Progress Report

Develop a website that is easy to navigate, and that highlights resources and events for a diverse community.

Create an institutional-­‐‑level (admission, alumni and development, senior leadership, academic unit collaterals, etc.) communication plan that demonstrates visible support for diversity and inclusion.  

Develop a comprehensive Welcome to Drake program for new faculty and staff that will supplement and extend the current orientation program offered by HR. This program will include orientation to the entire university not just those parts of the university considered germane to job function. It will include an introduction to all aspects of Drake’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.

Develop additional programs for on­‐going professional development (beyond Excellence in Learning), expand community building across roles at the institution (building on success of Drake Socials), create opportunities for formal mentoring, and develop expectations for recognition at the unit level.

Develop a comprehensive dispute resolution and grievance policy.

Conduct an analysis of the current process for addressing disputes that are available to students, faculty, staff and contracted employees, to include the evaluation of an ombudsman position or similar resource, with the goal of creating a clear and accessible process for all constituents.

Form, facilitate, and support faculty and staff affinity groups.

Fund improvements to the Multicultural Houses.

Adopt a policy that all new buildings, and all buildings undergoing significant renovation, will provide gender inclusive restrooms and spaces for lactation and nursing.

Provide additional funding for expansion of Drake’s resources to support sexual violence prevention and response.

Develop and fund a program similar to the Equity Advocates Program, with the addition of student advocates (please see attached program outline.

Fund one faculty member to participate in the 2016 National SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) project. http://www.nationalseedproject.org

Use the annual Learning Symposium as a time dedicated for faculty and staff to engage these issues.

Engage with the University Curriculum Committee to: develop curricular revisions that honor stated desires for more courses on issues relating to diversity and inclusion, strengthen and focus the current global and multicultural AOI, and examine strategies for utilizing First Year Seminars to integrate these topics. Expand opportunities within the co-­‐‑curriculum to engage students with issues of diversity inclusion, such as training sessions tied to accessing student organization funds and expanded coverage during Welcome Weekend.

Develop long-­‐‑term, iterative, and human-­‐‑centered (not web-­‐‑based) programs to help the Drake community learn about issues relating to diversity, inclusion, justice, and equity.

Require units, including academic departments, to develop case statements and revise staff job descriptions in consultation with a member of the Equity Advocates or Faculty SEED program, in order to ensure that, from the beginning, issues of equity in recruitment and hiring are taken into consideration. Require that an Equity Advocate or Faculty SEED member be on each search committee for faculty and staff.

Support up to 30 current and incoming faculty of color, first generation or working class faculty, LGBTQ faculty – and their allies – with individual memberships in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity, with an eye to seeing whether institutional membership is viable and sustainable.

Ask each school and college to ensure that their promotion and tenure documents and procedures respond to research that indicates that women are disadvantaged by student evaluations, and that faculty of color share an additional burden of service, and a presumption of incompetence, that shapes their tenure and promotion process.

Create, staff, and fund an Office for Inclusive Excellence that includes a vice presidential, or deputy provost, level appointment. The office will be responsible for a portfolio dedicated to data driven planning guided by the rich data set from the climate assessment survey and coordinating the many projects outlined in this document and the Next Steps Forum Analysis.