Setting the Standard for the 21st Century - Strategic Directions

Diversity

In addition to the diversity goals and references in the preceding sections, Colorado State has a comprehensive plan for diversity that outlines institutional priorities. The full plan serves as the definitive guide for diversity planning by colleges, departments and other administrative units and is available online at http://oeod.colostate.edu/.

The following is a summary that highlights key provisions of the full plan for the campus community. It is included here in keeping with best practices that have shown that diversity must be embedded in the planning of traditional areas of the University and also brought forward as an area of emphasis of its own.

Achieving Diversity Goals in the Strategic Plan

The historic and philosophical basis of the land-grant system began with a commitment to increased access inherent in the legislation. In the middle of the 19th century, access was intended for those who, due to economic or social conditions, had not been offered full participation in the academic enterprise. Subsequent acts in the 1890s and 1990s continued the tradition of expanding access.

As we enter the 21st century, it is consistent to look at ways the land-grant mission can be used to provide access to people seeking to gain the opportunities afforded by higher education. The benefits derived from an educational environment that includes individuals reflective of all aspects of our society cannot be overstated. Only in such an environment do individuals from all walks of life come together to prepare themselves most effectively for their roles in a global society.

The university's commitment to diversity is a longstanding one reflecting the essential nature of a diverse community and necessary to the furtherance of its role and mission as a land-grant institution.

Context for Diversity Planning

In developing the goals of the newest iteration of CSU's 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, where Justice Sandra Day O'Connor stated, "Effective participation by members of all racial and ethnic groups in the civic life of our Nation is essential if the dream of one Nation, indivisible, is to be realized."

In no way are the goals of the plan quotas, but rather are attempts to further the University mission through appropriate good faith efforts.

Diversity Objectives, Goals and Metrics

The four key objectives of Colorado's diversity initiative are as follows:

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.

Goal – Environment

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

Metric 1. Develop University standards of cultural competency that can serve as guidance for individual units. (January 2006)

Metric 2. Using the Intercultural Development Inventory, initiate assessments to determine levels of cultural competence within the University. (January 2006 and continuing)

Goal - Collaboration

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

Metric 1. Identify new agencies, organizations and contacts whose values and commitments are consistent with those of the University relative to diversity.

Metric 2. Identify specific diversityrelated activities and initiate the relationships necessary for successful collaboration.

Goal - Curriculum

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

Metric 1. Develop mechanisms to ensure that the necessity of multicultural and global perspectives is integral to discussions on curricular needs.

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 – Pipeline

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, Hispanicserving institutions, tribal colleges).

Metric 1. Expand the number of institutions with which partnerships exist to reflect changing demographic patterns and enrollment management plans.

Metric 2. Assess the success of existing strategies and develop new ones based on "best practices" to ensure resources are used most effectively.

Goal - Advising

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.

Metric 1. Review the research related to culturally-responsive advising and assess current advising in light of that research.

Metric 2. Based on the research, provide professional development opportunities to support advisors in understanding and implementing culturally-responsive advising.

Goal - Financial Aid

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.

Metric 1. A development priority that focuses on increasing resources for both need- and merit-based financial aid will be established.

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 - Employee Recruitment

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.

Metric 1. Unit diversity plans will commit to the implementation of recruitment strategies that will expand the opportunity to attract applicants from underrepresented groups.

Goal - Employee Retention

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.

Metric 1. Resources will be identified to support career/professional enhancement to increase the retention of employees, especially those from underrepresented groups.

Metric 2. Retention of employees from underrepresented groups will meet or exceed that of majority employees.

Provide leadership and support for continuous improvement through planning and evaluation of Key Objectives 1-3.

Goal - Structure and Implementation

Implement the recommended organizational structure for oversight of diversity goals; develop an evaluation tool and program-oriented outcomes with metrics; and 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.

Metric 1. A structure for diversity implementation and oversight will be implemented.

Metric 2. An evaluation tool and program-oriented outcomes will be developed.