Institutional Statements
Penn State’s 2010-2015 framework builds on more than a decade of experience in advancing diversity goals through strategic planning. The latest framework places less emphasis on detailed descriptions of programs and activities, and more emphasis on measuring the impact of these endeavors. As the plan notes, “[W]ith this model, there will be more emphasis on planning that is intentionally ‘strategic.’ This approach focuses on establishing unit priorities…that will guide unit activity through the planning cycle, coupled with self-assessment of progress, proven impact, and effective utilization of resources.”
See also:
A Framework to Foster Diversity at Penn State, 2004-2009
A Framework to Foster Diversity at Penn State, 1998-2003
Special supplement to the winter 2008 issue of The Presidency, the American Council on Education’s magazine for higher education leaders.
This special supplement highlights the ACE’s Spectrum Initiative: Advancing Diversity in the College Presidency. In light of the imminent wave of college presidential retirements, the initiative seeks to diversify executive leadership in higher education. The supplement offers thought pieces and personal reflections from a set of current college presidents. Topics include pathways to the college presidency, diversifying lower-level academic posts, mentoring potential successors, and the anticipated wave of presidential retirements.
University Core Mission Statement - Fairleigh Dickenson University (pdf)
The University Core Program is dedicated to the education of thoughtful, open-minded, and curious individuals, who will need to deal with the complexity, ambiguity and difficulty of modern life and be able to participate responsibly and effectively in multiple communities. This program meets these goals by: 1) Offering a unique multidisciplinary curriculum that includes both discursive and non-discursive forms of expression; 2) Encouraging ongoing participation in a common intellectual discourse with individuals of varying backgrounds, majors and disciplines; 3) Emphasizing integrative learning and problem-solving strategies; and 4) Incrementally fostering critical thinking, interpretation, and writing skills over the four-course sequence.
Global education calls upon students to imagine themselves as global citizens, looking both at and beyond their nation, their sub-national group identities, and their selves. The four-course, 12-credit University Core sequence launches the University’s global education mission, which exposes students to some of the most basic issues that confront us as responsible members of the human community.
The University of Chicago's Diversity Initiatives Web page contains a statement by President
Robert J. Zimmer, which discusses the particular importance of diversity to the university's
"commitment to rigorous inquiry that demands multiple and often competing perspectives." The page also contains a statement by Deputy Provost for Research & Minority Issues Kenneth W. Warren, whose office helps to "ensure that [the university's] commitment to diversity remains among our highest priorities, and to sustain the focused effort needed to attract and retain the best faculty, students, and staff." Links include earlier annual reports by the Provost’s Initiative on Minority Issues (PIMI) and the university's Diversity Leadership Council, which developed out of recommendations made by the PIMI.
Inaugural address - Dr. Brian K. Johnson, Montgomery College (2007)
Montgomery College, Maryland's oldest and largest community college, has renewed its dedication to serving Montgomery County's increasingly diverse community through liberal arts education. The inaugural address of president Dr. Brian K. Johnson, delivered October 9, 2007, emphasized the institution's responsibility to actively engage economic disparities that challenge changing communities.
This report outlines NSCC's vision statement of commitment; describes its institutional goals and timelines for student enrollment, retention, completion, and employment; institutional climate; lists the campus faculty and staff responsible for goal attainment; and states its resources and funding.
Strategic Plans
Ten Core Ingredients for Fostering Campus Diversity Success pdf
From Winter 2007 "The Diversity Factor", colleges and universities are still grappling with how to make diversity work on campuses in such a way that the entire community reaps the full educational benefit. While campuses are still experimenting with how to make this all work in a diverse democracy, one thing is certain: diversity is here to stay on campuses and elsewhere as demographics suggest that the U.S. will become increasingly diverse over the next 40 years. The article features key suggestions on how to foster an institutionally supported diversity movement, ways to serve your student populations more complexly than just categories, and sustainability of the change.
Making Excellence Inclusive - Association of American Colleges and Universities (2006) podcast
Carol Geary Schneider of AACU and Damon Williams of University of Connecticut speak about the Making Excellence Inclusive report and explore how institutions can implement these ideas throughout academic and student life. Click here for mp3 version and a complete listing of sessions from the AAC&U 2006 Diversity and Learning Conference.
Toward a Model of Inclusive Excellence and Change in Postsecondary Institutions -Association of American Colleges and Universities (2005) pdf
By Damon A. Williams, Joseph B. Berger, and Shederick A. McClendon. This briefing paper offers a framework for comprehensive organizational change to help campuses achieve inclusive excellence. Campuses must consider multiple dimensions of organizational culture in mapping out a change strategy and monitor the results that come from introducing new systems and new practices. Included is a model that helps campus leaders focus simultaneously on the "big picture"—an academy that systematically leverages diversity for student learning and institutional excellence—and the myriad individual pieces that contribute to that picture.
New Jersey Colleges Deploy Varied Models for Diversity Initiatives (2005)
AAC&U conducted research to gain an overview of diversity initiatives at New Jersey colleges and universities. This research included administering a survey (pdf), conducting Web research, and interviewing key people on selected campuses. This analysis (pdf) identified institutional models of campus diversity initiatives that emerged from the data and profiled three institutions with exemplary models: Bloomfield College, Rutgers University, and The College of New Jersey. We hope that institutions will be able to use the institutional models developed from this study and the three case studies to identify ways of altering, improving, and expanding their campus diversity initiatives.
Michigan State University Advances Diversity within Community (2002)
This Web page links to MSU reports, campus resources and worldwide resources related to advancing diversity within their community. Michigan State University has drafted a number of reports and position statements related to advancing diversity which include: The Michigan State University Framework and Guiding Principles (February 15, 1994) and the Report On Handicapper Issues (1995). Also listed is Institutional Diversity: Excellence in Action a comprehensive campus diversity plan. It includes an executive summary, general principles, initiatives and programs, planning framework and resources. This site also features a list of on-campus resources, student organizations, and WWW resources -- many of which are very strong on disability issues.
Diversity Blueprint: A Planning Manual for Colleges and Universities - Association of American Colleges & Universities (1998)
This is a "how-to" planning resource for administrators, faculty, and staff who want to create comprehensive, campus-wide diversity policies and initiatives using collaborative, planning efforts at their respective institutions. This manual outlines the importance of diversity in its introduction/ conclusion, and discusses the role of the University of Maryland and the diversity principles that helped it become a model for change. Order Diversity Blueprint.
University of Maryland (UM) Diversity Initiative Program (1997)
This summarizes the goals, objectives, structure, and activities of the Diversity Initiative, a comprehensive and self-funded effort to address diversity in campus community, faculty development and curriculum change since 1987. This Executive Summary from a March 5, 1997 statement notes that, "the University's commitment to providing a nurturing environment for all its students, faculty, and staff has both an educational and a moral dimension." The statement ties the benefits of diversity on campus to concrete outcomes, explaining that: "Students who can feel that they are welcomed members of the campus community are likely to perform better and complete their programs of study in a timelier fashion than those who have sensed a chilly campus climate. Faculty and staff who sense that they are prized employees are more likely to have a sense of loyalty and commitment to the institution than those who feel that their presence and contributions have not been appreciated." This statement also outlines the University's current diversity goals.
Bloomfield College's Campus-Wide Multicultural Transformation (1991)
Bloomfield College's mission emphasizes thier commitment to preparing students to function at the peak of their potential in a multiracial, multicultural society. Beginning in 1987, a transformation was orchestrated by their in-coming president, John F. Noonan, who saw the college's multicultural identity as integral to excellence in education. He acted on this belief by giving crucial support and leadership from the top, leading the trustees and faculty to refocus the mission on students' potential and the diversity of the college, and allocating resources for college-wide systemic change. Support programs that were initially created and expanded by state grant funds were sustained and phased into the college and are now supported by foundation and corporate funds.
Forum: Cultivating Community at Knox College
Knox College's cultivating community forum is a time of annual reflection designed to engage the Knox community in dialogue about existing campus relations and power structures, and about the personal and institutional changes needed to improve these aspects of their campus environment. Throughout this highly intensive day-long forum, students, faculty, and staff participate in case-study discussions, witness a powerful performance piece titled "Face to Face," and engage in dialogue about the kinds of changes and proactive measures their institution could take to improve campus relations and power structures.
Offices and Organizations as Institutional Change Agents
Diversity Plan for Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Sciences – University of Vermont (2008) pdf
As noted in their website, the faculty and staff of The Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources are committed to expanding our own understanding and appreciation of diversity issues and engendering in ourselves, our colleagues and our students the strength to listen to and respect voices and ideas different from our own. Because environmental and natural resource problems are thoroughly intertwined with issues of equity and social justice, we need to aggressively expand our environmental agenda to include the pressing concerns of diverse peoples. The Plan is in five sections -- Mission, Objectives, Agenda, Progress, and Speakers. The first two sections are considered permanent, but the Agenda, Progress, and Speakers sections are updated annually, assuring that specific initiatives are targeted for each year and that we hold ourselves accountable for progress (or lack of progress) toward accomplishing those initiatives.
Consortium of Higher Education: Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender Resource Professionals (2008)
The combined vision and mission of the Consortium is to achieve higher education environments in which lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni have equity in every respect. Our goals are to support colleagues and develop curriculum to professionally enhance this work; to seek climate improvement on campuses; and to advocate for policy change, program development, and establishment of LGBT Office/Centers.
Transgender Law and Policy Institute (2008)
The Transgender Law and Policy Institute contains a list of colleges and universities that include gender identity or expression in their nondiscrimination statements.
The President's Commission on Diversity, University of Kentucky (2008)
The President's Commission on Diversity advises the President on issues, policies and practices that affect the University of Kentucky's commitment as a champion of diversity. The commission's extensive and in-depth website serves as an excellent benchmark in terms of the richeness and opportunity institutionally supported organizations can provide in promoting campus-wide diversity.
The University of Wisconsin System Diversity Initiatives (2007)
The University of Wisconsin System Office of Academic Affairs is home to a variety of diversity initiatives, which work with students, faculty and staff at the fifteen higher education institutions that comprise the UW System. The Office of Academic Affairs is committed to integrating diversity into all facets of its work because of the value it places on excellence in education and work-life throughout the System. The following initiatives and programs represent the University of Wisconsin’s commitment to, and work in diversity at the System level. Each of the individual institutions within the UW System have their own plans and sets of initiatives and programs to enhance diversity; these may be found by going to the institutional websites.
Vision for Campus Diversity,
Kennesaw State University (2005)
KSU's vision is to create a strong multicultural and diverse educational environment in order to increase student satisfaction and to promote an understanding and awareness of people from various backgrounds upon graduation. The site includes plans for minority student and faculty recruitment and retention and academic review strageies.
University of Maryland- Core Diversity Task Force Recommendations (2005) pdf
Recently, the Diversity Task Force at the University of Maryland, College Park was charged with (a) evaluating the current CORE Diversity requirements and assessing their effectiveness in accomplishing the goals, (b) considering ways the campus might encourage additional courses that advance multicultural perspectives, and (c) considering the possibility of creating a new living/learning program built around multicultural issues. This document represents the group’s final recommendations, which build in part on an earlier presentation on Brown vs. Board of Education (PDF) by Dr. Bonnie Thornton Dill.
The Community, Diversity, and Social Justice (CDSJ) Initiative: University of Massachusetts, Amherst (2004)
The mission of the CDSJ Initiative is to improve the quality of the UMass learning community through a systemic change process focused on community, diversity, and social justice. This initiative's primary goals include: to create a more inclusive and equitable campus enviroment; to develop proactive management practices regarding CDSJ; to increase responsibility and initiative regarding CDSJ at the local level; and to fully integrate CDSJ into the campus mission of teaching and research. The website offers a database of assessment tools and reports focusing on diversity. |
