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Meg Bond, professor of community psychology and director of the Center for Women and Work, understands the complexities of supporting diversity in academia.
“Our field, community psychology, deals with issues of social justice and understanding the dynamics of diversity in society. It’s a core value,” she says. “Yet, as in any established academic discipline, supporting diversity requires committed and sustained effort.”
In recognition of her sustained commitment, Bond has been awarded the 2009 Ethnic Minority Mentorship Award by the Society for Community Research and Action (SCRA).
“I believe Meg Bond is immensely qualified for this award, both in spirit and in deed,” wrote Shelly Harrell, professor of psychology at Pepperdine University, in her nomination letter. “As I worked with Meg over time, it was clear that she was about true organizational change and inclusion of diverse voices.
“Above and beyond her professional experience and contributions with respect to diversity (which are substantial), Meg possess the ‘heart and spirit’ of inclusion that can be felt with more impact than any words or publication.”
Bond, who is a past president of SCRA, has not relied on good intentions alone, but worked to “ensure that we ‘walk the talk.’ We need enduring structures so that we are constantly questioning the impact of our actions, so that people are not marginalized and inadvertently excluded,” she says.
As president, Bond introduced an accountability process for the executive committee meetings of SCRA, to invite someone to observe the meeting process and decision-making with an eye for the impact on groups outside the majority. She also encouraged minority members to assume leadership positions and was proactive in recruiting talented individuals.
“Ethnic minorities often arrive in professional organizations and university departments without networks of support,” says Bond. “We need to be attuned to the dynamics in various settings in order to create a structure where people feel they belong, are supported and welcome.”
The mentoring award is especially meaningful to Bond, since it typically is awarded to faculty with doctoral students – not a master’s degree level program such as UMass Lowell’s.