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Faculty Liaison Diversity Task Force Report
to Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Richard Edwards
June 25, 1999
Introduction
In fall 1998 the Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (SVCAA) appointed the Faculty Liaison Task Force on Diversity (Task Force). The Task Force was to serve as a link between faculty and administration, and in an advisory capacity to Academic Affairs on gender equity and diversity issues. The charge to the group was to:
• Promote and support shared responsibility for building and sustaining a supportive environment for diversity at the University of Nebraska - Lincoln (NU);
• Identify programmatic needs for faculty and academic administrators on diversity and gender equity issues;
• Develop a call for proposals and implement a small grants program to support faculty and/or unit initiatives relative to diversity issues.
Funds ($50,000) were allocated from the SCVAA to support the work of the Task Force. Membership included faculty representation from all the academic colleges, the Women's Studies and Ethnic Studies programs, staff persons from the Teaching Learning Center and from the Multicultural Affairs Office (Division of Student Affairs), and the Director of Affirmative Action and Diversity Programs. The Task Force met monthly and subcommittees met more often to work on Task Force Initiatives.
This report is presented in three sections. The first section describes the major initiatives undertaken by the Task Force. The second section identifies the group's collective reflections on what we learned about diversity on the NU campus, and the third section includes recommendations. Although references are made to Appendixes throughout the report, supporting materials are only included in the Appendix of the report presented to the SVCAA.
Section One: Major Initiatives
1. NU Diversity Enhancement Projects
A portion of the funds from the SVCAA was allocated to support pilot projects and activities on campus aimed at enhancing diversity. In October 1998, a call for proposals was sent to members of the NU community inviting them to submit proposals for projects that contributed to one or more of the three goals found in the NU Plan for Diversity:
1. Do more to recruit and retain a truly diverse community of faculty, staff and students that represent the society we serve;
2. Create a learning community that reflects both our multi-cultural society and individual differences among citizens;
3. Create a campus climate where all groups feel welcome and wanted, and are supported so that they enjoy equitable opportunities for professional development and personal fulfillment.
Priority was given to those projects that addressed the campus climate, were designed and jointly submitted by teams of NU faculty, staff and students and would benefit the entire campus community. Twenty seven proposals were received from members of the NU community (See Appendixes A.1 for call, and A.2 for a list of all proposals submitted and funded). The review process of the proposals by a smaller subcommittee of the Task Force followed the same review process as the NU Research Council. Nine proposals were recommended for full or partial funding. A copy of the call for proposals and information about funded projects is available on the Task Force Web site.
As of June 1999 all nine funded projects were either completed or in process. Status reports from recipients indicated the funding provided means for enhancing the overall quality of the projects, where appropriate, attracted sizable audiences, and stimulated discussion about diversity issues on campus.
2. Assessment of Diversity Activities and Programs within the NU Community.
Administrators of all NU units and programs were asked to answer a series of questions regarding their unit's activities and programs directed towards enhancing the climate for diversity at NU. Collection of information provided a much-needed set of campus wide baseline data for appraisal of which units are actively involved in diversity efforts, specific programs and resources persons. A summary of the assessment is available on the Task Force Web site.
3. Administrative Workshop Series
The Task Force planned two of the spring 1999 administrative workshops held in February and March, and they were:
February 11 and 12. Mixed Blood Theater Company. This theatrical group uses a process called EnterTraining, complete with music, dance, comedy, and satire to highlight and explore issues of diversity in the work environment. The performance is followed by facilitated small group discussions.
Mixed Blood performed for four groups at NU: administrators; faculty; professional/ managerial staff; and students from the College of Law. The SVCAA, VC Business and Finance, VC Student Affairs and Dean of the College of Law provided funding for the troupe.
Evaluations of the workshops (performance and small group discussions) from each of the four groups were extremely positive (See Appendix C.2 for summary of evaluations). Participants were challenged in a non-threatening way to think about their own experiences and behavior regarding diversity issues. It was suggested that future workshops of this type include a mix of administrators, faculty, staff and students, rather than segregate the audiences by role.
March 10. Becoming an Ally to Students of Color Without Being a Person of Color. Ms. Dawn Mays of Bowling Green University and Ms. Sandra Vonniessen-Applebee of Quinnipiac College led this administrative workshop. Its focus was on enhancing interaction with students of color, and was funded, in part, by a NU Diversity Enhancement project. Workshop evaluations were mixed, as some administrators believed they are already practicing the principles and recommendations offered by the workshop leaders.
4. NU Diversity Plan.
Task Force members provided periodic critique and input to the NU Diversity Plan. A subcommittee is meeting with the Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs during Summer 1999 to assist in preparing the final plan.
Section Two: What We Learned
1. The commitment to improving the cultural climate for members of the NU campus involves both human and financial resources. The success of the nine funded NU Diversity Enhancement projects clearly demonstrated that a small financial investment to support creative and inclusive initiatives resulted in an optimal return in terms of the variety, quality and numbers of persons who participated in the programs. Funding to enhance the Artist Diversity Residency Program is a good example of how a small contribution to the funding base of an existing and successful program resulted in expanded audience contact among the artists, faculty and students. Close to one hundred faculty members invited an artist to interact with students in their classes.
2. Senior administration is committed to improving the campus climate. Their continued public and forceful articulation of institutional beliefs; values and policies related to diversity issues are necessary to promote NU as an inclusive environment.
3. There are many individual, group, and/ or unit efforts towards improving the climate on NU campus. Often persons outside the project do not know about its existence, progress, challenges and success. Misunderstanding exists because there is no central clearinghouse for such information.
4. Persons within the NU community need many more opportunities to connect with each other and talk about diversity related issues. Many persons do not know how to talk about diversity issues, nor have they had the opportunity to interact with others about what they know and do not know. Task Force members witnessed administration, faculty, staff and students engaged in thoughtful conversation at the respective workshops.
5. Supervisors at all levels need assistance in evaluating faculty and staff performance regarding diversity.
6. Professional development in the area of diversity is as important to all in the NU community as is professional development in other areas of concern to the academy.
Section Three: Recommendations
The Task Force was asked to recommend ways in which the NU community can continue to engage faculty, staff and students in discussion and actions to enhance the campus climate. We offer the following recommendations and strongly support their implementation:
1. Communication
Institutional coordination of information about diversity programs, events and initiatives is critical. Establish a university wide clearinghouse for coordination and publicity of events and programs. The coordination function should be limited to providing support and networking for publicizing events: coordination does not imply scheduling functions that may be an inhibitor to programs. One suggestion is to have a direct link on the NU home page to information about diversity programming and make sure everyone in the NU community is aware of its existence. Furthermore, encourage units to use the site. Evaluate the site on a periodic basis as to frequency of use, and its effectiveness as a communication tool.
Increase the amount of media coverage to articulate the importance of an inclusive university and the positive things that are happening at NU. Use web page, and hard copies via the Scarlet and Nebraska alumni magazine to reaffirm the university's commitment to diversity.
To further demonstrate the University's commitment to creating a warm climate where everyone is welcome irrespective of race/ ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, age, etc., administrators at all levels are asked to reaffirm this commitment at every opportunity where appropriate in the public arena.
2. Continue Faculty Liaison Task Force on Diversity
The purpose of the Task Force is to seek ways to enhance the climate on the NU campus for all faculty, students, staff and visitors. The Task Force believes that although there are shimmers of light at NU that suggest persons are working toward a more comfortable and inclusive campus environment, there is still much more to learn, discuss and accomplish. Limiting the life span of the Task Force to one year would be counterproductive, and we are in danger of losing some of the momentum and collegiality established this academic year.
It is recommended that the 1999-2000 Task Force membership structure stay intact. Those 1998-99 Task Force members who wish to continue serving on the Task Force may do so. We would like to broaden membership to include 1998-99 recipients of Enhancement Diversity Funding for special projects, and representatives from the Chancellor's Commission of the Status of People of Color, and the Chancellor's Commission on the Status of Women.
At the beginning of the 1999-2000 academic year, the Task Force would like to invite to NU one or two consultants from a university that has had institutional success incorporating a constructive cultural climate that addresses diversity issues (e.g., University of Minnesota and/ or the University of Maryland). The consultants would work with the Task Force on ways to: a) promote and support shared responsibility for creating an inclusive campus climate among the NU community, and b) effectively implement the Task Force's liaison role.
Task Force members proposed a number of activities to initiate during the 1999-2000 academic year. For example, the Task Force will continue to sponsor workshops for the campus community on diversity related issues. Other suggestions are to sponsor a symposium on broadened definitions of scholarship, as this would address the diversity of scholarship and the modes of scholarly communications, and to author a Best Practices column in the Scarlet.
Several Task Force members have volunteered to serve as the planning group for the Nebraska Commission on the Status of Women Photo Installation, scheduled for November 14-18, 1999 at the Nebraska Union.
3. Increase funding for Diversity Enhancement Projects
Continue and increase, funding for proposals intended to enhance the climate for all persons on the NU campus. Faculty and staff were very enthusiastic about the opportunity to submit proposals for funding to support diversity programming. New collaborations occurred among units, and the programming activities engaged large numbers of the NU community. The return from the small amount of funds invested to support the Diversity Enhancement Projects will have long term impact on the campus.
The call for proposals should be distributed to the NU community at the beginning of the 1999- 2000 academic year. We envision the 1999-2000 administrative workshops could be structured around the diversity enhancement proposals funded for that academic year.
Appendices available upon request.
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Faculty Liaison Task Force on Diversity
1998-1999 Members
Additional information about these members |
Agnes Adams
Teresita Aguilar
Christina Brantner
Tom Calhoun
Linda Crump |
Richard Durst
Moira Ferguson
Evelyn Jacobson
Nan Lindsley-Griffin
Rita Kean, Chair |
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