Princeton, NJ- In recent years, Princeton University's Graduate School has made significant progress in creating an inclusive community as well as diversifying its population of scholars. Since underrepresented minorities (URMs) are a population that is conspicuously and notoriously poorly represented in the upper echelons of academia, the Graduate School has made it a top priority to increase the numbers of URMs amongst Princeton’s graduate population as well as create programs and initiatives that support holistic success. Graduate diversity has, of course, many important facets, including gender, socio-economic status, international representation, military status, disability status, and so on. The Graduate School values all aspects of diversity, but given the historic exclusion of URMs from graduate populations and faculty positions in the United States, it continues to have a particular strategic focus on this population.

The Graduate School is deeply committed to building an inclusive and equitable community where every graduate student feels welcome and can thrive academically, socially, and professionally. To ensure inclusivity and equity in every facet of the Princeton graduate student experience, emphasis is placed to develop, refine and rigorously evaluate existing processes, policies, initiatives, and programs to support this goal.  With that in mind, and as part of the Access, Diversity and Inclusion team’s overall strategic goals and a recommendation by the Graduate School’s Anti-Racism Taskforce, we are launching the Inclusive Academy (IA) Symposium and the Best of Access, Diversity, and Inclusion (BADI) Awards Ceremony.

The inaugural Inclusive Academy (IA) Symposium is an in-person two-day conference focused on supporting graduate students and post-doctoral scholars from underrepresented backgrounds, on an array of topics related to success in the academy and on the job market. Sessions will be held on Wednesday, May 11^th, and Thursday, May 12^th, and are focused on bringing graduate students and post-doctoral scholars from underrepresented backgrounds together while also providing a platform to discuss critical topics for thriving and success through a holistic and intersectional lens.  We will host panels, speakers, and workshops that enhance their knowledge and understanding of topics related to academic entrepreneurship, cultivating joy, interviewing, salary negotiations, and financial literacy in addition to strengthening their leadership, public speaking, networking, and storytelling skills.

Additionally, the symposium will culminate in the first of its kind award dinner, The Best of Access, Diversity, and Inclusion Awards, also known as the BADI awards. The BADI awards will honor and celebrate faculty, staff, post-docs, and graduate students who have made significant impacts in the Princeton graduate student community around diversity and inclusion.  

Nominations for the BADI Awards are open from April 1st - April 18th. Campus community members are encouraged to submit their considerations at https://iasymposium.princeton.edu/award-nominations.

“We are proud to shine a much-deserved light on the efforts of our exemplary graduate students as well as those dedicated to uplifting them,” Renita Miller, Associate Dean of Access, Diversity, and Inclusion.    

The theme of the inaugural 2022 IA Symposium is “Unearthing Genius and Joy". To unearth means to discover something hidden, kept secret...

“Too often, the genius, joy, contributions, service, and overall awesomeness of folks from underrepresented backgrounds are overlooked, hidden, and kept secret. There is research that even suggests that terms like brilliance and genius are not associated with people of color. The Inclusive Academy (IA) Symposium and the BADI Awards are designed to unearth, unhide, and celebrate the genius, joy, and contributions of this community,” Renita Miller, Associate Dean of Access, Diversity, and Inclusion. "We hope that our graduate community leaves the symposium feeling not just a great sense of belonging in the Princeton community but also empowered, inspired, and celebrated!"

The 2022 IA Symposium will feature keynote speakers such as Thasunda Brown Duckett, President and Chief Executive Officer of TIAA,  and Luvvie Ajayi Jones, New York Times Best-Selling Author, Podcast Host & Professional Troublemaker. 

The IA Symposium will also feature a number of speakers and panelists who will share a variety of topics including interviewing, salary negotiations, leadership, storytelling, and much more!

Learn about the IA Symposium, submit nominations for the BADI awards, review the schedule of events at https://iasymposium.princeton.edu/.

Watch the IA Symposium Promo Video: