Changing the Culture of Physics Graduate Programs to Advance Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Creating a diverse and inclusive culture in physics requires systemic change. Despite a robust body of literature documenting the experiences of marginalized students in graduate education, little progress has been made toward creating welcoming and inclusive programs. Instead, physics continues to marginalize women and people of color. Students from these historically excluded communities often face discrimination and microaggressions in their daily interactions with faculty and peers that result from meritocratic and race-evasive beliefs, policies, and practices. In the context of graduate education, cultural change requires a multilevel approach in order to address the problematic beliefs and values embedded in departmental policies and practices.

Inclusive Graduate Programs (IGP) is a multiyear project bringing together 12 research-intensive physics departments to advance equity through an institutional change model addressing policies and procedures as well as values and perspectives, especially those held by majority identity persons with power. Centering an intersectional approach, IGP has built foundational relationships, implemented data collection, developed change plans on common challenges across physics departments, and developed communities of practice to drive advancement. In this talk, we will explore the theories of cultural change that underlie our critical approach and examine the findings from our pilot study with a focus on graduate student experiences. Specifically, we will share survey results and interview data from five departments, discuss how we are measuring change throughout the project, and the next steps of the IGP project.