Strategic Plan for Diversity

Introduction | Goal 1 | Goal 2 | Goal 2A | Goal 3 | Goal 4 | Goal 5 | Goal 6 | Goal 7 | Goal 8

 
Introduction

This plan has been developed for the College of Education and Allied Studies (COED) based on the Bridgewater State University (BSU) Strategic Plan for Racial and Ethnic Diversity. That plan was approved through the Academic Policy Committee, Student Affairs Committee and the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee during the 95-96 Academic year.

Goal 1
Promote programs that develop a campus environment that values respect and appreciation for diversity.

  • Objective 1: Enhance systematic efforts to sensitize our community to issues of overt and institutional racism and discrimination.
    • Strategy 1: Organize at least one workshop, meeting or special event in the College of Education annually to engage faculty in discussions of diversity issues.
      • Responsible: Dean
      • Resources: Campus Climate Action Group (CCAG), Hall of Black Achievement (HOBA), Faculty, Office of Multi-cultural Affairs (OMA)
      • Timeline: annually
    • Strategy 2: Organize at least one department meeting/workshop each year to increase the number of discussions regarding diversity issues.
      • Responsible: Dept. Chair
      • Resources: CCAG, departments and funding from the COED office if necessary.
      • Timeline: annually
    • Strategy 3: Enable faculty, administrative and professional staff to attend conferences on multicultural issues.
      • Responsible: Dept. Chair, Dean
      • Resources: Funding from COED office and other sources
      • Timeline: on-going
    • Strategy 4: Support a faculty exchange program with an historically black institution (HBI), women’s colleges, and other colleges with high diversity
      • Responsible: Dean in collaboration with Provost
      • Resources:  Affirmative Action Office (AAO)
      • Timeline: Every three years
  • Objective 2: Enhance systematic efforts to sensitize our community to issues of diversity in gender, sexual orientation, age, religion, regionalism, socio-economic status, disability status, race and ethnicity.
    • Strategy 1: Departments will procure and disseminate information regarding the above mention areas to all faculty and students.
      • Responsible: Chairs
      • Resources: CCAG, AAO, AWARE
      • Timeline: on going
    • Strategy 2: Organize at least one workshop, meeting or special event in the College of Education annually to engage faculty in discussions of diversity issues.
      • Responsible: Dean
      • Resources: Campus Climate Action Group (CCAG), Hall of Black Achievement (HOBA), Faculty, Office of Multi-cultural Affairs (OMA)
      • Timeline: annually
    • Strategy 3: Organize at least one department meeting/workshop each year to increase the number of discussions regarding diversity issues.
      • Responsible: Dept. Chair
      • Resources: CCAG, departments and funding from the COED office if necessary.
      • Timeline: annually
    • Strategy 4: Enable faculty, administrative and professional staff to attend conferences on diversity issues.
      • Responsible: Dept. Chair, Dean
      • Resources: Funding from COED office and other sources
      • Timeline: on-going

Goal 2
Assure that our curriculum and academic practices contribute to a student’s ability to live in a racially and ethnically pluralistic society.

  • Objective: Assure that the Bridgewater State University curriculum educates students to understand and critique the operation of race and ethnicity.
    • Strategy 1: Departments will review the requirements for each academic major/program, including new courses and programs, to examine and discuss whether their curriculum provides students with adequate information and an appropriate understanding to prepare them to live in and contribute to a multicultural society.
      • Responsible: Dept Chairs, Faculty
      • Resources: AAO
      • Timeline: annually
    • Strategy 2:  Departments will review strategies to make classrooms more inclusive and safe for students of different races and ethnicity..
      • Responsible: Dept Chairs
      • Resources: Faculty, AAO
      • Timeline: annually
    • Strategy 3: Develop programs, presentations and non-credit courses on multicultural topics.
      • Responsible: Dept Chairs, Faculty
      • Resources: AAO, CCAG, Community, HOBA,  Afro American Alumni (AAA), OMA
      • Timeline: on going
    • Strategy 4: Develop and integrate multicultural studies or cultural pluralism into courses.
      • Responsible: Faculty
      • Resources: AAO, CCAG
      • Timeline: on-going

Goal 2A
Assure that the BSU curriculum and academic practices contribute to a student's ability to live in a diverse environment.

  • Objective: Assure that the BSU curriculum educates students to understand and critique the operation of diversity.
    • Strategy 1: Departments will review the requirements for each academic major program, including new courses and programs, to examine and discuss whether their curriculum provides students with adequate information and an appropriate understanding to prepare them to live in and contribute to a diverse society.
      • Responsible: Dept Chairs,, Faculty
      • Resources: CCAG, AAO, AAC, Residence Life Staff, Counseling
      • Timeline: annually
    • Strategy 2: Departments will review strategies to make classrooms more inclusive and safe for diverse students
      • Responsible: Dept Chairs
      • Resources: AAO, Faculty
      • Timeline: annually
    • Strategy 3: Develop programs, presentations and non-credit courses on diversity topics
      • Responsible: Dept Chairs, Faculty
      • Resources: AAO, CCAG, Community, Timeline: on going
    • Strategy 4: Develop and integrate diversity studies into courses.
      • Responsible: Faculty
      • Resources: AAO, CCAG
      • Timeline: on-going

Goal 3
Develop programs which promote understanding and value racial and ethnic diversity.

  • Objective 1: Develop an information base that provides information for program planning on campus.
    • Strategy 1: Develop a database of resources in the region that would be  made available to students and faculty that includes speakers, performances, historical sites, events, etc.
      • Action Plan: Develop Diversity Calendar
      • Responsible: CCAG, AAO
      • Resources: Committee members, HOBA, OMA
      • Timeline: 2000-2001 AY
    • Strategy 2: Support and enhance multicultural events sponsored by campus groups with particular attention to funding mechanisms for same.
      • Responsible: Dean
      • Resources: Faculty, Provos
      • Timeline: on-going
  • Objective 2: Provide campus programs that target external audiences
    • Strategy: Design campus programs and conferences that acknowledge and celebrate the racial and ethnic diversity of the region.
      • Responsible: Faculty, Chairs
      • Resources: CCAG, COED office, AAO, OMA, HOBA, AAA
      • Timeline: annually

Goal 4
Increase the number of entering minority students over the next decade.

  • Objective: Develop a minority recruitment program which will reach out to traditionally under represented groups and encourage students who can succeed to enroll at Bridgewater.
    • Strategy 1: Initiate projects that would tend to bring more minorities on campus like summer science program for junior and senior girls (36% minority enrollment).
      • Action Plan: Public Relations documents that feature minority students on campus
      • Responsible: Public Relations Office
      • Resources: OMA, AAA, Admissions Office
      • Timeline: 2000-2001 AY
    • Strategy 2: Institute summer, weekend and after school programs on a regular basis for elementary and middle school youth that would tend to bring more minorities on campus.
      • Responsible: University Community, Continuing Education
      • Resources: Grants and Sponsored Projects Office, AAO, Admissions Office
      • Timeline: on-going
    • Strategy 3: Work with regional guidance counselors to encourage racial and ethnic minority students to apply to the School of Education.
      • Responsible: Admissions
      • Resources: Faculty
      • Timeline: on-going

Goal 5
Raise the minority student retention and graduation rates by making the programs that exist at Bridgewater State University inclusive, useful and accessible to minority students.

  • Objective: Develop a minority retention plan for students in the COED.
    • Strategy 1: Target areas of greatest vulnerability for minority students and develop processes for early identification of minority at-risk students.
      • Responsible: Dean, Chairs
      • Resources: AAC
      • Timeline: 2000-2001 AY
    • Strategy 2: Strengthen the COED academic advising, academic support, social support programs including programming for racial and ethnic minorities.
      • Responsible: Chairs, Faculty
      • Resources: Academic Advising, CCAG, AAA, OMA, Admissions Office
      • Timeline: annually
    • Strategy 3: Develop a system of academic mentors for new COED minority students.
      • Action Plan: Each department will develop peer-counseling groups
      • for minority students
      • Responsible: Dept Chair, Faculty
      • Resources: HOBA, OMA
      • Timeline: on-going
    • Strategy 4: Identify campus resources (materials and offices ) available to
      • Responsible: OMA
      • Resources: CCAG, Faculty, HOBA, AAA
      • Timeline: 2000-2001 AY
    • Strategy 5: Develop and implement an advisor training program.
      • Responsible: OMA
      • Resources: CCAG, Faculty, HOBA, AAA
      • Timeline: 2000-2002 AY

Goal 6
Increase substantially the minority representation at all levels of the Bridgewater State University workforce.

  • Objective: Recruit and retain faculty, administrators, staff, and a student work force that are racially and ethnically diverse, and that reflect availability of minorities in the various academic disciplines, professions or populations.
    • Strategy 1: Expand COED recruitment efforts to further utilize formal/informal networks to attract a diverse pool of qualified candidates.
      • Action Plan: Develop a database of HBI, websites, listservs etc  that can be used to advertise openings in departments.
      • Responsible: Chairs, Dean
      • Resources: AAO, Faculty
      • Timeline: ongoing
    • Strategy 2: Investigate the possibility of signing bonuses for minority faculty who remain at the college for three years.
      • Responsible: President and Cabinet with MSCA
      • Resources: Funding
      • Timeline: 2001-2002 AY
    • Strategy 3: The Affirmative Action Officer will systematically meet with COED department search committees to help develop departmental plans for recruitment and retention of minority faculty.
      • Responsible: AAO
      • Resources: Chairs, faculty
      • Timeline: annually
    • Strategy 4: Develop a plan for mentoring new and junior minority faculty and administrators in the COED.
      • Responsible: Dept Chairs, Faculty
      • Resources: CCAG, AAO, Multicultural Faculty Association (MFA)
      • Timeline: 2000-2001 AY

Goal 7
Increase the partnerships with public and private organizations for the mutual development of diversity programs.

  • Objective: Expand local, regional, national and international awareness of diversity issues through joint college/business/public education efforts.
    • Strategy 1: Work with CART to designate a percentage of grant money to develop projects in the area of diversity issues in Education.
      • Responsible: Faculty
      • Resources: CCAG, MFA
      • Timeline: annually
    • Strategy 2: Develop partnerships with school districts that have a large number of minority students for pre-practicum and practicum experiences e.g. Brockton, Randolph, Taunton.
      • Responsible: Faculty
      • Resources: OMA, AAO
      • Timeline: annually
    • Strategy 3: Develop teams/panels to present issues of diversity.
      • Responsible: CCAG
      • Resources: AAO, HOBA, AAA
      • Timeline: annually
    • Strategy 4: Develop grant-supported projects to bring about school/business/public education exchange around issues of diversity.
      • Responsible: Faculty
      • Resources: Grants and Sponsored Projects, CART, CCAG
      • Timeline: on-going

Goal 8
Identify policies and procedures that will provide for effectiveness and accountability in meeting goals 1-7.

  • Objective: Identify data and processes for use in reviewing this plan.
    • Strategy: Implement the revised process to assess the impact of campus climate on the decision of students to take leaves of absence, transfer or change majors.
      • Action Plan: Completion of an annual report to the Provost and President
      • Responsible: Dean and Diversity Committee
      • Resources: AAO, Institutional Research, CCAG
      • Timeline: annually

Last Modified: October 21, 2010