NASSOC
brings together accomplished tenured scholars
and PhDs in aligned professions to leverage
our intellectual and social capital in order
to further contribute to our fields, increase
our institutional access and develop a national
platform for collective advocacy and progressive
change.
Overview: The National
Association of Senior Scholars of Color
(provisional name) is a members-based
national organization of recognized
and tenured scholars of color across all disciplines.
It is a nonprofit, non-partisan, independent
association.
Mission Statement: By building
the collective capacity of its members, NASSOC
will create a national platform for senior scholars
of color to speak to issues in local and national
policy and social justice debates.
Background: NASSOC will create a
national network of tenured and accomplished scholars
from historically underrepresented racial groups
(HURG) across all disciplines, including those who
have made significant contributions in aligned professions.
Though primarily a network of HURG senior scholars,
NASSOC welcomes other accomplished PhDs whose experience,
expertise and commitment lead them to support its
mission.
Because NASSOC's network will encompass multiple disciplines and institutions,
it will provide a powerful stage from which to conduct rigorous high-level policy-relevant
research. By creating a national database, NASSOC will be able to effectively
identify members whose expertise will allow them to take action on social justice
issues, such as issues of access and equity. Policy papers and reports endorsed
by a national group of scholars with recognized stature and expertise will more
readily receive broader coverage. NASSOC will develop a media and advocacy plan
to strengthen this impact.
Organized senior scholars of color will bolster the efforts of other stakeholders
who advocate for a more inclusive academy. By creating a forum to share best
practices and institutional knowledge, NASSOC will work to increase the number
of members in executive positions so we can build and leverage more decision-making
power. From these positions, NASSOC's members can better mentor junior colleagues.
NASSOC will help create and track a larger pool of candidates for foundation,
administration and non-profit sector recruitment. With its collective talent,
contacts and knowledge, NASSOC will ensure that our respective departments, centers,
programs and institutes garner sustainable support and serve the needs of vulnerable
communities.
Need: Across disciplines and races,
scholars of color face exceptional demands in institutions
that are only nominally diversified at the senior
ranks. As individuals advance, we find ourselves
increasingly overextended and with a diminishing
number of mentors. Study after study shows that the
numbers of HURG members with PhDs are still dismally
low and that trends predict little improvement. Advanced
scholars are the most isolated. No professional organization
currently provides a forum for tenured scholars to
meet across disciplines. Further, discipline-based
organizations rarely provide structured opportunities
for different historically underrepresented racial
groups to interact. Finally, some allied organizations
address educational policy and diversity issues,
but draw from educational administrators and experts
in the non-profit sector. NASSOC will create a forum
for accomplished scholars to articulate their views
nationally.
