PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT: EVALUATION CORE The Vanderbilt FIRST (V-FIRST) Evaluation Core (EC) will be grounded in equity-focused, theory-driven evaluation to ensure that planning, monitoring, evaluation, and tracking of V-FIRST are comprehensive to the needs and goals of V-FIRST, and will employ evaluation activities to ensure that the EC is contributing to the goals of the FIRST program more broadly. The EC will test the hypothesis that 1) hiring a cohort of diverse faculty, 2) investing in the career development of those faculty with resources and relationships (mentoring and sponsorship), and 3) implementing institutional level practices to create academic cultures of inclusive excellence will lead to significant improvements in metrics of institutional culture and workforce diversity. Specifically, we will use quantitative and qualitative data collection methods to assess the following: Hiring: Increased percentage of Black, Latinx, American Indian, and Pacific Islander scientists applying to and accepting faculty positions; Racial diversity of faculty mirrors racial diversity of US population; Salary and start- up packages for faculty from minoritized racial groups are equal to other faculty in the same discipline, school, and rank; Faculty development: Faculty report satisfaction with lab, ability to recognize and access resources to advance their careers, and growth in skills overtime; Faculty meet milestones in faculty development plan; Number and impact of published papers; Number and type of grants applied for and won; Awards received for scholarship (research, leadership, service), and faculty achieve promotion & tenure. Mentoring and relationships: Faculty report satisfaction with their mentoring teams, Sponsors, relationships with other faculty at Vanderbilt, and opportunities for collaboration; Faculty report increased sense of belonging over time; Social network studies demonstrate increased scholarly integration V-FIRST faculty with their thematic areas over time; V-FIRST faculty report they are supported and recognized for their accomplishments by their peers, mentors, and institution; V-FIRST mentors report cultural humility, confidence in mentoring faculty from minoritized groups, and receiving support and resources they need to be good mentors. Institutional-level change: Implementation of new and/or changed policies and practices to enhance equity; Growth of social network ties across race, gender, and disciplinary diversity; Increased percentage of faculty participating in DEI trainings and reporting implementation of training content; Vanderbilt leadership displays race, gender, and other forms of diversity in leadership positions beyond DEI; Parity among faculty from various demographic groups on all domains of institutional surveys. We aim to build stakeholder voice throughout our evaluation process, such that V-FIRST faculty have multiple and confidential outlets for providing feedback, but are sheltered from the burden ...