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Uprooting Bias in the Academy

Lessons from the Field

  • This open access book presents the processes and approaches used to identify barriers to inclusion
  • Examines the barriers to inclusion faced by Latinas and other underrepresented groups in STEM
  • Describes the processes undertaken to understand the institutionalization of bias
  • Discusses our lessons learned from organizational learning about bias

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Softcover Book USD 49.99
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  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
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Hardcover Book USD 59.99
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  • Durable hardcover edition
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Table of contents (14 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xx
  2. Foundations: Why We Need Institutional Change

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. From Affirmative Action to Inclusion

      • Linda F. Bisson, Laura Grindstaff, Kyaw Tha Paw U, Raquel E. Aldana, Sophie J. Barbu, Lisceth Brazil-Cruz et al.
      Pages 3-18Open Access
    3. Barriers to Inclusion: Social Roots and Current Concerns

      • Laura Grindstaff
      Pages 19-44Open Access
  3. Making the Case for Institutional Change

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 45-45
    2. Data-Driven Decision-Making

      • Sophie J. Barbu, Karen McDonald, Lisceth Brazil-Cruz, Lisa Sullivan, Linda F. Bisson
      Pages 47-59Open Access
    3. Assessing Institutionalized Bias

      • Linda F. Bisson, Philip H. Kass, Kyaw Tha Paw U, Laura Grindstaff
      Pages 61-80Open Access
    4. Leadership and Organizational Structure

      • Linda F. Bisson, Denneal Jamison-McClung, Laura Grindstaff, Linda Katehi, Mary Lou de Leon Siantz
      Pages 81-95Open Access
  4. Diversity, Demographics, and the Latinx Experience

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 93-93
    2. A Long-Term Vision on Faculty Diversity at UC Davis

      • Raquel E. Aldana, Josephine M. Moreno
      Pages 99-123Open Access
    3. Latinx Communities and Academic Trajectories

      • Lisceth Brazil-Cruz, Laura Grindstaff, Yvette G. Flores
      Pages 125-140Open Access
    4. Making Visible the Invisible: Studying Latina STEM Scholars

      • Yvette G. Flores, Laura Grindstaff, Lisceth Brazil-Cruz
      Pages 141-155Open Access
  5. Building a More Inclusive Academy

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 157-157
    2. Seeing Self: The CAMPOS Model

      • Mary Lou de Leon Siantz, Lisceth Brazil-Cruz
      Pages 159-173Open Access
    3. Mentorship, Sponsorship, and Professional Networking

      • Denneal Jamison-McClung
      Pages 175-187Open Access
    4. Work-Life Integration in Academia: From Myth to Reality

      • Sophie J. Barbu, Karen McDonald, Binnie Singh, Laura Grindstaff
      Pages 189-201Open Access
  6. Lessons Learned and the Road Ahead

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 203-203
    2. Leading While Female: A Personal Journey

      • Linda Katehi
      Pages 205-218Open Access
    3. Advice Not Taken

      • Linda F. Bisson, Mary Lou de Leon Siantz, Laura Grindstaff
      Pages 219-233Open Access
    4. Disrupting Complacent Systems

      • Laura Grindstaff, Linda F. Bisson
      Pages 235-250Open Access

About this book

This open access book analyzes barriers to inclusion in academia and details ways to create a more diverse, inclusive environment. It describes the implementation of UC Davis ADVANCE, a grant program funded by the National Science Foundation, to increase the hiring and retention of underrepresented scholars in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and foster a culture of inclusion for all faculty. It first describes what the barriers to inclusion are and how they function within the broader society. A key focus here is the concept of implicit bias: what it is, how it develops, and the importance of training organizational members to recognize and challenge it. It then discusses the limitations of data collection that is guided by the convention assumption that being diverse automatically means being inclusive. Lastly, it highlights the importance of creating a collaborative, interdisciplinary, and institution-wide vision of an inclusive community.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Department of Viticulture and Enology, University of California, Davis, Davis, USA

    Linda F. Bisson

  • Department of Sociology, University of California, Davis, Davis, USA

    Laura Grindstaff

  • Institutional Effectiveness, Woodland Community College, Woodlands, USA

    Lisceth Brazil-Cruz

  • UCD NSF ADVANCE Program, University of California, Davis, Davis, USA

    Sophie J. Barbu

About the editors

Dr. Linda F. Bisson is the Faculty Director of UC Davis ADVANCE, a program originally funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation and now a part of the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. She received her a PhD in Microbiology from UC Berkeley in 1980. She has held numerous leadership positions at UC Davis, including Department Chair for Viticulture and Enology, and Chair of the Academic Senate, in addition to  over ten years as Science Editor for the American Journal of Enology and Viticulture. She has long been involved in diversity and inclusion efforts at the University. She is co-author of the award-winning textbook Principles and Practices in Winemaking.


Laura Grindstaff is a Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Davis. She has training in ethnographic fieldwork, interviewing, and other qualitative methods, and her research and teaching focus on the cultural dimensions of sex/gender, race and class inequality, with a particular emphasis on American popular culture. She is author of The Money Shot: Trash, Class, and the Making of TV Talk Shows, which received the Mary Douglas book prize from the American Sociological Association and the Distinguished Scholarship Award from the Pacific Sociological Association. Grindstaff is lead editor of the Routledge Handbook of Cultural Sociology, and has published numerous articles and essays on topics ranging from sports and cheerleading to reality TV and social media.


Dr. Brazil-Cruz  is currently serving as the Dean of Student Success and Institutional Effectiveness at Woodland Community College. Previously she was a Postdoctoral Scholar with the UC Davis ADVANCE Social Sciences Research Initiative. She holds a doctoral degree in School Organization and Educational Policy from the University of California, Davis. Her research interests include educational and pipeline issues affecting disenfranchised, underserved, and vulnerable student populations as well as issues of equity. In addition to her research, she is committed to increasing the number of students from underrepresented and underserved communities in graduate and professional school. Her research focuses on understanding the predictive and protective factors that promote women of color in STEM fields. She earned her M.A. in Mexican American Studies at San Jose State University. Dr. Brazil-Cruz completed her undergraduate studies at UC Davis, majoring in International Relations and Chicanx Studies, with a minor in Education.


Sophie Barbu is the Assistant Director of the UC Davis ADVANCE Program and is responsible for data research, collection and analysis, internal program evaluation, publication/dissemination of project research results, and federal reporting. In the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) she leads the DEI-Healthy Davis Together communications Initiative, to develop culturally relevant marketing and social media content in response to mitigating issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Barbu manages administration of the UC Davis ENHANCE grant, which advances faculty diversity in STEM and helps faculty in priority populations (e.g. persons of color, women) overcome barriers to advancement that the COVID-19 crisis has magnified. She co-leads DEI communications and coordinates DEI development. In 2017, she was selected for the University of California Women’s Initiative for Professional Development award. Barbu serves as a co-chair of the Status of Women at Davis Administrative Advisory Committee (SWADAAC).

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Uprooting Bias in the Academy

  • Book Subtitle: Lessons from the Field

  • Editors: Linda F. Bisson, Laura Grindstaff, Lisceth Brazil-Cruz, Sophie J. Barbu

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85668-7

  • Publisher: Springer Cham

  • eBook Packages: Education, Education (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2022

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-85667-0Published: 19 November 2021

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-85670-0Published: 19 November 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-85668-7Published: 18 November 2021

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XX, 250

  • Number of Illustrations: 1 b/w illustrations, 39 illustrations in colour

  • Topics: Higher Education, Educational Policy and Politics, Sociology of Education

Buy it now

Buying options

Softcover Book USD 49.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access