In the May/June issue of the MIT faculty Newsletter (FNL), Professor Edmund Betschinger poses a question central to the work of MindHandHeart's Academic Environment Working Group: "What does it mean for a department head to advance respect and caring?"
In his newsletter article, "What I Learned as a Department Head, Bertschinger describes his term as head of the Physics Department during 2007–2013 as a time of learning the practical application—the how, and the scientific why—of building respect and kindness into the practical day-to-day workings of an MIT academic department.
According to the Graduate Student Council's "Committed to Caring" award, honoring Bertschinger for his efforts, "Ed was active in helping to increase the number of students from underrepresented minorities who received Physics PhDs from 0% in 2007 to 11% in 2012," and he was "an active supporter of women’s groups on campus, seeking advice from the MIT Graduate Women in Physics group to learn how he could make a more caring culture in that department during his tenure as Head." In following that advice, Bertschinger learned that “research confirms: graduate students succeed better when they are mentored with empathy.”
Bertschinger also explains, why culture must change at the department, rather than simply the Institute level: "At MIT, academic departments and programs are the fundamental organizational unit for nearly all faculty and graduate students. ... [A]cademic departments and other work units are largely independent and have their own distinct cultures and climates." In response to requests from the heads of the five schools, Bertschinger and the Institute Community Equity Office (ICEO) he currently directs have shared a set of best practices born of experience and tied closely to the BSU/BGSA 2015 recommendations. For its "Recommendations for Department Heads," the ICEO has "3Rs" for "Developing/supporting colleagues." Read the full set of practices and supporting data for: Recruitment, Retention, and a Respectful work environment.