Writing and Reviewing Letters of Recommendation for Equity workshop

WRITING AND REVIEWING LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION FOR EQUITY
with Drs. Román Liera and Julie Posselt
Equity in Graduate Education Consortium

APRIL 5, 2023
10:30AM – 12:30PM
Virtual via Zoom
REGISTER: Closed

Letters of recommendation are used in the admissions and faculty search processes to glean information and qualities which may go unnoticed in the review of an applicant’s file. However, they are also one of the most common places that bias is written into applicant records– sometimes in subtle ways. Toward the goal of equity-minded evaluation, this workshop 1) situates letters of recommendation as key components in holistic evaluations of faculty job applicants 2) reviews key research studies on bias in letters of recommendation, 3) enables participants to recognize gender and racial biases in existing letters, 4) provides practice in reviewing letters from an equity-minded perspective. Activities are specifically designed to help attendees develop knowledge, skills, and language to manage common equity dilemmas inherent in how we review, solicit, and write letters of recommendation.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Participants will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. Understand the double-edge role that letters can play in advancing careers and reinforcing stereotypes.
2. Prioritize what information to write about in sponsoring students from minoritized backgrounds and what content to avoid.
3. Recognize gendered and racialized language in letters of recommendation.
4. Develop equity-minded habits for writing and reviewing letters.
5. Solicit letters of recommendation for your organization in ways that can reduce the risk of receiving biased letters.