Announcements

January 2019 : Dr. Carolyn Liebler Receives New Grant from Russell Sage Foundation

MPC Member Carolyn Liebler, associate professor in the Department of Sociology, has received a new grant from the Russell Sage Foundation entitled “Racial Identities and Life Choices among Mixed-Heritage People in the USA.” This project seeks to understand intertwined aspects (e.g., racial identifications, spousal choices, and upbringing of children) of the lives of multiracial people from three distinct racial backgrounds using both qualitative interviews and quantitative analyses of census data. Together with collaborator Miri Song at the University of Kent, Liebler aims to answer three key questions: How do a person's race and ancestry responses link to their choice of spouse and the racial identification of their children? Does the answer to this question vary by location in the United States? And, does it vary across different mixed-heritage groups?

Their research will examine family-level effects of variation in the identities of mixed-heritage Black/White, Asian/White, and American Indian/White people. This research will contribute to a fuller and more nuanced understanding of the diversity of the mixed-heritage population in different parts of the US, and via in-depth interviews, variation in practices and decisions that mixed-heritage parents report in relation to their spouses and their children.

January 2019 : ISRDI Named the 2018 UMN Outstanding Unit for Diversity and Equity

The Institute for Social Research and Data Innovation (ISRDI), the parent organization for MPC, received the University of Minnesota 2018 Outstanding Unit Award for Equity and Diversity for 2018. This award honors exemplary campuses, colleges, departments, or units that demonstrate leadership in equity and diversity work at the University of Minnesota. ISRDI was recognized for the MPC Summer Diversity Fellowship Program and for the Institutes commitment and efforts to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. The award citation noted the Institute's dedication to creating spaces that encourage and embrace inclusiveness, equal opportunity, and respect, with the overall goal of establishing an environment that is welcoming and nurturing for all.