Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental SciencesCooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder

CIRES DEI Strategic Plan

How CIRES is Integrating Principles of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into Its Culture

Young person smiles at the camera above a scree field into a mountain valley

Former CIRES grad student Dr. Neesha Regmi Schnepf (she/they) has a PhD in geophysics from CU Boulder and she works as a scientist within the CIRES / National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration geomagnetism team.

- CIRES

CIRES Diversity

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CIRES DEI Strategic Plan

How CIRES is Integrating Principles of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion into Its Culture

CIRES is committed to being an inclusive, anti-oppressive, anti-racist organization. To this end, we are taking an organizational development approach which interrogates our policies, systems, institutional data, and practices to eradicate bias and exclusionary presumptions, where they may exist. We are working to develop a culture in which people have clear expectations, fair processes and systems, and positive support to bring their whole self to work.

Director’s Statement

Dear CIRES colleagues,

CIRES is working to enact diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice among our core values. We choose to do this because it is the right thing to do and is a matter of integrity, and because doing so is a cornerstone of our continued success.

We are committed to doing the work it will take to enact these values, which will require commitment and effort across the institute and at all levels. We pledge to ensure that CIRES is a place where the talents of all individuals are cultivated, recognized, and appreciated, which requires a hard look at our processes and outcomes.

As Director of CIRES, I am personally committed to this effort because to me, diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice, are far more than words that capture important concepts; they are values - values we should not just try to live up to, but commit to achieving and surpassing.

This CIRES DEI plan includes strategic intentions meant to ensure that our culture is one that supports and enhances our ability to recruit and retain a diverse workforce, and our ability to establish meaningful powerful partnerships. We commit to transparency throughout the process, and we always welcome your feedback on our plans and your thoughts on how we can do better.

Please join us in promoting DEI efforts at CIRES, in whatever capacity is appropriate for your role. We all have a greater sphere of influence than we know.

Thank you for your active support of these efforts, and your commitment to the principles that drive them.

Waleed Abdalati

Our Process

Members of the CIRES DEI Strategic Planning Committee

CIRES DEI Vision and Mission

Glossary

Core values: The principles that guide an organization’s behavior. Core values form the foundation on which we perform work and conduct ourselves. To be core, a value must be embodied throughout an organization’s systems, practices, and policies.

Justice: The consistent and systematic fair and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to groups that have been denied such treatment

Equity: The practice of taking action as needed so that equality can be achieved. Examples include providing employee resource groups (groups that support employees with shared identities or goals) or identifying and rectifying systemic compensation issues.

Diversity: the range of human differences. At CIRES these include but are not limited to the CU Protected Classes: race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, political affiliation, and political philosophy. We recognize that all individuals embody multiple dynamic visible and invisible intersecting and intersectional identities

Inclusion: Organizational practices in which different groups or individuals are accepted and welcomed and treated equally. In an inclusive culture all people feel a sense of belonging and are valued and respected for who they are.

Communities: We use the plural “communities” to recognize that there are multiple overlapping groups of people who work at CIRES and to describe the people we work with through education, service and research

Culture: The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution or organization

Underrepresented groups: An underrepresented group is any group holding identities which are present in lower proportions than occurs in the general population.

Marginalized groups: Any group holding identities which have been systematically excluded from full participation in environmental sciences and scientific research and education.

Partnerships: An arrangement by which two or more parties agree to develop, manage and operate an enterprise and to share equitably in the costs and benefits of the enterprise.

Environmental sciences: We are using environmental science as a shorthand to signify all activity at CIRES, including environmental sciences, geosciences and geophysics, space sciences, social sciences, environmental education, policy, communications, administrative support, and all other related disciplines represented at CIRES.

Environmental research: This is also broadly defined for these purposes and includes research, education and education research, assessments, monitoring, operations, and all other related activities at CIRES.

Indicators: The qualitative and quantitative means by which we assess whether or not we are achieving our goals as anticipated

Why Invest in DEI at CIRES?

There are at least two lines of reasoning which support CIRES’ investment in DEI; drawn from a commitment to scientific integrity and to scientific excellence.

Scientific Integrity

Attention to DEI is part of scientific integrity and geoethics, concerned with the responsible conduct of science (AGI, 2015; AGU, 2017; Mogk, 2017). Investing in a more inclusive workplace culture serves scientific integrity in its highest sense.

In an inclusive culture all individuals belong, are respected for who they are, and are valued, including individuals from groups that have not historically been afforded that treatment. Marginalized people working in historically majority-dominated workplaces experience disproportionate barriers and burdens to their well being unless that workplace is made intentionally and systematically inclusive, just, and equitable.
Our work has implications for the coupled human and natural systems, in which some communities are disproportionately affected by environmental issues and are often overlooked within environmental sciences research.
We participate in the University of Colorado educational mission through our outreach, teaching, service and training activities. The CU student body, including graduate students and other trainees, is increasingly diverse. Our students and trainees have better outcomes when CIRES supports inclusive education and mentoring.

Given these realities, it is only right to develop a workplace in which DEI is realized through our operations and our mission. While there is a strong scientific excellence case for DEI as described below, the case for scientific integrity precedes because developing an equitable and inclusive workplace is its own common good regardless of whether or not doing so leads to more citations and funding.

Scientific Excellence

CIRES understands that successful DEI progress supports our scientific achievements.

Diverse perspectives lead to better problem solving and innovation (Antonio et al, 2004; Herring, C., 2009; Larson, 2017; Hong and Page, 2004; McKinsey, 2015). Diverse author teams have more scientific citations and publish in higher impact journals (Freeman and Huang, 2014) .
The student body in environmental sciences and geosciences in the United States is increasingly diverse (American Geosciences Institute, 2020). Universities and institutes who want to attract and retain an increasingly diverse student body pay attention to representation and an inclusive culture.
Our ability to secure sponsored funding is increasingly dependent on our ability to demonstrate an inclusive culture, conduct projects with diverse teams and inclusive management, and to engage diverse stakeholders in our work. Our primary partners (NOAA 2020; University of Colorado, Boulder, 2019) and funders (NOAA, 2020; NSF ; NASA, 2016) all have diversity and inclusion as part of their expectations.
Equitable partnerships with communities will allow CIRES to conduct more innovative and impactful research. Through partnerships and community co-development we can transform our existing research relationships so that we are able to better address the issues being faced by those who disproportionately face environmental risks.

CIRES DEI Maturity Model

Strategic Imperatives Summary

Strategic Imperatives Objectives and Strategies

Roles and Responsibilities

Achieving Results

References

Acronyms and Abbreviations

We welcome your feedback on our draft strategic plan for CIRES Diversity and Inclusion. Your response is anonymous.

Link to feedback form