<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div>Hi everyone,<br><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1764c6"><br></font>I wanted to extend a special invitation to all CoSEA faculty (and students) to attend this week's physics colloquium (Thursday at 4pm in Science 127). Our speaker will be Dr. Joan Schmelz, current program director for the Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships at the National Science Foundation, a professor of physics at the University of Memphis, and the chair of the American Astronomical Society's Committee on the Status of Women in Astronomy. She will be talking with us about unconscious biases in hiring, promotions, and tenure.<br><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1764c6"></font><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1764c6"><br></font><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; ">Title: Unconscious Bias in Hiring, Promotions, and Tenure</span><br><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#282828" face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></font><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; ">Abstract: We all have biases, and we are (for the most part) unaware of them. In general, men and women BOTH unconsciously devalue the contributions of women. This can have a detrimental effect on grant proposals, job applications, and performance reviews. Sociology is way ahead of physics and astronomy in these studies. When evaluating identical application packages, for example, male and female University psychology professors preferred 2:1 to hire “Brian” over “Karen” as an assistant professor. When evaluating a more experienced record, at the point of promotion to tenure, reservations were expressed four times more often about Karen than about Brian. This unconscious bias has a repeated negative effect on Karen’s career (Steinpreis, Anders & Ritzke 1999, Sex Roles, 41, 509). In this talk, I will introduce the concept of unconscious bias and also give recommendations on how to address it using an example for a faculty search committee. The process of eliminating unconscious bias begins with awareness, then moves to policy and practice, and ends with accountability. For more information, please see the University of Michigan Advance web site (</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; "><a href="http://sitemaker.umich.edu/advance/" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">http://sitemaker.umich.edu/advance/</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(31, 73, 125); font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; ">).</span></div><div><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></font></div><div>There is a good possibility that Dr. Schmelz will have to give her colloquium via Skype, since Washington, DC is about to be hit by a major snowstorm. Either way, colloquium will be held in room 127 at 4pm on Thursday.<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1f497d" face="Calibri, sans-serif"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px;"><br></span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1764c6"><br></font>Dr. Kurtis A. Williams<br>Assistant Professor<br>Department of Physics and Astronomy<br>Texas A&M University - Commerce<br>Tel: (903) 886-5516<br><a href="mailto:Kurtis.Williams@tamuc.edu">Kurtis.Williams@tamuc.edu</a><br><font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1764c6"><br></font><blockquote type="cite"><div style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div apple-content-edited="true">
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