Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | August 21, 2023 | Worcester Business Journal 11 Honoring Gloria D. Hall and Art in the Park St. Spyridon Cultural Center 102 Russell Street, Worcester 22 ND HARVEY BALL Friday, October 6 5:30-9:30pm 25 TH WORLD SMILE DAY ® Friday, October 6 – FREE Activities at Elm Park 1-4:00pm Tickets are limited and on sale now at WorcesterHistory.org Join us as we paint the town yellow! C el e brati ng W orcester and W orl d S m ile D a y ® Much of what she has learned over the years as an advocate for women in science can be applied to other margin- alized groups, in Munson's perspective. With that background, she felt called to step up, not just at the ACSB but at UMass Chan, too. For the past three years, Munson has taken on increas- ing responsibilities related to equity at UMass Chan. Ensuring the work gets done is her priority. While recognition has come in the form of a 2022 UMass Chan Chan- cellor's Award for advancing institution- al excellence in diversity and inclusion, the way she began and approached the work makes clear adding a line to her CV is secondary to making tangible change for scientists from marginalized backgrounds. For two years, Munson collaborated with and support- ed the office of health equity even before she was giv- en an official role and title, said Mi- lagros Rosal, vice provost for health equity at UMass Chan. Rosal is the inaugural leader in that position, which was created in September 2020. Munson was the first faculty mem- ber to reach out to her to get involved, Rosal said. "Time is very valuable for everyone in academia, and there she was offering her time and ability to improve the efforts," Rosal said. Munson was subsequently appointed assistant vice provost for health equity in the office, which has three arms. One focuses on facilitating unbiased faculty recruitment, one on equitable advance- ment of junior faculty into leadership positions, and one looking outward at how the university can leverage resourc- es to promote health globally. Munson's attention has been not only on promoting the hiring of candidates from marginalized groups, but fostering their growth and experience at UMass Chan. On the ladder of seniority in academia, the higher levels become less diverse. It's in part because the system was not designed for people who don't come from the traditional background, said Munson. "How do we ensure the folks we hire are able to thrive here?" Munson asks. Munson's plate is full with her com- Diversity of faculty Racial and gender diversity of faculty at U.S. degree-granting insitutions, by academic rank Asian/Pacific Asian/Pacific White male White female Black male Black female Hispanic male Hispanic female islander male islander female Two or more races Professor 51% 28% 2% 2% 2% 2% 8% 4% 1% Associate professor 39% 35% 3% 3% 3% 2% 7% 6% 1% Assistant professor 32% 38% 3% 5% 3% 3% 7% 7% 2% Instructor 32% 42% 3% 5% 4% 5% 3% 4% 2% Lecturer 34% 44% 2% 3% 3% 4% 3% 4% 1% TOTAL 39% 35% 3% 4% 3% 3% 7% 5% 1% Source: National Center for Education Statistics, 2022 mitments at UMass, ASCB, and for the long list of mentees she has cultivated in her career. None of them are in isolation from each other, however. "A lot of these things came together for me at the same time. It's all think- ing about how to be intersectional. It's thinking about how we change the process and the system," she said. Her commitment to furthering diver- sity and inclusion efforts in the scientific community is forward looking, and it's necessary to preserve academic research careers as a desirable option for anyone who is science-minded, curious, and committed, particularly people from backgrounds historically underrepre- sented and pushed to the margins. "I'm afraid if we don't change the way we do science in academia, they might not want to be here," Munson said. Milagros Rosal, vice provost for health equity at UMass Chan W

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