Flourish: A Network for Pre-Tenure Social and Personality Psychologists of Color

The fields of social and personality psychology succeed in part because of the diversity of their scientists. However, as scholars of color advance in the field they are less likely to find peers and mentors of color at their respective academic institutions. Reversing these trends is a top priority for personality and social psychological science.

This project creates new and continuing opportunities for pre-tenure faculty of color to develop relationships with their peers and to connect with tenured faculty of color who serve as mentors. The activity – Flourish – is a year-round network for pre-tenure social and personality psychologists of color that includes an annual retreat and online workshops throughout the year.

The retreat features participant- and mentor-led workshops on professional development, teaching strategies, and research productivity for scholars to strengthen their academic profiles and build a successful case for advancement. Year-round activities feature weekly collaborative writing spaces, meetings with peers and mentors, and tracking of professional achievements.

Flourish provides a critical opportunity for retention within higher education, within the field of social/personality psychology, and expanding a pipeline of scholars who will serve as successful role models for future generations of faculty and scientists.

Faculty of color face unique challenges to advancement that hinder success at their respective institutions. These faculty members experience cultural, geographic, and professional forms of isolation especially when there are few faculty of color in their department or academic divisions. They can also be tasked with disproportionate amounts of service that disrupt teaching and research productivity, which are essential for career advancement.

Strategic initiatives for diversifying science often focus on the recruitment stage but tend to neglect later stages of career development and advancement. Flourish offers resources for addressing challenges and mitigating negative consequences for tenure-track faculty of color by providing confidential spaces for sensitive discussions, expanding professional and social networks, affirming scholars’ positions, and promoting their work.

Workshops dedicated to defining tenure/promotion guidelines, identifying institutional norms, and setting individualized goals provide a clear and precise support path designed to increase the likelihood of successful advancement. The ultimate goal of Flourish is to foster promotion, retention, and inclusion for faculty of color to diversify the field and research of social and personality psychology.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.