Transcript Response to Blue Ribbon Commission on Diversity Recommendations UCCS Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak UCDHSC Events Center Sept.

Response to Blue Ribbon
Commission on Diversity
Recommendations
UCCS Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak
UCDHSC Events Center
Sept. 29, 2006
Blue Ribbon Commission: Timeline
• Commissioners visit UCCS, April 2006
• Initial commission recommendations, May 2006
• Information gathered for campus response from
• Faculty Minority Affairs Committee
• Staff council
• Students
• Response to recommendations, June 2006
• Formation of Diversity Strategic Plan Task Force, Aug. 2006
BRC theme: Increase diversity of
faculty, staff, students and
administrators
Recommendation:
Ensure increases in minority faculty by making department diversity a
criterion in awarding tenure and tenure-track positions
Action:
•Review department tenure criteria to assure
credit for diversity in teaching, research and
service
•Top administrator search pools must be
diverse
•Review diversity of past hiring pools in
ranking requests for new positions
•Evaluate diversity accomplishments of vice
chancellors and deans in yearly evaluations
Recommendations:
Create compensation and resources for student ambassadors and
recruiters in minority communities and secondary schools
Actions:
• College of Education
• GEAR-UP
• Respite Program
• Americorps
• Ethnic Studies, Women’s Studies
• Service internships
• Smart Girl, Inc.
• Student Success Division
• Internships for academic credit
• $100,000 investment in work-study positions
BRC theme: Strengthen retention
of diverse faculty, staff, and
students
Recommendation:
Create compensation and resources for faculty who participate on
recruiting committees and in mentoring programs
Action:
•Recognize diversity service in faculty
merit review
•Train and support search committees
•Create annual faculty and staff
diversity awards
Recommendation:
Strategically target industries and professions that align well with
UCCS programs to gain funding for scholarships for underrepresented students
Action:
•Collaboration with Intel, Memorial
Hospital, Penrose Hospital, Agilent, others
•Promote student scholarships from
recognized tribes and nations
Recommendation:
Implement measures to make the campus more commuter-friendly;
create a visible location for the UCCS Multicultural Affairs Office
Action:
• Move Student Multicultural Affairs to
University Center
• Elevate coordinator of Student Multicultural
Affairs and Outreach to director, reports to vice
chancellor
• Direct retention efforts to commuter students
and create commuter space in University Center
• Extend service hour operations
Recommendation:
Increase the capacity of the university system to support students
through better leveraging of technology
Action:
• Student Web portal
• Course scheduling planner
• Campus-wide Web update
• Regular communication through
student group e-mail
Recommendation:
Establish measurable goals for diversity within CLC; work
collaboratively with other programs
Action:
• Kane Scholars
•Merit-based
•Tuition, books, fees at PPCC, UCCS
•Freshmen Class
•Second largest
•20 percent ethnic minority
•Best-qualified
• Chancellor’s Leadership Class
•Current class has 32% first-generation college students
•4 of 11 May graduates were ethnic minorities
•Goal of 25% of applicants representing ethnic minorities for future classes
BRC theme: Build an inclusive
campus climate
Recommendation:
Incorporate the topic of diversity in the curriculum of all schools
Action:
• Knapsack Institute
• White Privilege Conference
• Freedom’s Song
Recommendation:
Mandate diversity training for students, faculty, staff
Action:
•Appoint committee to design campus diversity training programs
•Faculty committee reviewed content of cultural diversity courses
required for LAS students
•Complete exit interviews for minority faculty who left UCCS
Recommendation:
Expand ways of publicizing student events, especially diversity events
Action:
•Campus Activities sponsorship of diversity
events
•Daily video screen update of student
events in University Center
•Ethnic Studies and Women’s Studies
newsletter and websites
•Broadcast over CU-Net of “It’s Like
This!”
BRC theme: Increase community
outreach
Recommendation:
Extend industry-university model to university-high school model
Action:
• Pre-Collegiate
• Project Lead the Way
• Smart Girl, Inc.
• Teacher Cadet Alliance
• Alignment project
Need photo
Recommendation:
Publicize throughout southern Colorado diversity successes
Action:
• Student ambassadors
• Highlight accomplishments of
diverse students during
Commencement ceremonies
• Regular contact and sponsorships
with foundations, chambers
Recommendation:
Extend best practices to other community colleges
Action:
• Extend University Connection
program to all Colorado community
colleges
• Offer financial support to Daniels
Fund Scholarship transfers from
southern Colorado community colleges
• Increase University Connection
enrollment by 2%
BRC theme: Share best practices
in diversity
Recommendation:
Connect with other CU campuses
Action:
•Campus diversity action areas support
and extend BRC themes
•Three-campus diversity retreat
•Communication with President’s
Office, other campuses, about ongoing
diversity work, best practices
BRC theme: Develop diversity
plans with accountability and
performance measures
Recommendation:
Approach diversity plan based on campus growth
Action:
• Kee Warner, professor,
Sociology, to head diversity
strategic planning for UCCS
• Plan supported by task force of
experienced faculty and staff
Recommendation:
Approach diversity plan based on campus growth
Action: Continued
• Leadership team of students, faculty, staff administrators and
community members will develop strategies in working groups
focused on diversity action areas:
•Diversity within
•Representation among students, staff, faculty, administrators
•Inclusive campus climate and support systems
•Diversity without
•Recruitment of students, faculty, staff and administrators
•Community partnerships and linkages
•Diversity in what we do
•Curriculum, research, service
•Business practices
Recommendation:
Approach diversity plan based on campus growth
Action: Continued
• Validate strategies with campus
community, present to CU Regents Spring
2007
• Design strategic actions, implementation
and accountability
• Present to CU Regents with campus
strategic plan by May 2007
Beyond the recommendations…
• Support community efforts to understand and
promote diversity in Colorado Springs, including
EDC initiative
• Create chancellor’s community Diversity Advisory
Committee
• Integrate Diversity Strategic Plan into campus
budgeting, planning, and decision-making
UCCS in the future
America’s premier regional comprehensive
research university