Our Commitment

Child Maltreatment Solutions Network at Penn State

Even as minority and marginalized families are over-represented in the child welfare system, Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) are grossly under-represented in academic and advocacy leadership. To change this landscape, we are committed to addressing the diversity inequities in this field by offering tangible opportunities to BIPOC scholars. It is thus central to our mission to increase the number of ethnic minority trainees at the undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral levels who will lead the next generation of scientists and advocates across the field.

It is our hope that, through providing fellowships, scholarships, specific programming to allay financial hardship, and mentoring support for professional development, this particular barrier will begin to dissipate.

In addition to graduate and post-doctoral assistantships within the labs of individual faculty members, the P50 and T32 include specific initiatives to advance BIPOC scholars. These include priority fellowship placements, national policy leadership opportunities, grant writing seminars, and diversity supplements through our NIH portfolio. We also have dedicated BIPOC scholarships at the undergraduate level.

Although student diversity at PSU has been steadily growing through several programs and initiatives to attract, support, and maintain BIPOC students, the overall student body remains predominately White (62%). It is our hope that by supporting the academic and professional development of BIPOC scholars, this particular barrier will begin to dissipate.

CMSN call to action to combat academic racism (PDF 117k)