Spartan helmet
0% FUNDED GIVE NOW
  • $0 RAISED OF $5,000 GOAL
  • 0 DONORS

We are proud to announce that in Fall 2025, the Diversity Research Network (DRN) will celebrate its 10th anniversary!  

The DRN is dedicated to fostering the success of its members by providing spaces that empower faculty of color as well as scholars whose research is centered within diverse communities. The DRN strengthens scholarly networks for faculty of color and diversity scholars, facilitates new diversity-related interdisciplinary collaborations, and amplifies the growth, visibility, and impact of underrepresented faculty research and scholarly endeavors at Michigan State University. The DRN embraces and promotes MSU’s core value of diversity as a cornerstone of excellence across all disciplines by offering vital support and resources to enhance research productivity, mentorship, and training. Its unique focus on the distinctive research contexts of faculty of color and diversity scholars ensures robust support for grant acquisition, publication output, and collaborative research opportunities.  

Your Support Fuels Programming, Events, and Resources that benefit our members, inclusive of professional development opportunities, research consultation, mentorship, and meaningful connections forged within this community.  

10 programs and resources offered by DRN:  

  1. Launch Award Program – Small grants tosupport innovative research.  
  2. Weekly Notices – Increasing visibility for members and their work.  
  3. Searchable Data Base – Facilitating faculty research collaboration.  
  4. Researcher’s Workshop – Grant symposiums and funding guidance. 
  5. Webinar on Tenure and Promotion – Insights into MSU’s tenure and promotion process.  
  6. Fall Networking Reception – Building community through interpersonal connection.  
  7. Book Share Out – Celebrating and promoting member’s scholarly products.  
  8. Summer Stay Writing Retreat – Focused writing time in a supportive environment.   
  9. Mafungo Writing Retreat – A 4-day intensive writing retreat.   
  10. Monthly Writing Spaces - Hosted spaces across campus for focused writing.  

How Your Gift Supports DRN’s Impact  

Your gifts and contributions help provide spaces and opportunities for networking, facilitating greater access, community-building, and broadening faculty engagement at MSU. The DRN plays an essential role in retaining and recruiting a diverse, excellent, and innovative faculty ensuring an inclusive academic community.  

10 ways your donation directly supports our DRN initiatives: 

  1. $100 – Provides two “Writer’s Survival Kits” with essential supplies.  
  2. $150 – Funds one attendee at the Researcher's Workshop.  
  3. $300 – Supports three participants at a spring networking event.  
  4. $500 – Covers the cost of one professional development webinar. 
  5. $700 – Sponsors one DRN member at the Summer Stay Writing Retreat.  
  6. $1000 – Funds one DRN member’s attendance at Mafungo Writing Retreat.  
  7. $1500 – Covers an essential grant-career consultant for 3 days at a writing retreat.  
  8. $2000 – Provides research preparation support for interdisciplinary group grants.  
  9. $5000 – Supports one DRN Launch Award Program (LAP) to initiate or bridge innovative research addressing diverse populations or disparities.  
  10. $15,000 – Enables a faculty associate to complete special DRN projects for one semester.  

Who We Are  

From the evidence-based findings of two major studies — the 2010 MSU’s NSF ADVANCE grant and the qualitative study on tenure system faculty of color at (MSU-FIES) — the DRN was designed as an institutional initiative to address the unique needs of diverse and diversity scholars consistent with the values inherent in the mission of MSU.  

Our Goals:  

  1. Scholarship: To create and support an interdisciplinary intellectual community that promotes collaboration.  
  2. Support: Increase inclusion through cross-university mentoring activities.  
  3. Visibility: Enhance the dissemination of scholarly products.  
  4. Student Engagement: Promote opportunities for MSU students to engage with faculty of color in research-centered activities & mentoring.  
  5. Community Engagement: Facilitate engagement in outreach and policy activities related to scholarships.  

Make a Gift by Mail:

University Advancement
Spartan Way
535 Chestnut Road, Room 300
East Lansing, MI 48824

*Make check payable to Michigan State University and write “Appeal 25AFCCF1BHMDRN” in the note section.

Connect with Us

Comments