Colorado State University Diversity Plan

Type: Policy

Status: Last revised on 2/6/05

Source File: http://oeod.colostate.edu/DiversityPlan.aspx

Text:

Full Statement
Create and support a total University environment that respects and welcomes diversity as necessary to the development of an intellectual community characteristic of a highly regarded public university.

The University makes the following statement of commitment as a necessary element to the furtherance of its role and mission as a land-grant institution and defines diversity in the following way:

Colorado State University is committed to enhancing its diversity in all its forms: through age, different ideas and perspectives, disability, ethnicity, gender identity, national origin, race, religious and spiritual beliefs, sex, sexual orientation, and the socioeconomic and geographic composition of its faculty, administrative professionals, staff and students. Given the historic and legal discrimination that has existed in American society, particular emphasis needs to be placed on the inclusion of individuals who are members of groups that have been excluded, i.e., racial/ethnic minorities, women in non-traditional areas and persons with disabilities. The University strives to foster for its members recognition of their role as citizens in the global community with greater understanding of cultures and perspectives different from their own.

In developing the goals of the Diversity Plan, careful attention was paid to the need to comply with the most recent Supreme Court Decision in the case of Grutter v. Bollinger et al. The establishment of goals that support the creation and maintenance of a diverse educational environment is a principle that was initially articulated in Regents of the University of California v. Bakke and was reinforced in the majority opinion in Grutter. In no way are the goals of the plan quotas, but rather are attempts to further the University mission through appropriate good faith efforts.

Strategic Choice 1: Create an intellectual community and workplace that respects, welcomes, and promotes diversity through teaching/learning; research, scholarship, and artistry; outreach; and other university programs and practices.

Metric 1: Diversity interests will be represented in all of the other strategic plans from the various task forces.

Goal 1: Ensure a teaching, learning, and work environment that welcomes and respects diversity of thought and experiences to prepare students for participation in a global society.

Metric 1: Survey and assessment data will demonstrate continuous improvement in the teaching, learning and work environment.

Goal 2: Encourage and support research, scholarship, and artistry that illuminate major issues relating to a diverse global society.

Metric 1: Survey and assessment data will demonstrate continuous improvement in the encouragement and support of research, scholarship and artistry that illuminate major issues relating to a global society.

Goal 3: Ensure that diverse communities are served by our outreach and service activities.

Metric 1: Survey and assessment data will demonstrate continuous improvement in outreach and service activities to diverse communities.

Goal 4: Ensure that our outreach activities are reflective of our 21st-century land grant mission.

Metric 1: Survey and assessment data will demonstrate continuous improvement in outreach activities that are reflective of our 21st-century land grant mission.

Goal 5: Engage the university community in dialogue and action around the diversity of thought, expression, ideology, and culture with the goal of promoting a welcoming and respectful community and workplace.

Metric 1: Survey and assessment data will demonstrate continuous improvement in the level of engagement of the university community in dialogue and action around the diversity of thought, expression, ideology, and culture with the goal of promoting a welcoming and respectful community and workplace.

Goal 6: Ensure that the teaching, learning and work environment is universally accessible.

Metric 1: The teaching, learning and work environment will comply in all respects with appropriate accessibility guidelines, regulations and best practices.

Goal 7: Faculty, staff and students will demonstrate progress towards cultural competency.

Metric 1: Survey and assessment data will demonstrate continuous improvement towards cultural competency among faculty, staff and students.

Goal 8: While responsibility for the creation of a diverse and welcoming environment rests with the entire campus community, University leadership, at all levels, will be held accountable for the diversity efforts.

Metric 1: Performance evaluations for all leadership roles, at every level, would contain specific measurements for activities and support for diversity efforts.

Strategies:

1. Increase collaboration on diversity-related activities and build strong and continuing relations with public and private entities in the local community in order to develop an environment that supports the University’s commitment to diversity.

2. Encourage, support, and reward faculty and staff for participation in diversity-related activities across the educational, research/artistry, and outreach mission of the University.

3. Provide institutional support for infusion of multicultural and global perspectives into the curriculum.

4. Provide institutional support for research/scholarship/artistry that increases our understanding of the multicultural and global society in which we live.

5. Encourage and reward research that is collaborative and socially-responsive to the needs of underserved communities.

6. Identify, develop, and support institution-wide programs that contribute to the development of a welcoming environment and enhance progress toward cultural competency.

7. Create opportunities for professional development in the area of cultural competency (e.g., cultural sensitivity training).

8. Develop strategies for increasing participation in study abroad experiences in order to enhance the cultural competency of the university community.

9. Work to minimize impediments that limit the opportunity for members of the international community to participate in the life of the university.

10. Develop and provide support for living-learning communities with thematic focuses that promote the development of cultural competency and help prepare students for participation in a global society.

Strategic Choice 2: Recruit, retain and graduate a student body that supports the land-grant mission of the university to provide access and opportunity to individuals from all segments of society. Sufficiently increase the number of students from underrepresented groups to contribute to the creation of an effective learning environment that benefits all of its members.

Goal 1: Enroll students from underrepresented groups such that CSU will place in the top quartile of an appropriate peer group*.

Metric 1: The aggregate percent of new freshmen from underrepresented groups will place us in the top quartile of an appropriate peer group by 2010.

Metric 2: The aggregate percentage of graduate students from underrepresented groups will place us in the top quartile of an appropriate peer group by 2010.

Metric 3: The aggregate percentage of undergraduate students from underrepresented groups will place us in the top quartile of an appropriate peer group by 2010.

Metric 4: The aggregate percentage of professional students from underrepresented groups will place us in the top quartile of an appropriate peer group by 2010.

Metric 5: Demonstrate continuous improvement in our enrollment of students from each underrepresented group.

Goal 2: Increase the rate of retention of students from underrepresented groups in order to achieve average first-year retention that will place us in the top quartile of an appropriate peer group.

Metric 1: The five-year average first-year retention rates for students from underrepresented groups will place us among the top quartile of an appropriate peer group.

Metric 2: The first-year retention rates for students from underrepresented groups will meet or exceed the retention rates for majority students for each index interval by 2010.

Metric 3: Demonstrate continuous improvement in retention rates of students from each underrepresented group.

Goal 3: Increase the six-year graduation rate for new freshmen from underrepresented groups in order to place us in the top quartile of an appropriate peer group.

Metric 1: Demonstrate continuous improvement in the six-year graduation rates of students from each underrepresented group.

Goal 4: Increase the rate of retention and graduation of transfer students from underrepresented groups.

Metric 1: First-year retention rates for transfer students from underrepresented groups will meet or exceed the retention rates for majority students by 2010.

Metric 2: Graduation rates for transfer students from underrepresented groups will meet or exceed the graduation rates for majority students by 2010.

Goal 5: Increase the percentage of graduate and professional degrees awarded to students from underrepresented groups that will place us in the top quartile of an appropriate peer group.

Metric 1: Demonstrate continuous improvement in the percentage of graduate degrees awarded to students from each underrepresented group.

Metric 2: Demonstrate continuous improvement in the percentage of professional degrees awarded to students from each underrepresented group.

Goal 6: Increase the number of degrees awarded to students from underrepresented groups.

Metric 1: Demonstrate continuous improvement in the number of baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral, and professional degrees awarded to students from each underrepresented group.

• Peer group to be determined

Strategies:

1. Develop and support pre-collegiate summer program (e.g., for leadership or college preparation).

2. Develop and support baccalaureate to master’s transition enhancement program.

3. Ensure (early) financial aid awareness of resources.

4. Increase utilization of externally-funded programs for support and retention of women and minorities in nontraditional areas (cross-reference graduate education strategic plan).

5. Establish a development priority to increase resources available for both need- and merit-based financial aid to attract and retain members of underrepresented groups and increase overall access.

6. Refine and broaden criteria for merit-based scholarships to increase the pool of potential recipients (for instance, establish criteria beyond GPA and index score).

7. Develop multiple strategies (including pre-collegiate and post-baccalaureate programs) to enhance the pipeline by strengthening partnerships with institutions that serve diverse populations (for example, K-12, community colleges, HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions, tribal colleges).

8. Develop broad-based opportunities for participation in undergraduate research experiences in order to increase participation rate for students from underrepresented groups.

9. Hire a full-time recruiter of students from underrepresented groups in the Graduate School.

10. Develop strategies to support culturally-responsive curricular and co-curricular advising with particular attention to the needs of students that are first generation, nontraditional, men and women in nontraditional fields, etc.

11. Recognizing the particular importance of cultural and physical space to the retention of students from underrepresented groups, the university will initiate a planning process to ensure an enriching environment.

Strategic Choice 3: Increase the number of academic faculty, administrative professional and classified employees from all segments of society, especially those from groups that have been historically excluded, to contribute to the creation of an environment that respects and welcomes diversity.

Goal 1: Recruit and retain faculty from underrepresented groups in order to achieve meaningful representation.

Metric 1: Develop applicant pools that reflect the availability of members of underrepresented groups in the discipline.

Metric 2: By 2010, new hires will reflect the availability of members of underrepresented groups in the discipline.

Metric 3: Demonstrate continuous improvement in the representation of faculty members from each of the underrepresented groups at all ranks.

Goal 2: Recruit and retain administrative professionals from underrepresented groups in order to achieve meaningful representation.

Metric 1: Develop applicant pools that reflect the availability of members of underrepresented groups with appropriate minimum qualifications for the positions.

Metric 2: By 2010, new hires will reflect the availability of members of underrepresented groups with appropriate minimum qualifications for the positions.

Metric 3: Demonstrate continuous improvement in the representation of members from each of the underrepresented groups throughout the organizational structure.

Goal 3: Recruit and retain classified staff from underrepresented groups in order to achieve meaningful representation. Metric 1: Develop applicant pools that reflect the availability of members of underrepresented groups with appropriate minimum qualifications for the positions.

Metric 2: By 2010, new hires will reflect the availability of members of underrepresented groups with appropriate minimum qualifications for the positions.

Metric 3: Demonstrate continuous improvement in the representation of members from each of the underrepresented groups throughout the organizational structure.

Metric 4: Increase the opportunities for individuals from underrepresented groups to achieve greater professional mobility within the state-classified structure.

Goal 4: Recruit and retain administrators from underrepresented groups in order to achieve meaningful representation.

Strategies:

1. Identify and implement strategies and best practices for Search Committees and hiring authorities, including alternative recruitment venues, "grow your own" opportunities, networks, search waivers, etc. to maximize the opportunity to hire individuals from underrepresented groups.

2. Establish a resource base to be used for salaries, start-up packages, and spousal hires to enhance the competitiveness of offers and retention, especially of individuals who are members of underrepresented groups.

3. Provide training, professional development, mentoring and leadership opportunities to enhance the professional growth of all employees, especially those from underrepresented groups.

4. Recognize the value of non-traditional research and service in determining rewards within the University system.

5. Develop an array of opportunities for employees to increase their awareness of the value of diversity and enhance cultural competency.

6. Establish a resource base to provide support for employee participation in external leadership programs and diversity conferences and workshops.

7. Identify appropriate incentives for the recruitment, retention, and support by units of individuals from underrepresented groups.

8. Increase the level of external funding, through development and contracts and grants, for individuals from underrepresented groups.

Strategic Choice 4: Provide leadership and support for continuous improvement through planning and evaluation of strategic choices 1-3.

Goal 1: Develop and support an organizational structure that determines policy and direction for diversity planning, evaluation and information distribution, in part, through its interpretation of performance research.

Metric 1: An organizational structure for diversity planning and evaluation will be developed and endorsed by June 30, 2005 and implemented by June 30, 2006.

Goal 2: Develop and implement diversity strategies in all units.

Metric 1: All units will have developed and submitted an initial diversity plan by February 1, 2006, and will begin implementing the diversity plan in AY 2005-6.

Goal 3: Develop a comprehensive evaluation process for researching and assessing effectiveness of unit and overall diversity efforts.

Metric 1: An initial evaluation process for unit plans measuring achievement of short-term goals and progress towards long-term goals will be developed by June 30, 2006.

Metric 2: An initial, comprehensive university evaluation process measuring achievement of short-term goals and progress towards long-term goals will be developed by June 30, 2006.

Goal 4: Develop an information sharing/distribution infrastructure that will facilitate broad-based participation in diversity efforts.

Metric 1: An initial information sharing/distribution infrastructure that will facilitate broad-based participation in diversity efforts has been developed.

Strategies:

1. Develop an evaluation tool. The tool should reflect what was done, the outcome, and how it impacted the program positively or negatively.

2. Develop program-oriented outcomes with measures of effectiveness to support initial or continued funding.

3. Create a baseline and develop a process for collaborative use of assessment/survey tools and data to assist the University in furthering its diversity goals.