Policies

Weill Cornell Medical College Faculty Diversity 5 Year Strategic Plan September 15, 2011
Preamble
The mission of Weill Cornell Medical College is to achieve excellence in medical education, to conduct innovative biomedical research and to provide quality and evidence-based patient-centered care. Excellence is optimized when many perspectives and approaches are used in the development of strategies for Weill Cornell Medical College to maintain its national leadership position in all its missions. This breadth of perspective and approach can only be achieved by a diverse faculty and leadership at Weill Cornell Medical College, supported by an environment of equity and inclusiveness for the different perspectives and approaches that this richness of diversity fosters. Diversity at Weill Cornell Medical College includes all aspects of human differences, such as but not limited to socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language, nationality, religious beliefs, political beliefs, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, geography, physical abilities/qualities, age, class, marital or partner status, parental status, income and work experiences.

The Faculty Diversity 5 Year Strategic Plan outlines steps to be taken to enhance and promote the diversity of the faculty and leadership of Weill Cornell Medical College and to foster a supportive, transparent, inclusive and equitable environment at Weill Cornell Medical College.

Overarching Goal
Enhance excellence in all the missions of Weill Cornell Medical College through increased faculty and academic leadership diversity and promotion of a supportive, transparent, inclusive and equitable environment.
Specific Aims and Initiatives
 1) Incorporate excellence with diversity, inclusiveness and equity into the core values and missions of WCMC
      a. Review WCMC mission and core value statements and revise, as necessary, to include excellence with diversity, inclusiveness and equity
      b. Review operational strategies and revise, as necessary, to assure consistency with the WCMC mission and core value statements
      c. Communicate continuously and actively with leadership and faculty about the importance of excellence with diversity, inclusiveness and equity for WCMC
  2) Establish processes to increase WCMC faculty and leadership diversity
      a. Each department develops a department-specific Faculty Diversity Plans, in collaboration with the Director of Human Resources and the Chief Diversity Officer. Selected examples of elements that could be included in departmental Diversity Plans are:
         i. Promotion assessment as appropriate for all women and minority faculty who are assistant or associate professors who have been at rank for 4 or more years;
         ii. Salary equity review for all faculty in the department in collaboration with Human Resources;
         iii. Review of recruitment and search committee processes to enhance diversity recruitment;
         iv. Review and revise departmental appointments to WCMC and NYP committees for greater diversity of representation;
         v. Career mentoring for junior, women and underrepresented minority faculty;
         vi. Identification of a faculty member to lead diversity initiatives in the department.
      b. Evaluate and revise WCMC leadership Search Committee processes to achieve increased diversity of the WCMC leadership by the following steps:
         i. Select diverse search committee membership with a general aim of one half women and/or minority faculty of appropriate experience and expertise;
         ii. Train search committee members and interviewing faculty in biases & open search processes and the legal and compliance recruitment requirements;
         iii. Seek a broad applicant pool with assistance from the Office of Faculty Diversity, Human Resources and Faculty Affairs;
         iv. Define search criteria in advance of interviews;
         v. Review and select candidates based on the defined selection criteria.
      c. Review key WCMC committee leadership and membership and enhance diversity as needed with new appointments, as possible.
      d. Review WCMC policies and revise, as necessary, to assure and support a diverse faculty, for example:
         i. Faculty tracks, promotion and tenure criteria
         ii. Leave policies
         iii. Dual recruitment
         iv. Benefits
      e.Develop resources for recruitment and retention of faculty who enhance excellence at WCMC through scholarship and diversity within a department or the institution
 3. Establish and benchmark a WCMC Faculty and Leadership Database
      a. Faculty database
      b. Leadership data
      c. Faculty Climate Survey data
      d. Exit Interview data
      e. Focus groups and town hall meetings for faculty feedback and opinions
 4. Develop Faculty Development and Diversity Support Programs
      a. Seminars on diversity and faculty development topics
      b. Annual faculty workshop(s) on diversity and faculty development topics       c. Networking group meetings
      d. Exploration of childcare and eldercare options for faculty
      e. Exploration of Work-Life Issues of concern to faculty and solutions
      f. Small focus groups for Women, LGBT and Minority faculty
      g. Nomination of leadership course candidates (ELAM, AAMC, RWJ, etc)
 5. Recognize Diversity Achievements and Champions
      a. Establish Annual Diversity Lectureship and Awards
      b. Publicize recruitment, promotion, grants, publications, awards and other accomplishments of all faculty
 6. Produce an Annual Diversity Report
      a. Report to include:
         i. Summary of programs and initiatives;
         ii. Summary of current diversity status and progress data.
      b. Report communicated through:
         i. Annual presentation to the EFC, GFC and Board of Overseers;
         ii. Presentation and/or distribution of report/brochure to all faculty;
         iii. Inclusion in the annual Affirmative Action Plan.
 7. Maintain and Expand the Office of Faculty Diversity web site

Evaluation of Faculty Diversity Strategic Plan Outcomes
  1. Assess changes in the diversity of the faculty at all ranks at WCMC annually using the 2010 faculty and leadership distribution as a baseline, and, compare to the annual WCMC Affirmative Action Goals
  2. Assess patterns of recruitment, retention, promotion and tenure of women and underrepresented minority faculty
  3. Assess the composition and diversity of major committees and leadership positions at WCMC
  4. Assess faculty satisfaction and work environment changes through the Faculty Climate Survey results, focus group discussions and town hall meetings

Weill Medical College of Cornell University Academic Staff Handbook

Click on the links to view the handbook sections in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

Weill Cornell Human Resources
The Weill Cornell Medical College Human Resource is a comprehensive resource for all WCMC employees. It contains information on policies, procedures and forms that will be useful for you throughout your career.

Weill Cornell Parental Leave Policy
Currently under revision

ChildCare at Weill Cornell
Bright Horizons
please see our Resource page and At Weill Cornell, Family is a Priority page

is a Emergency Childcare Back-Up Program
Emergency Childcare Backup Program was initiated in November 2011 as a joint commitment from Human Resources and the Office of Faculty Diversity.   If you need backup childcare, it is available to you often within a couple of  hours. 
Two options are available to you:
1) Either take your child to any convenient Bright Horizons Childcare Facility.   The center based co-pay is $15/child or $25/ family per day.
2) In home child care from a Bright Horizons caregiver at $6 per hour
Back up child care is available for up to 10 days per employee per calendar year.
Employees must register in advance with Bright Horizons to use this service.  You can register by phone or online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If registering online, please log-on with user name and password listed below.
                By phone:  (877)242-2737
                Online: www.backupcare.brighthorizons.com 
                         User name: WeillCornell
                         Password:  4backup

 Emergency Eldercare Backup Program
Emergency Eldercare Backup Program was initiated in November 2011 as a joint commitment from Human Resources and the Office of Faculty Diversity.   If you need backup eldercare, it is available to you often within a couple of  hours.  In home eldercare from a Bright Horizons caregiver at $6 per hour
Back up elderare is available for up to 10 days per employee per calendar year.

Employees must register in advance with Bright Horizons to use this service.  You can register by phone or online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If registering online, please log-on with user name and password listed below.
                By phone: (877)242-2737
                Online: http://www.brighthorizons.com
                User name:  WeillCornell
                Password: 4backup

New Academic Suspension Policy for Birth or Adoption of Child
Please see new Weill Cornell Policy for academic extension for faculty.
For Instructors who are subject to a three-year maximum term in rank, the maximum term in rank clock will be suspended automatically for one calendar year for each instance of the following: the birth, adoption, or foster a placement of a child, subject to notice of the event in writing by the faculty member to the Office of Faculty Affairs.
The use of automatic suspensions does not affect consideration for extension of term in rank or for promotion. (med.cornell.edu/handbook section2.18)

  • ForAssistant Professors who are subject to a six-year maximum term in rank, the maximum term in rank clock will be suspended automatically for one calendar year for each instance of following: the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child, subject to notice of the event in writing by the faculty member to the Office of Faculty Affairs. The use of automatic suspensions does not affect consideration for extension of term in rank for promotion.(med.cornell.edu/handbook section2.25)
  • For faculty members on the tenure track who are subject to probationary period for tenure review, the probationary period clock will be suspended automatically for one calendar year for each instance of the following: the birth, adoption, or foster placement of a child, subject to notice of the event in writing by the faculty member to the Office of Faculty Affairs. The use of automatic suspensions does not affect consideration for extension of the probationary period for tenure review, or for promotion or tenure.(med.cornell.edu/handbook section2.26)