First-Year Council Report
View the First-Year Council Report
The First-Year Council Report demonstrates how First-Year academic courses are strengthening diversity and inclusion content. Achievements include:
- curricular goals and student learning outcomes have been revised so that diversity and inclusion are integral;
- new teaching materials have been created and curated for instructors, along with training/orientation for all instructors around inclusive excellence;
- new textbooks and other readings for students have been assigned with an eye to ensuring appropriate diversity of sources, authors, and represented voices; and
- new assignments and evaluative criteria have been added that speak specifically to cultural competency.
Diversity Requirement Revision
View the Evolution of Diversity Perspectives Goals/Outcomes
Faculty updated the curricular goals and student learning outcomes for the US and Global Diversity requirements so that they were more narrowly tailored to what we wanted them to achieve. More than 120 courses were reviewed, with a total of 89 individual courses approved (sometimes after meaningful and collegial back-and-forth with the instructors), and include 41 new courses added to the curriculum.
Ad Hoc Cultural Competency Committee 2015 Summary Report
On April 28, 2015, approximately 100-200 students walked out of classes and staged a teach-in during Faculty Assembly. Student representatives shared a number of personal stories that detailed how the campus climate negatively impacted their learning environment.
In response, the faculty voted on May 5, 2015 to create an Ad Hoc Cultural Competency Committee to review the students' request and identify ways to improve campus climate, address training needs, and assess existing coursework for inclusion and diversity.
In addition to the development of the faculty committee, each of the academic departments convened to discuss what steps must be taken at the department level.
Lastly, the administration, namely via the Social Justice Collaborative, convened meetings with faculty and staff throughout the College and developed a multi-pronged plan as to how their office will be addressing this issue in the future.
The report summarizes the planned activities and responses of each of the above groups. It is an initial summary of planned activities and is not all-inclusive of all diversity and inclusion initiatives throughout the College. The goal of the report is strictly to summarize a variety of discussions and future planning that is currently underway. It is the first step in a longer planning process.
