Diversity, Learning, and Inclusive Excellence:Accelerating and Assessing Progress
Conference Program and Resources
Nearly 500 educators gathered in Long Beach, CA on October 16-18, 2008 for AAC&U's biennial conference on diversity, learning, and inclusive excellence. The conference highlighted curricular, co-curricular, and institutional models that enable higher education leaders to develop, implement, assess, and continually learn from the experience of fostering diverse learning environments—environments in which all students develop, in increasingly sophisticated ways, critical knowledge, skills, and capacities for work and citizenship.
The New England Resource Center for Higher Education supported the conference as an Academic Partner.
The full conference schedule appears below with links to many of the presentations and resources from the conference.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
2:00 - 5:00 P.M.
Pre-conference Workshops
WORKSHOP 1: Accelerating Institutional Change for Inclusive Excellence (PPT)
How do college and university educators stimulate innovation in and commitment to inclusive excellence to educate for a diverse democracy? In this workshop, facilitators will address strategies for mobilizing campuses around the goals of inclusive excellence. Participants will have an opportunity to examine barriers to this work and how to overcome them and will leave with new understandings, resources, and connections to help them educate students for a complex and increasingly diverse American democracy and global society. This workshop is designed for diversity officers, faculty, staff, administrators and others who want to jump start change on their campuses. Participants with or without positional authority are welcome.
Materials
Governance, Culture and Climate of California State University, Sacramento (PDF)
Leading in the UNH community: Achieving common goals through shared leadership by Bruce Mallory (PDF)
The Campaign Approach to Change by Larry Hirshhorn and Linda May (PDF)
The Democracy Imperative: Statement and Principles (PDF)
The Democracy Imperative: Venues for Democratic Leadership and Decision Making (PDF)
The Democracy Imperative: Venues for Teaching and Learning Deliberative Democracy (PDF)
When the Medium is the Message by Bruce Mallory and Nancy Thomas (PDF)
Why it is imperative to strengthen American democracy through study, dialogue, and change in higher education by Nancy Thomas (PDF)
Nancy L. Thomas, Director, The Democracy Imperative, and Senior Associate, Everyday Democracy—University of New Hampshire and Jesús Treviño, Associate Provost for Multicultural Excellence, Center for Multicultural Excellence—University of Denver
WORKSHOP 2: Learning Across Difference: Curricular and Co-curricular Adventures in Deepening
Too often, curricular efforts miss opportunities to engage the “whole” student that can lead to integrated intellectual development while co-curricular efforts activate personal development without challenging students to integrate their classroom learning. This workshop will focus on initiatives both in and beyond the classroom that foster campus capacity for inclusive excellence, from converting potentially divisive campus scenarios into teachable moments, to practicing collaborations between academic and student affairs, to inviting students to develop alliances across difference to find common ground. Participants will discuss models of sustained intergroup dialogue and strategies that teach the “arts of democracy.” This workshop is geared primarily toward academic affairs and student affairs professionals.
Materials
Alliance Building: Lessons from the case study of Nuyorican Manny Diaz (PPT) presented by Ande Diaz and Sonia S. Lee at Swarthmore College (February 2008)
Dialogue Deliberative Democracy Organization - A Partial List (PDF)
Five Minute Poem (PDF)
“I Was the One Percenter”: Manny Diaz and the Beginnings of a Black-Puerto Rican Coalition by Sonia S. Lee and Ande Diaz (PDF)
Readings for Students on Diversity and Civic Engagement (PDF)
References for Educaiton on Civic Engagement, Dialogue, and Higher Education (PDF)
Ande Diaz, Associate Dean of Students and Director of the Intercultural Center—Roger Williams University and David Schoem, Director, Michigan Community Scholars Program—University of Michigan
WORKSHOP 3: Creating a Comprehensive Network of Policies and Actions for Inclusive Excellence
Grounded in AAC&U’s work on Making Excellence Inclusive, this workshop will provide an overarching framework for developing Inclusive Excellence on campus. Participants will discuss strategic planning for campus diversity, the role of senior leadership in building a campus-wide climate of engagement with diversity projects, overcoming resistance to change, creating powerful curricular and co-curricular diversity initiatives, the role of chief diversity officers and diversity units, assessing progress, and the role of committee structures. The workshop will include cutting edge research, theory, and institutional case-studies, and will engage the unique expertise of each participant. This workshop is intended for senior leaders, diversity practitioners, chief diversity officers, student affairs professionals, faculty, students, and others with an interest in diversity, inclusion, and organizational change.
Daniel Hiroyuki Teraguchi, Dean for Diversity and Academic Advancement—Wesleyan University and Damon A. Williams, Vice-Provost for Diversity and Climate—University of Wisconsin-Madison
WORKSHOP 4: Women’s Inclusive Leadership: Accelerating Institutional Transformation
When cultivated effectively, women’s leadership has the potential to accelerate institutional change toward truly inclusive educational practices and cultures. But this kind of transformation requires each woman to assess her capacity to lead from her own position, evaluating the institution’s unwritten agreements while facing the challenges of working across differences of identity and background. Beginning with reflection and analysis of the complex relationships between self and system, women leaders can become effective multicultural allies who challenge existing institutional agreements and effect grass-roots cultural reform. This workshop will provide participants with guidance for assessing the interpersonal challenges and institutional agreements that might undermine the success of women leaders. This workshop will illuminate the transformational power of women acting individually, collectively, and strategically to strengthen and sustain inclusive institutions that cultivate the best in everyone. This workshop is intended for anyone interested in mobilizing women’s leadership for inclusive excellence.
Lupe Gallegos-Diaz, Director, Chicano/Latino Student Development—University of California-Berkeley; Pat Lowrie, Director, Women’s Resource Center—Michigan State University; Caryn McTighe Musil, Senior Vice President—AAC&U; Sharon Washington, Executive Director—National Writing Project; and Kathleen Wong (Lau), Assistant Professor of Communications—Western Michigan University
WORKSHOP 5: Multicultural Recruitment and Retention Strategies for Diversifying the Faculty
Guzman Presentation (PPT)
One of the hallmarks of institutional excellence is a diverse community of scholars, staff, and students. More and more, colleges and universities are expanding their resources and efforts to diversify the faculty. Equally important to the goal of recruiting scholars of color are strategies to support them once they arrive on campus. In this workshop, facilitators will share specific strategies that assist in identifying and recruiting a racially and ethnically diverse pool of candidates. Participants will also discuss strategies that maximize the retention and success of faculty of color. This workshop is designed for campus administrators, teaching and learning center leaders, deans and department chairs involved with faculty recruitment and retention.
Materials (PDF)
Fernando Guzman, Assistant Provost for Multicultural Faculty Recruitment and Retention—University of Denver; and Roland B. Smith, Jr., Associate Provost—Rice University
WORKSHOP 6: Designing Markers of Success for Engaging Diversity in the Service of Learning
To help campuses move diversity to the center of the educational experience and advance educational quality, this workshop will focus on designing markers of success and making high- yield pedagogies accessible to all students. Participants will examine how to assess current practices at their institutions and develop an action plan for changing, updating, or creating strategies for integrating diversity into the university community. Participants will also explore best practices that enhance the academic mission of the institution while fostering diverse cultures and values. This workshop is designed for faculty, teaching and learning center leaders, senior administrators, assessment directors, institutional researchers, and diversity officers.
Robert N. Page, Jr., Director, Office of Multicultural Affairs—University of Kansas
7:00 – 8:30 P.M.
Keynote Address
Equality of Opportunity in Higher Education: Improving Access and Success for Historically Underrepresented Populations
Listen to the keynote address  (53 MB)
Equality of opportunity in higher education is essential to educational quality as it is only through intentional engagement with diversity—in people, in the curriculum, in the co-curriculum, and in communities—that students can gain true awareness, understanding, and cognitive sophistication of the complexity of the world. A champion of the idea that higher education sows rich rewards for society and individuals, Jamie Merisotis has spent most of his career focused on improving access to higher education for low-income, minority, and other historically underrepresented populations. In this keynote address, Merisotis will address: (a) the multiple barriers that impede access to postsecondary education among historically underserved groups; (b) efforts that help students enhance and achieve their educational goals; and (c) the specific challenges experienced by adult learners, particularly those facing economic barriers and academic under-preparation.
Jamie Merisotis, President and Chief Executive Officer—Lumina Foundation for Education
8:30 – 9:30 P.M.
Posters and Reception
VISION
POSTER 1: A Reflective Process for Diversity
Drawing on the 2005 report, “Now Is the Time: Meeting the Challenge for a Diverse Academy,” issued by a joint task force of AASCU/NASULGC, Towson University used a reflective process for diversity to engage all campus stakeholders—administrators, faculty, staff, and students—in reflecting upon personal and departmental approaches to diversity, developing and assessing diversity goals, and maintaining an ongoing campus dialogue regarding diversity. This poster will highlight Towson’s experiences with the process and provide practical advice for implementing university-wide changes that institutionalize conversations about diversity, cultivate centers for responsibility, and integrate efforts into an institution’s strategic plan.
M. Paz Galupo, Professor of Psychology and Director, Multicultural Institute; Art King, Assistant Vice President of Diversity for Student Affairs; and Debbie Seeberger, Special Assistant to the President for Diversity and Equal Opportunity—all of Towson University
VISION
POSTER 2: Building a Culture of Empowerment
This poster will feature a Human Rights and Social Justice Day program as a way for participants to reflect on the intersections of learning, teaching, scholarship, and service and learn about an innovative opportunity for students to embrace difference. Participants will see how the program helps students learn skills for living/working in a multicultural world, and across curricular, co-curricular, local, and global contexts as global citizens. The poster and presenters will highlight examples of program outcomes, benefits of the collaborative work and partnership, and evidence of success in implementing these multi-layer and integrative strategies.
Mary Jane Berman, Director, Center for American and World Cultures; Dorothy Falke, Administrative Assistant, Center for American and World Cultures; and Jacqueline Rioja Velarde, Assistant Director, Center for American and World Cultures—all of Miami University
*
LEAP Campus Action Network Exemplar
VISION
POSTER 3: A Model for Hiring and Retaining Diverse Faculty
This poster will highlight the characteristics of the hiring and retention practices for diverse faculty and staff at Millersville University. It will showcase a model for best practices in these important areas of institutional operation in higher learning. Elements will include: (a) Millersville University’s strategic direction items focusing on hiring and retaining a diverse faculty and staff; (b) an overview of hiring and retention policies for diverse faculty and staff; (c) assessment measures (institutional and system-wide); and (d) data on outcomes or performance indicators. The presenters will also address areas of strength and weakness and share anecdotal information on the impact on student learning of Millersville University’s hiring and retention practices for diverse faculty.
Ansar Ahmed, Associate Dean, School of Humanities and Social Sciences; Doyin Coker-Kolo, Associate Dean, School of Education; and Patricia Hopson-Shelton, Assistant to the President for Social Equity—all of Millersville University of Pennsylvania
RESEARCH
POSTER 4: Advancing in Higher Education: A Portrait of Latina/o Freshmen at Four-Year Colleges, 1975-2006
Key highlights from a new report on Latina/o college freshmen will feature progress and alarming patterns in these students’ characteristics, college preparation, self-assessments, and aspirations and attitudes over 30 years. Using the Cooperative Institutional Research Program (CIRP) Freshman Survey at UCLA's Higher Education Research Institute (HERI), presenters will highlight gender and race/ethnicity differences. The results provide a context for a continuing dialogue on addressing the unique needs of this growing student population.
Nolan León Cabrera, PhD Candidate, Graduate School of Education and Information Studies—University of California Los Angeles
POLICY
POSTER 5: Talking to Ourselves about Inclusive Excellence: Strategic Planning as Organizational Auto-Communication
Organizational theory and the study of organizational communication demonstrate that organizations have multiple audiences, and that contemporary institutions must be aware of those multiple audiences as they debate and develop strategic plans. On college and university campuses, one of the most important audiences will be the campus community itself. This poster will examine how the strategic planning process at a regional college reflects campus dialogue regarding attempts to create a more inclusive community. Participants will view the flow of this dialogue from the initial deliberations of campus task forces through a period of community input to the articulation of a planning document with components addressing inclusive excellence. The organizational communication concept of auto-communication provides the theoretical underpinning, and the display reflects a case study methodology.
James F. Gyure, Senior Assistant to the President for Enrollment Management—University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown
DESIGN
POSTER 6: High-Impact Educational Activities: Do They Promote Intercultural Effectiveness? (PDF)
The poster will highlight the relationships between high-impact activities (e.g., first-year experiences, learning communities, service-learning, internships, collaborative learning, culminating senior experiences), good practices in higher education (e.g., interactions with faculty and peers on substantive matters), and intercultural effectiveness as a key outcome of liberal education. The results of the research will be presented and a table of coefficients will be available for those interested in the more technical details. Implications for curricular and co-curricular practice will be drawn based on the results of the research. This research will fill a gap in the literature by demonstrating the extent to which the high-impact activities contribute to an important learning outcome associated with liberal education—intercultural effectiveness.
Kathleen M. Goodman, Doctoral Student and Research Assistant and Mark Salisbury, Doctoral Student and Research Assistant—both of University of Iowa
DESIGN
POSTER 7: Achieving Inclusive Excellence: Strengths- and Assets-Based Programs for Students of Color
There is great need to practice inclusive excellence in the area of student of color support services. Past efforts have focused on the deficits of students of color, treating them as underprivileged, culturally-deprived, and at-risk. This poster will share new approaches that use strategies based on strengths, talents, and assets to provide students with the tools and skills necessary to successfully navigate higher education.
Melissa Martinez, Academic Adviser and Tracey Peters, Associate Director and African American Services Coordinator for the Center for Multicultural Excellence—both of University of Denver
DESIGN
POSTER 8: The Impact of a Diversity Living–Learning Community
In autumn 2007, Virginia Tech inaugurated the Multicultural Opportunity Social Awareness Interest Community (MOSAIC) as a new initiative centered on the concepts of diversity, social justice and inclusion. The program brought together students with a wide range of backgrounds and a common interest in these issues. For participants, the poster will provide insight into the development of MOSAIC and an exploration of the various aspects of the academic class, the residential environment, the programmatic components, and ways in which they interact with each other. The presenter will share examples of student work and assessment data, and participants can also hear about lessons learned and possibilities for adapting this program to their institutions.
Raymond V. Plaza, Director of Diversity Initiatives, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
DESIGN
POSTER 9: A Discipline-Specific PhD-Prep Program for Underrepresented Groups
The Summer Institute for Literary and Cultural Studies is a Mellon-funded month-long program that aims to increase the number of PhDs in English coming from underrepresented groups. It's the first curriculum-based, discipline-specific summer institute in the humanities, and it draws college juniors from all over the country, especially Historically Black Colleges and Universities. The Summer Institute for Literary and Cultural Studies (SILCS) combines classroom instruction in literary and cultural theory with visits to New England English doctoral programs and with talks from distinguished guest lecturers. It pairs mentors with students to help guide them through the graduate admissions process. This poster will describe the SILCS model and how it could work in other locations and for other disciplines.
Paula M. Krebs, Professor of English, Wheaton College
ASSESSMENT
POSTER 10: Increasing African American Students’ Career Aspirations in STEM Fields
In order to maintain competitiveness in an increasingly globalized marketplace, the U.S. has undertaken a strategic effort to increase the talent pool of top students matriculating with degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). African American college students are disproportionately underrepresented in math and science majors, which serve as a gateway to professional careers in STEM fields. Longitudinal data will be presented from a college impact study that examined African American students’ academic self-confidence and career aspirations in STEM fields. In particular, the presenters will identify the many environmental influences that significantly favor historically Black colleges and universities over predominantly White institutions in terms of the production of minority scientists and engineers. Given the research findings, recommendations will be offered to promote greater engagement and improve persistence of African American students in STEM fields.
Christopher B. Newman, Research Analyst and Doctoral Student and Minh C. Tran, Doctoral Student—both of University of California, Los Angeles
VISION
POSTER 11: Diversity Outreach and Support for Study Abroad
Although the total number of study abroad students continues to increase, the racial/ethnic diversity in study abroad participation has not matched the diversity in U.S. higher education. The Center for Global Education at Loyola Marymount University’s Project for Learning Abroad, Training and Outreach (PLATO) Project, funded by FIPSE: U.S. Department of Education addresses the many questions and concerns that have not been addressed to support African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian/Pacific Islander, and Native American students participating in study abroad. Participants will be introduced to resources they can use on their home campus, including mentor advice, diversity outreach posters, sample content in Spanish for parents, and various online resources that students, faculty, and staff can use to enhance efforts to increase diversity in study abroad.
Gary Rhodes, Director of the Center for Global Education and Affiliated Faculty, School of Education—Loyola Marymount University
DESIGN
POSTER 12: Building an Urban, 4-Year Campus in a Developing Downtown
Initially, the University of Washington—Tacoma (UWT) was intended to bring the UW education to students in the South Puget Sound region. The institution has expanded from the early years as a small branch campus to a 4-year university with over 2, 600 students in a revitalized downtown. Offering seven programs that balance the needs of a broadly diverse student body presents unique challenges. Today, eighteen years later, UWT also serves students throughout the Northwest. Its student population is diverse in many ways including by age (most students are between 18 and 39), military status (a large percentage are active, reserve, or retired), as well as race/ethnicity. This presentation will offer insight into the ways UWT has successfully managed this balance to create an environment where this broad student body can thrive.
Sharon Parker, Assistant Chancellor for Equity and Diversity—University of Washington—Tacoma
Friday, October 17, 2008
7:45 – 9:00 A.M.
Continental Breakfast and Roundtable Discussions
VISION
TABLE 1: Inclusive Excellence: A Translation Mechanism for Linking Diversity to Campus Goals and Initiatives
Inclusive Excellence can be highly effective as a translation mechanism in efforts to embed awareness and consideration of diversity into the fabric of an institution and efforts to achieve institutional goals. To illustrate this premise, the facilitators will share the story of their institution, where the adoption of Inclusive Excellence as one of five “design principles” in a revision of the campus’ academic plan during 2004-05 was a critical first step. Participants will discuss lessons learned, future challenges and goals, and applicability to their campus settings.
John E. Queener, Associate Professor of Education and Provost Faculty Fellow for Inclusive Excellence and Linda M. Subich, Professor of Psychology, Associate Department Chair—both of University of Akron
VISION
TABLE 2: Liberal Education and America’s Promise (PPT)
Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) is AAC&U’s campus action and public advocacy initiative designed to engage campus colleagues and the larger public in meaningful conversations about what really matters in college. Session facilitators will discuss with participants LEAP’s goals and activities, with particular attention to efforts to ensure that all students—including those historically underserved by higher education—achieve essential liberal learning outcomes. Facilitators will provide an overview of LEAP resources, principles, and practices guiding the campus action component of the campaign. Participants will then discuss how their institutions can use the campaign and the emerging national consensus around important liberal education outcomes to guide educational planning and practice, especially for historically underserved students.
Alma R. Clayton-Pedersen, Vice President for Education and Institutional Renewal and Debra Humphreys, Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs—both of AAC&U
POLICY
TABLE 3: Integrating Diversity, Inclusion, and Intercultural Learning across Campus
In order for diversity initiatives to be successful on a campus, it is imperative that there be a comprehensive approach that affects the organization both vertically and horizontally. This session will (a) introduce the Integrative Diversity Framework, a comprehensive framework for developing and implementing strategic plans, action plans, and regular assessment of diversity goals and (b) highlight structures and processes for connecting strategy, action, and assessment. Participants will identify goals and opportunities to institutionalize and transform systems on their own campuses and identify barriers and ways to overcome obstacles in implementing a comprehensive approach to diversity. Together, participants and the facilitator will examine ways in which the Integrative Diversity Framework can be enhanced as a planning, action, and assessment tool.
Materials (PDF)
Chart (PDF)
Stephan Hiroshi Gilchrist, Director of Institutional Diversity—Wells College
POLICY
TABLE 4: Shaping a Community College Equity Agenda
The responsibility of maintaining and defending a higher education equity agenda for all citizens defines and complicates the role, mission, and work of the American community college. Sharing theories and research, the facilitators will focus on the community college equity agenda specific to instruction, support services, and outcomes. Participants will be asked to reflect on and share their own experiences in advocating for equitable outcomes for students and explore strategies that community college educators can use and adapt in working for student success.
Yira S. Brimage, Dean of Student Services—Scottsdale Community College; and Laura Dulgar, Director of College/Education Services and Stephanie J. Fujii, Counseling Faculty—both of Estrella Mountain Community College
POLICY
TABLE 5: An Action Model for Diversifying the Faculty (PPT)
In this roundtable discussion, facilitators will briefly share one university’s policy on recruitment and retention that has resulted in deliberate recruitment strategies to attract a diverse workforce in academia. Discussion topics will include accountability, organizational learning, and diversity as an integral part of the University’s social justice mission. Participants will be asked to share their experiences with their own institutions’ strategic recruitment goals, diversity-related concerns, and challenges in implementing these kinds of strategies.
Mariá E. Grandone, Director of Ethnic and Intercultural Services and Gail Buck, Director, Office of Black Student Services and Faculty—both of Loyola Marymount University; Cynthia B. Worthen, Vice President of Academic Affairs and Faculty—Argosy University; and Frank Montalvo, Chief Diversity Officer—University of La Verne
DESIGN
TABLE 6: Revisiting Race: Constructing Productive Co-Curricular Dialogues on Campus
Several units across campus at the University of Akron collaborated to create an interdisciplinary, co-curricular series of events called Revisiting Race: Black, White and Beyond. Initially designed to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of President Bill Clinton’s Town Hall Meeting on Race at the University in 1997, widespread interest fostered a more comprehensive and inclusive approach to helping the campus and metropolitan communities better understand the nature of racial conflict in America today. Participants will discuss the applicability of such a program for their institutions and generate ideas to improve these co-curricular dialogues.
Bill Lyons, Director of the Center for Conflict Management and Zachery R. Williams, Director of Pan-African Studies Program—both of University of Akron
DESIGN
TABLE 7: Diversity Content as a Gateway to Deeper Learning: The Case of Sexual Orientation and Statistics
One of the challenges of diversity work is incorporating diversity content into seemingly unrelated disciplines, such as mathematics or hard sciences. To breathe life into abstract numbers, the facilitator re-conceived how statistics can be taught to bring marginalized perspectives to the center by using information from studying a specific population. This discussion will showcase a freshman seminar titled “The Statistics of Sexual Orientation.” Using assessment evidence, the facilitator will highlight student learning gains in statistical content knowledge, intellectual development, critical thinking, and intercultural competency. Participants will engage in a discussion of how this approach can transfer to other disciplinary content areas as well as be inclusive of other diversity perspectives.
Michele DiPietro, Instructor of Statistics and Associate Director for Graduate Support—Carnegie Mellon University
9:15 – 10:15 A.M.
Plenary
Making Excellence Inclusive: Establishing Diversity as an Institutional and Educational Imperative
Listen to the plenary  (60 MB)
Diversity issues have become more complex than ever before—both in the U.S. and globally—and historical inequities regarding education in the U.S. continue to be inadequately addressed. What will it take to establish coordinated institutional policies and comprehensive educational practices that move us to the next level of diversity work? How campus leaders envision and approach this next generation of work will have major consequences for individual institutions, for higher education overall, and for the well being of this pluralistic democracy. In this plenary, Alma Clayton-Pedersen and Daryl Smith will address the need to establish diversity as both an institutional and an educational imperative. They will comment on nationwide research and campus-based initiatives to develop institutional capacity to engage diversity for learning, to monitor progress, to sustain efforts, and to ensure that efforts to link diversity with educational excellence evolve over time. By quickening the pace of change, colleges and universities may finally deal with the nation's unfinished business—providing all students with the real opportunity to achieve educational excellence.
Alma R. Clayton-Pedersen, Vice President, Office of Education and Institutional Renewal—AAC&U and Daryl G. Smith, Professor of Education—Claremont Graduate University
10:30 – 11:45 A.M.
Concurrent Sessions
VISION
CS 1: Moving from Representational to Transformational Diversity
Once campuses achieve representational diversity, how can they intentionally leverage this powerful opportunity to create a new vision for articulating and maximizing the educational, spiritual, and societal benefits of diversity? How can they create institutional policies, curricular innovations, and assessment practices that truly lead to institutional transformation? Session facilitators will share strategic planning strategies that have made inculcating diversity into the fabric of campus life a core goal and made explicit the links between diversity and moral discernment. They will also share curricular innovations that focus on diversity goals in general education and discuss assessment findings that link learning outcomes to how students experience diversity in the curriculum and co-curriculum. Participants will gain a deeper understanding about ways to integrate diversity and educational quality to advance inclusive excellence.
Heather Joy Knight, Provost; Alice C. Williams, Director of Assessment; and Andwele Worrell, Student, Architecture Major—all of Andrews University
VISION
CS 2: Envisioning Diversity in a Community College: From Rhetoric to Action (PPT)
Despite the fact that community colleges generally attract a diverse student population, moving from rhetoric to action in implementing campus-wide diversity initiatives is no small task. In this session, facilitators will address the incremental transformation undertaken at Northhampton Community College to create a truly diverse campus in and out of the classroom. They will focus on four key areas: (a) programming, including implementation of a Safe Space program, sexual harassment training, privilege training and co-curricular efforts; (b) faculty/staff recruitment and retention; (c) classroom pedagogy including faculty workshops through the Center for Teaching and Learning; and (d) curricular change in re-conceptualizing diversity learning as a requirement for the general education core. Panelists will engage participants in an interactive exercise to assess the status of diversity on their campuses and to identify the changes necessary to meet diversity-related goals.
Vasiliki Anastasakos, Assistant Professor of Political Science; Elizabeth Bugaighis, Dean of Humanities and Social Sciences; and Virginia Gonzalez, Professor of Counseling/Psychology—all of Northampton Community College
VISION
CS 3: Beyond the Binary: The Power of Language in Transgender Communities (PPT)
“Is it a boy or a girl?” In our culture, the answer to this question is almost always dependent on what a physician or healthcare professional determines via anatomy at birth. In this session, the facilitators will present their recent research into language use by people for whom gender and sex are uniquely different from frameworks set out in binary sex-gender systems. The session will examine the developmental experiences of people who self-identify as transgender or had done so in the past, such as those who have transitioned and no longer consider themselves transgender. Participants will discuss implications for students, faculty, staff, administrators and other professionals in higher education toward the inclusion and empowerment of students who are gender variant.
Materials (PDF)
Christian Matheis, Student Advocate—Oregon State University and Sue Rankin, Assistant Professor of Education Policy Studies and College Student Affairs and Research Associate at the Center for the Study of Higher Education—The Pennsylvania State University
POLICY
CS 4: Students with Disabilities: Proactive Steps to Improve Campus Accessibility
The California State University (CSU) System has more than 10,000 students with disabilities. Following the national trend, the number of students in this underserved group is increasing considerably year-to-year, with GPAs, course completion rates, and graduation rates significantly lower than students without disabilities. Compounding the issue, most campuses work within a reactive accommodation model rather than a proactive accessibility model. The CSU Accessible Technology Initiative was implemented in 2006 as a way to better serve students with disabilities while meeting or exceeding federal and state mandates. Session facilitators will discuss Universal Design for Learning and other accessibility efforts implemented across many CSU campuses as a result of this initiative. Participants will hear about the results of this effort via three years of student and faculty data as well as online video case stories that are used as training resources. They will also receive useful resources and guidance for implementing similar efforts at their own institutions.
Links
Ensuring Access through Collaboration and Technology-EnACT
CSU Accessible Technology Initiative
Emiliano Ayala, Associate Professor of Special Education—Sonoma State University
DESIGN
CS 5: Conceptualizing Diversity within Service Learning (PPT)
Despite its emphasis on the importance of diversity, the service-learning field has failed to effectively conceptualize, measure, or evaluate this concept. Would one seek to measure diversity as an attitude? Is diversity a skill or behavior? Is it a learning outcome for students or a prerequisite for an effective service learning program? Is it some combination of the above? In this session, the facilitators will describe the efforts of the University of Southern California’s Joint Educational Project—one of the largest and oldest service-learning programs in the country—to grapple with these questions. Following a review of the literature and a qualitative analysis of student essays and other course materials, the facilitators will identify important issues for participants to consider when they design and evaluate service-learning courses with diversity-related goals.
Susan C. Harris, Director of Research and Academic Affairs and Carol Brown, Graduate Student in Psychology—both of University of Southern California
*LEAP Campus Action Network Exemplar
DESIGN
CS 6: Service Learning: Intersecting Global Learning and Diversity
Community service learning programs at their best can provide a positive, intentional space for students to absorb and integrate diverse perspectives into a more critical understanding of issues of social justice and global power structures. This is an important intended outcome of a liberal education. The dual goals of educating the student and serving the community, however, do not necessarily dovetail. In service learning programs, differentials of power and privilege arise in interactions among all the actors: students of varying backgrounds, instructors, and participants from outside the academy. In this session, panelists from institutions in AAC&U’s Shared Futures: General Education for Global Learning will present intentional program designs that recognize the structural dynamics of power and privilege as both potential challenges and valuable pedagogical tools in service
learning programs. Participants will be encouraged to discuss how programs at their own institutions can work with (rather than around) these forces.
Devin Iimoto, Professor of Chemistry—Whittier College; Carlos Silveira, Professor of Art Education—California State University Long Beach; and Hugo Najera, Program Associate, and Caleb Ward, Program Assistant, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Global Initiatives—Association of American Colleges and Universities
ASSESSMENT
CS 7: Using Diversity Vision Statements and Campus Climate Assessments to Create and Sustain Collaborative Institutional Change (PPT)
Most colleges and universities have acknowledged the importance of diversity in student learning and development, but many schools struggle with developing diversity vision statements, implementing these statements throughout their institutions, evaluating progress, and using feedback to make further institutional change. This session is geared towards those at beginning and intermediate levels of identifying and assessing diversity goals on their campus. In the session, the facilitators will provide examples of models, strategies, and instruments that Rhodes College has employed to accomplish these important goals. Participants will then apply these examples to their own campus environments based on type of institution, stage in addressing diversity issues, and particular role in their institution. By sharing their institutional situations and relating them to the resources provided, this session will help participants develop diversity vision statements, assessment instruments, and strategic action plans that they can take back to their institutions.
Anita A. Davis, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs; Carla D. Shirley, Assistant Professor of Sociology; and Dwaun J. Warmack, Associate Dean of Students—all of Rhodes College
ASSESSMENT
CS 8: Leveraging the Educational Benefits of Diversity through Intergroup Dialogues
Increasingly deep divisions and social inequities in the United States call for critical dialogic approaches to student learning across lines of difference. Intergroup dialogues offer a student-centered, dialogic, social justice education model that fosters student engagement and learning across differences. This interactive session will: (a) highlight key curricular features of the intergroup dialogue model in higher education, (b) offer quantitative and qualitative findings from a multi-university controlled experiment conducted by nine institutions of higher education, and (c) help participants identify practical implications for teaching and assessing what and how students learn about difference in diverse educational settings. Specifically, participants will discuss the key communication processes that ground intergroup dialogue, how to utilize dialogue pedagogy in curricular and co-curricular settings, and how to implement a similar research project for their own diversity education programs.
Kelly Maxwell, Associate Director and Lecturer, The Program on Intergroup Relations—University of Michigan; Ximena U. Zúñiga, Associate Professor of Education—University of Massachusetts Amherst; Delia Saenz, Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education—Arizona State University; and Jaclyn Rodriguez, Professor of Psychology and Intergroup Dialogue Program Director—Occidental College
12:00 – 1:30 P.M.
Featured Panel Discussion and Luncheon
Transforming the Ivory Tower: Decades of Change for African American, Asian American, and Latino Students
Listen to the discussion (53 MB)
One of the most dramatic changes in higher education over the last three decades has been the enrollment of an increasingly diverse student body. But what has been the progress of student achievement thus far, and what are the prospects for achievement that will ensure a well prepared, diverse workforce and democracy? In this featured session, panelists will address national trends about African American, Asian American, and Latino students that remain unreported in current federal databases. Nationally known for their work on diversity in higher education, the panelists will discuss trends in: (a) changing socioeconomic status; (b) access to and preparation for higher education; and (c) aspirations, values, and expectations of college students. This will be the first opportunity for the authors to discuss key findings about each racial/ethnic group, reflect on progress and areas of concern, and integrate the findings for educators. The audience will be challenged to reflect on how well practices developed in another era continue to serve the changing racial/ethnic composition of their student populations and to share new practices that seem to better serve student achievement.
Walter R. Allen, Allan Murray Cartter Professor of Higher Education; Mitchell Chang, Professor of Higher Education and Organizational Change; Sylvia Hurtado, Director, Higher Education Research Institute and Professor of Higher Education and Organizational Change; and José Luis Santos, Assistant Professor of Higher Education and Organizational Change—all of University of California, Los Angeles
1:45 – 3:15 P.M.
Concurrent Sessions
VISION
CS 9: A Comprehensive Approach to Diversity, Inclusion, and Student Learning
Since participating in the original Diversity Scorecard project, Whittier College has sought to develop a comprehensive, holistic campus approach to diversity efforts. In this session, a panel of faculty and administrators will provide an overview of curricular and co-curricular programs that are aimed at student success and excellence. In more detail, they will discuss: (a) first-year living/learning communities that intentionally incorporate commuter students; (b) pre-health programs with high success rates of professional school acceptance; (c) course-embedded community-based learning projects; (d) programs to diversify the faculty; and (e) steps taken to assess the impact of such programs in terms of student learning and success. Participants will have a chance to consider these examples in light of their own campus contexts.
Priscilla Bell, Associate Professor of Chemistry; Susan D. Gotsch, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of Faculty; and Jeanne Ortiz, Dean of Students—all of Whittier College
VISION
CS 10: Creating an Inclusive Excellence Campus Diversity Plan: Vision to Reality
In this session, the facilitator will share insights and effective practices for creating, implementing, and refining a comprehensive campus diversity plan. Specifically, she will address processes related to: (a) creating a vision, (b) rallying the entire campus, (c) developing and designing the program, (d) aligning resources, and (e) assessing progress. Participants will have the opportunity to identify starting points and specific pathways for initiating a campus diversity plan at their own institution.
Rona T. Halualani, Director of Institutional Planning and Inclusive Excellence—San José State University
RESEARCH
CS 11: Using Institutional Evidence of Effective Practices and Conditions to Improve Student Learning Outcomes
The Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education is a longitudinal study of engaging learning and teaching practices, programs, student experiences, and institutional conditions that promote liberal education. The study, which began in the fall 2006, includes more than 7,000 students from 25 institutions, ranging from community colleges to research universities. In this session, facilitators will highlight evidence on effective practices gathered through the study and focus on practical ways of using that evidence to make institutional changes to promote improvement in students' critical thinking, moral reasoning, leadership, and attitudes about and orientation to diversity, well-being.
Charles F. Blaich, Director of Inquiries and Kathy Wise, Associate Director of Inquiries, Center of Inquiry in the Liberal Arts—both of Wabash College; Stephen Weisler, Director, Wabash Teagle Assessment Scholars Program, Dean of Enrollment and Assessment—Hampshire College; and Autumn Harrell—Indiana University
POLICY
CS 12: PART I: Multicultural Organizational Development: Exploring Best Practices to Create Socially Just, Inclusive Campus Communities (PDF)
Well-intended diversity initiatives often fall short of desired outcomes. While efforts may increase awareness, most do not create significant, comprehensive organizational change that is sustainable over time. In this session, participants will (a) use the Multicultural Organizational Development (MCOD) Stage Model to assess their current campus environment; (b) review best practices for creating inclusive campuses through systemic, long-term culture change; and (c) identify strategic action steps to facilitate movement along the stages of MCOD. Experienced consultants will share best practices and lessons learned from more than two decades of applied research in this area. Participants will gain
insights related to building inclusive, multicultural campuses that maximize success of all students, staff, and faculty.
Materials (PDF)
Bailey W. Jackson, Chair, Social Justice Education Program—University of Massachusetts Amherst; Kathy Obear, Co-Director—Social Justice Training Institute; and Vernon A. Wall, Director of Educational Programs and Publications—ACPA College Student Educators International, and Founding Faculty—Social Justice Training Institute
DESIGN
CS 13: Maximizing the Effects of Learning Communities for Diversity and Academic Achievement
Developed over an eight-year period, the University of Colorado at Boulder’s Leadership, Excellence, Achievement, and Diversity (LEAD) Alliance provides a useful model for establishing and integrating diversity efforts in all schools and colleges. LEAD consists of multidisciplinary academic “neighborhoods” that (a) integrate academics with student development, (b) utilize curricular and co-curricular activities to promote academic achievement and retention, and (c) influence and rationalize the flow of resources to targeted students. The allied academic neighborhoods promote a sense of connection and control for students, while engendering an ethos of academic achievement and a sense of being part of a larger campus entity. In this session, the presenters will discuss the development of the alliance, key points from an external review, and ongoing challenges.
Alphonse Keasley, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Campus Climate and Community Engagement, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Community Engagement and Ken Wilson, Director of Student Academic Services Center—both of University of Colorado at Boulder
DESIGN
CS 14: Developing a Co-Curriculum for Non-Traditional Students
In this session, facilitators will provide an overview of a co-curriculum balancing the needs of non-traditional students with institutional demands to develop well-rounded students. Presenters will share the collaborative approach taken between student and academic affairs to develop a rich curriculum designed to develop students’ knowledge and abilities in four identified learning dimensions: (a) personal enrichment, (b) global perspective, (c) civic engagement, and (d) career development. Participants in this session will have the opportunity to identify preliminary steps needed to create their own campus-specific co-curricula.
Edith Fernandez, Student Development Director and Azuri Lizeth Ruiz, Assistant Director of the Center for Civic Engagement—both of University of Texas at El Paso
DESIGN
CS 15: Connecting Study Abroad and U.S. Diversity Programs and Initiatives
There is a need to invest in the preparation of 21st century multicultural leaders who are open-minded, respect different worldviews, possess knowledge of different countries and regions of the world, and understand and can reflect on diversity in the United States. Nowhere is this opportunity greater than at the intersection of study abroad programs and U.S. diversity programs and initiatives. In this session, facilitators will highlight the conceptual and practical dimensions of one such initiative, called “Leadership for the 21st Century Program: Multicultural Leadership Skills for a Diverse World.” Participants will learn about the program curriculum, experience simulation exercises designed to connect study abroad experiences with U.S. diversity issues, and discuss the program’s learning outcomes. This will be an interactive workshop designed to engage participants in understanding the dynamics and logistics of the program and examining how the program may be replicated on their respective campuses.
Claudia M. Giannetti, Study Abroad Advisor; Ana L. Leon, Student Services Coordinator, Latino Center for Community Engagement and Scholarship; and Denise A. Pappas, Assistant to the Associate Provost for Multicultural Excellence—all of University of Denver
ASSESSMENT
CS 16: Taking Seriously the Perspectives of Others: Two Views of the Same Campus
In fall 2007, 23 Leadership Consortium campuses in AAC&U’s initiative, Core Commitments: Educating Students for Personal and Social Responsibility, administered the new Personal and Social Responsibility Institutional Inventory, a campus climate instrument designed to gauge constituents’ perceptions about opportunities for learning about personal and social responsibility across an institution. One of the dimensions included in the inventory is “taking seriously the perspectives of others,” which focuses on “recognizing and acting on the obligation to inform one’s own judgment and engaging diverse and competing perspectives as a resource for learning, citizenship, and work.” In this session, the facilitators will present select findings on this dimension from students and faculty, two of the groups surveyed. The findings will include data that is disaggregated by race/ethnicity and gender as well as year in school, for students, and tenure status, for faculty. The facilitators will then engage participants in discussion and an exercise designed to help them situate climate data in a larger process of campus-wide reflection for educational improvement.
L. Lee Knefelkamp, Professor of Psychology and Education, Teachers College, Columbia University and Director of Dialogue and Assessment, Core Commitments and Nancy O’Neill, Assistant Director, Core Commitments and Director of Programs, AAC&U
3:45 – 5:00 P.M.
Concurrent Sessions
POLICY
CS 17: PART II: Multicultural Organizational Development: Exploring Best Practices to Create Socially Just, Inclusive Campus Communities (PDF)
Well-intended diversity initiatives often fall short of desired outcomes. While efforts may increase awareness, most do not create significant, comprehensive organizational change that is sustainable over time. In this session, participants will (a) use the Multicultural Organizational Development (MCOD) Stage Model to assess their current campus environment; (b) review best practices for creating incluive campuses through systemic, long-term culture change; and (c) identify strategic action steps to facilitate movement along the stages of MCOD. Experienced consultants will share best practices and lessons learned from more than two decades of applied research in this area. Participants will gain
insights related to building inclusive, multicultural campuses that maximize success of all students, staff, and faculty.
Materials (PDF)
Bailey W. Jackson, Chair, Social Justice Education Program—University of Massachusetts Amherst; Kathy Obear, Co-Director—Social Justice Training Institute; and Vernon A. Wall, Director of Educational Programs and Publications—ACPA College Student Educators International, and Founding Faculty—Social Justice Training Institute
DESIGN
CS 18: Established Campus-Wide Diversity Initiatives: Taking Stock of Mid-Course Outcomes
How do established campus-wide diversity initiatives reflect the unique institutional cultures of the colleges and universities of which they are a part? Key leaders from three New England campuses, each representing a distinct niche in higher education, take stock of their respective institutional outcomes now that the initiatives which they led have established credibility and permanence. Presenters will address the ways in which inclusive excellence initiatives reveal the uniqueness of the adaptive learning at the institutions which they represent as well as important convergences across all types of institutional learning. Presenters will discuss structural and cultural changes which have facilitated established organizational learning opportunities.
Jamie Costello, Dean of Students and Multicultural Programs and Mercedes Sherrod-Evans, Director, Civil Rights Compliance and Diversity—Massachusetts College of Art; William Lewis, Director, Institutional Diversity, Bridgewater State College; and Daniel Hiroyuki Teraguchi, Dean for Diversity and Academic Advancement—Wesleyan University
Facilitator: Melvin Wade, Director, Multicultural Center—University of Rhode Island
Sponsored by New England Resource Center for Higher Education
DESIGN
CS 19: Engaging the Sciences and Professional Disciplines: Teaching about Diversity beyond the Liberal Arts (PPT)
In this session, participants will examine models of faculty development for curriculum transformation at two different institutions—one a large, state research university and the other a small, private liberal arts college. Both institutions have successfully engaged faculty members from the sciences and professional disciplines in teaching about diversity within their disciplinary areas. Facilitators will: (a) present their institutional models of curriculum transformation, (b) examine practical applications of these models across various kinds of institutions and disciplines, and (c) foster small group discussions about applications to participants’ own institutions.
Bob Amico, Professor of Philosophy—St. Bonaventure University; Donna Champeau, Director of Women's Advancement and Gender Equity; and Susan M. Shaw, Director of the Difference, Power, and Discrimination Program and Director of Women Studies—Oregon State University
DESIGN
CS 20: Implementing Learning Communities for Underprepared Students: Faculty Processes and Perceptions
Many community colleges, needing a curricular model that fosters community among diverse student populations and addresses the needs of underprepared learners, are now offering learning communities at their institutions. As an approach to educating students, learning communities present both opportunities and challenges for faculty in terms of executing and maintaining the model in their classrooms. Using data obtained from three diverse institutions, the facilitators of this session will: (a) highlight the key faculty-based processes involved in implementing learning communities for developmental students; (b) share faculty members’ perceptions of their experience with the implementation process; and (c) offer suggestions, based on the voices of faculty, for successfully implementing and maintaining learning communities. Participants will be asked to reflect on their own experiences with learning communities and discuss how these experiences mirror or depart from the presented data.
Christine Sansone, Graduate Research Assistant, National Center for Postsecondary Research and Christian Steinmetz, Graduate Research Assistant, National Center for Postsecondary Research—University of Virginia
DESIGN
CS 21: Equity Education: Using Diversity to Achieve Learning Outcomes
This seminar will provide a theoretical model of equity education which emphasizes the use of diversity as a classroom opportunity to achieve positive learning outcomes for all students. Based on Bennett’s Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity, Banks’ Dimensions of Multicultural Education, and theories of intellectual development, the model is the result of three years of work done by the facilitators in teaching a diversity workshop series for faculty. The facilitators will address responsibilities and opportunities for community colleges in addressing educational equity, provide an overview of the model (history, evolution, and research), and engage participants in discussion and activities illustrating the use of the model.
Stephanie J. Fujii, Counseling Faculty and Tanisha Johnson-Maxwell, Counseling Faculty—Estrella Mountain Community College; and Eric Haas, Psychology Faculty—Scottsdale Community College
ASSESSMENT
CS 22: The Diversity Improvement Process Model (PPT)
The Diversity Improvement Process Model is a roadmap for monitoring the improvement efforts for California Lutheran University’s (CLU) diversity plan. The process model was adopted to acknowledge, promote, and sustain progress within each of the plan’s five components: (a) structural or demographic diversity; (b) campus climate for diversity; (c) student interaction and engagement across cultural difference; (d) multicultural curriculum and pedagogy transformation; and (e) retention and success of underrepresented groups. Like many institutions, each year CLU implements a variety of strategies across departments to advance campus diversity. The Diversity Improvement Process Model steers departments towards setting measurable goals, developing and implementing meaningful strategies, assessing outcomes, evaluating results, and publicly reporting progress. Following an overview of the model and its implementation, participants will discuss how to adapt the model for use on their own campuses.
Juanita A. Hall, Assistant to the President for Diversity and Director of Multicultural and International Programs and Halyna Kornuta, Director of Assessment—both of California Lutheran University
ASSESSMENT
CS 23: Integrating Assessments of Campus Climate, Practices, and Outcomes
Over the last 15 years, researchers have contributed greatly to our collective understanding about the experiences and outcomes associated with diversity on campus. In this session, facilitators will synthesize findings regarding assessment in three areas: (a) campus racial climate, (b) campus diversity practices, and (c) outcomes. Despite progress that has been made in understanding diversity in higher education, the review revealed many limitations within the field of assessment, including a lack of attention to practice, limited applicability, and minimal use of common measures. Facilitators will also propose emerging frameworks for thinking about assessing environments, campus-based initiatives, and outcomes that address many of these concerns. Participants will engage in a discussion about diversity-related practices and modes of assessment at their own campuses and explore ways in which these efforts can be integrated into a more comprehensive evaluation of this work.
Marcela Cuellar, Doctoral Student in Higher Education and Organizational Change; Lucy Arellano, Doctoral Student in Higher Education and Organizational Change; and Sylvia Hurtado, Director, Higher Education Research Institute and Professor of Higher Education and Organizational Change—all of University of California, Los Angeles; and Kimberly A. Griffin, Assistant Professor of Higher Education and College Student Affairs—The Pennsylvania State University
ASSESSMENT
CS 24: "High-Impact" Practices: What We Know about their Impact on Underserved Students (PPT)
The 2007 AAC&U report, College Learning for the New Global Century, zeroes in on a set of educational practices, including first-year programs, learning communities, and undergraduate research, that show promise in terms of educational benefits for students, especially those from historically underserved backgrounds. In spring 2008, AAC&U commissioned a review of the research literature to investigate both the quantity and quality of research that has been undertaken to date on these practices. The review is focusing on learning communities, service learning, first-year seminars, undergraduate research, and capstone experiences, with particular attention to: (a) the kinds of outcomes studied and success indicators utilized (e.g., retention, graduation, GPA, other measures of student learning), (b) program elements that contribute to success (e.g., mentoring, faculty-student contact, peer group support, etc.) and (c) studies that focus on underserved students or are disaggregated by race/ethnicity, income level, and generation in college. In this session, participants will have the chance to discuss preliminary findings from the review and to offer feedback on both the review and the broader work being done at AAC&U on underserved student success.
Overview (PDF)
Outcomes of High Impact Practices for Underserved Students:
A Review of the Literature (PDF)
Jayne E. Brownell, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs, Hofstra University and Alma R. Clayton-Pedersen, Vice President for Education and Institutional Renewal, AAC&U
Saturday, October 18, 2008
7:45 – 9:00 A.M.
Continental Breakfast and Roundtable Discussions
VISION
ROUNDTABLE 1: Inclusive and Multicultural Teaching Strategies
Research has connected student performance to preferred learning style, part of which can be attributed to cultural diversity, ethnicity, and gender. As student populations become more diverse, teachers and administrators are being challenged to capitalize on the possibilities for use of inclusive and multicultural teaching strategies that reflect varied learning styles. In this roundtable, participants will discuss strategies to promote and support dynamic student engagement. This discussion should particularly benefit student service professionals involved in academic support and development programs and faculty invested in reducing barriers to learning at their institutions.
William R. Andahazy, Corporate Relations Coordinator, Insalaco Center for Career Development and Michele Brague, Visiting Professor and Director of Student Teacher and Field Placement—both of Misericordia University; Richard D. Czyzyk, Graduate Program Coordinator—Wilkes University; and Jason Hilt, Educational Technology Specialist—Lower Merion School District
RESEARCH
ROUNDTABLE 2: Closing the Loop: Connecting Research and Practice to Advance Inclusion, Excellence, and Equity
This session will provide intimate and practical discussion about improving educational outcomes for historically underserved students and will seek to establish stronger linkages between the complementary work and mutual goals of researchers and practitioners. A summary of abstracts of conference presenters’ work will provide useful background for this discussion.
A review of these abstracts in advance will prepare participants to engage in a two-way exchange of ideas centered on the following questions: 1) How can researchers’ make their findings most helpful to practitioners’ everyday work? 2) How can practitioners contribute to making existing diversity, inclusion, and equity research most useful for advancing educational improvement efforts? 3) How can researchers and practitioners establish reciprocal understandings of the character of each other’s work for the purpose of refining the information that advances their mutual goals? 4) What are the challenges researchers face in defining and measuring campus practices and learning outcomes? 5) How might researchers and practitioners collaborate to overcome these challenges to help ensure underserved students achieve essential learning outcomes?
Materials (PDF)
Alma R. Clayton-Pedersen, Vice President, office of Education and Institutional Renewal—AAC&U and Kathleen M. Goodman, Doctoral Student and Research Assistant—University of Iowa
POLICY
ROUNDTABLE 3: Developing Capacity to Create Socially Just, Inclusive Campus Environments
Developing the capacity of faculty and staff to infuse diversity and social justice into policies, practices, and daily activities is an essential step for creating sustainable culture change. During this discussion, participants will share best practices and innovative ideas for developing internal capacity. The facilitator will offer two examples: (a) an in-house cadre of staff and faculty trained to facilitate diversity awareness workshops and (b) a program to train faculty and staff to use a “diversity lens” as they serve on search committees, task forces, and other campus planning committees.
Materials (PDF)
Kathy Obear, Co-Director, The Social Justice Training Institute
POLICY
Roundtable 4: Building Networks to Support and Retain Faculty of Color
Colleges and universities have long struggled with the challenge of diversifying the faculty in terms of race and ethnicity. While resources have been poured into efforts to increase the pool of candidates of color, remove institutional and cultural barriers to hiring faculty of color, and entice them to accept offers, less attention has been paid to supporting faculty of color once they have been hired. In this roundtable, the facilitator will describe a program that has effectively enhanced retention by building supportive networks among faculty of color. This innovative program departs from traditional skill building, mentoring, and information-sharing approaches and instead offers a time-efficient and virtually cost-free vehicle that diminishes faculty isolation by building supportive relationships. Following the description, the facilitator will lead an interactive demonstration of how the program works.
Keith Osajima, Professor of Race and Ethnic Studies—University of Redlands
DESIGN
Roundtable 5: How Do White Students Learn About Race?
This conversation will focus on practices that support white students as they learn about race. This topic is vitally important because the failure to skillfully engage emotions typically results in truncated learning journeys. Participants will discuss how to help these students work with emotions that are triggered by race-related learning. The facilitator will also share the results of two scholarly investigations in which students practiced metacognitive and meta-affective reflection on the “racial moments” in their lives. Findings suggested three things: (a) the process of reflecting on thoughts, feelings and assumptions can help students stay with the learning process even in the face of uncomfortable feelings; (b) opening up to “not-knowing” can result in questioning and further reflection; and (c) learning simple emotional regulation skills can help students tolerate the discomfort of race-related learning, allowing them to develop skills to critically think about race and deepen racial understanding.
Materials (PDF)
Additional Materials
Talking (and Not Talking) About Race Project Summary
University of Wisconsin Stout Center for Teaching and Learning Web Page
Terri Karis, Associate Professor of Psychology, University of Wisconsin Stout
DESIGN
ROUNDTABLE 6: Internationalizing the Curriculum in a Sustainable Manner
This discussion will explore ways in which participants can: (a) utilize existing institutional structures to deliver student learning outcomes in the area of citizenship and global awareness and (b) intentionally develop student capacities for engagement with diversity. The presenters will share their experience of more than a decade of work on integrating citizenship outcomes throughout the undergraduate curriculum, both inside and outside traditional courses. In addition, they will outline a process for the development of a certification program in global citizenship, including ways to impact not only those students seeking the certificate, but every student enrolled at the institution. Participants can learn
more about issues of staffing, funding, and curricular development as they relate to building students’ capacity for participatory and global citizenship.
Materials (PDF)
Univeristy of Charleston Faculty Center Web Page
Joseph Janisch, Director of First Year Programs; Karen Merriman, Assistant to the Provost for Curriculum and Instruction; and Audrey Pitonak-Goff, Director of International and English as a Second Language Programs—all of University of Charleston
9:15 – 10:45 A.M.
Concurrent Workshops
VISION
CS 25: Broadening Participation in Undergraduate Research: Principles for Designing Inclusive Programs
A forthcoming publication from the Council on Undergraduate Research focuses on ways in which campuses can broaden participation in undergraduate research, scholarship, and creative activity among students of color, students with disabilities, and low-income students. The book draws on a set of program design principles developed by the Building Engineering and Science Talent [BEST] working group (www.bestworkforce.org) and features campuses that are using these principles in building or reforming their undergraduate research programs. In this session, participants will learn about the principles—which focus on institutional leadership, peer support, and continuous evaluation—as well as campus illustrations of the principles in practice. They will be asked to examine their own campus programs, identify the ways in which each of the principles have (or have not) been implemented, and work in small groups to explore strategies to implement or strengthen the principles.
Mary K. Boyd, Dean of Arts and Sciences—University of San Diego and Chemistry Councilor—Council on Undergraduate Research; Nancy O'Neill, Director of Programs, Office of Education and Institutional Renewal—AAC&U; and Jodi Wesemann, Assistant Director for Higher Education—American Chemical Society and Chemistry Councilor—Council on Undergraduate Research
VISION
CS 26: Effective Practices for Low-Income Student Success
Pressing national and global challenges require that all students be provided the opportunity to enroll—and succeed—in college. In this session, facilitators will address institutional programs that respond to low-income students’ financial, social, academic, and environmental support needs. Representatives of institutions in the College Board’s CollegeKeys Compact™ will showcase practices that have a positive effect on low-income students’ entry and persistence in college. They will provide quantitative data illustrating how institutional goals for student success were developed and implemented to improve low-income students’ enrollment and graduation rates.
Materials (PDF)
Ronald A. Williams, Vice President—The College Board; Allison G. Jones, Assistant Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Student Academic Support—California State University Office of the Chancellor; and Georgette DeVeres, Associate Vice President, Admission and Financial Aid—Claremont McKenna College
VISION
CS 27: Making Diversity Plans Come to Life: A Design-Build Approach
The vitality of diversity plans requires not only leadership commitment and sound ideas, but also effective and inclusive participation in planning and action—no one wants to pour energy into a plan that is going to “sit on a shelf.” In this session, the facilitators will offer lessons for making diversity plans real through a design-build approach in which planning and action are in continuous dialogue. This approach transforms the common tendency to “make it up as you go along” into a deliberate and effective process for strategic institutional development. The workshop will draw on four elements of the design-build approach: (a) integrating inclusive excellence into core campus strategies and budget priorities; (b) building the base for action planning and reflective action; (c) shifting paradigms from mandatory diversity training to universal understanding; and (d) holistic development for inclusive student success. The workshop provides practical models for re-envisioning diversity and inclusion and developing new strategies for inclusiveness that are grounded in theories of privilege and institutional change.
Peg Bacon, Provost; Kee Warner, Associate Vice Chancellor for Diversity; Anthony Cordova, Director of Student Multicultural Affairs; Luis M. García-Martínez,Student and Resident Assistant; and Dena Samuels, Senior Instructor and Coordinator of Building Inclusiveness Program—all of University of Colorado at Colorado Springs
VISION
CS 28: Adapting Faculty Development Programs: An Action Plan
The face-to-face responsibility for providing inclusive learning opportunities rests on the shoulders of classroom instructors. Research shows that faculty members benefit from faculty development programs (FDP) that educate and assist them in the performance of their duties. Many models have been developed, but a customized set of strategies is more likely to help instructors reach comprehensive outcomes. In this session, the facilitator will: (a) highlight desirable FDP characteristics; (b) provide information about the relationship between demographics and campus cultures; and (c) introduce a planning matrix to guide program designers in the development of adaptable FDPs. Desirable characteristics include flexibility, motivation, funding, incentives, campus-wide initiatives, communication, human elements, feedback, partnerships, administrator training, stakeholder involvement, and administrative priorities. This session will be of interest to those who provide, design or evaluate FDPs.
Handout (PDF)
Survey (PDF)
Roberta Rasor Ambrosino, Educational Development Specialist—The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
DESIGN
CS 29: Initial Interactions with Diverse Peers: Effects on Intercultural Effectiveness
Although thoughtful, substantive and cumulative interactions with diverse peers appear to be an essential ingredient in promoting intercultural effectiveness, not all such interactions are positive, and not all yield desired benefits. In this session, facilitators will illustrate the development of intercultural effectiveness using research from the interview portion of the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education. In particular, they will explore student reactions to initial interactions with diverse peers, focusing on their reported uncertainty about how to respond. Reactions will be compared to King and Baxter Magolda’s (2005) three-dimensional developmental trajectory of intercultural maturity to explore how intercultural maturity develops over time and across cognitive, intrapersonal, and interpersonal domains. Educators, too, are often uncertain in such situations, and the presenters will suggest ways to help students learn from feelings of uncertainty, discomfort, anger, and helplessness that may accompany such interactions.
Patricia M. King, Professor of Higher Education—University of Michigan; and Marcia Baxter Magolda, Distinguished Professor of Educational Leadership—Miami University
*LEAP Campus Action Network Exemplar
ASSESSMENT
CS 30: Promoting Access and Engagement: Assessing and Advancing Interventions for Underrepresented Minorities in Biomedical Science Careers
This session will address the college experiences and interventions that can better prepare the next generation of underrepresented minority (URM) biomedical scientists. The facilitators will present results from two four-year studies that analyzed the college programs, pedagogies, and experiences that increase interest and preparedness of URM students in scientific fields. Together, the studies identify elements of an ethos of institutional support for retaining URM emerging scientists as well as factors that deter students. Participants will discuss practical implications for interventions to increase the number of URM students who choose to pursue biomedical professions.
Mitchell Chang, Professor of Higher Education and Organizational Change and Sylvia Hurtado, Director, Higher Education Research Institute and Professor of Higher Education and Organizational Change—both of University of California, Los Angeles; and Merna R. Villarejo, Professor Emerita of Microbiology—University of California-Davis
11:00 A.M. – 12:00 P.M.
Plenary
Advancing Diversity Efforts to the Next Level of Coordinated Action
Listen to the plenary (50 MB)
Well-designed diversity efforts can play a critical role in fostering student learning, advancing knowledge, and improving the institutional effectiveness of colleges and universities. Yet signs from inside and outside of the academy—recent transgressions directed at religious, racial/ethnic, and gay/lesbian groups; continuing arguments that a more inclusive curriculum “waters down” essential knowledge; heated debates about immigration; seemingly intractable global conflicts; and widespread initiatives designed to eliminate race and gender as a consideration from public policies—indicate that progress is never a given and that the need for diversity work continues. How the work is done also matters greatly. Dr. Garcia will discuss how campuses can advance diversity efforts to the next level of comprehensive, coordinated action, where educational benefits for all students and the institution can be demonstrated in meaningful ways.
Mildred García, President—California State University Dominguez Hills
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