOC) Faculty Advancement Initiative at UAlbany focuses on mentoring, retention, and promotion of BILPOC Faculty. Our faculty-led association is providing a safe and supportive space for faculty who are Black, Indigenous, Latinx and people of color. This association serves as a forum for the exchange of ideas that is also helping UAlbany BILPOC faculty with professional growth and career advancement. We also see our group as a retention mechanism. Since inception, BILPOC has made a significant contribution to the University and Faculty as evidenced through its growth, programming, community engagement, and research proposal efforts. What began with a group of seven faculty members has blossomed to over 50 within one year. BILPOC faculty are interested in collaboration across disciplines on meaningful topics for their communities. They are also interested in mentorship, writing groups, social meetups, and outreach efforts, all of which this faculty advancement initiative provides. We believe that our newly established BILPOC community provides opportunities that support our diverse workforce, while also creating a positive and sustainable scholarly environment, which might serve as a model for other institutions.