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Diversity Plan:
2003 - 2005
Introduction
The Muskie School of Public Service is committed to implementing
steps that will enable the University of Southern Maine and
the Muskie School to meet the diversity goals of the School
and USM. The School for many years has had a diversity committee
that is representative of the many elements of the School,
and that committee has discussed the USM and School goals
and developed plans and action steps. The School engaged in
extensive strategic planning in 2000 and 2001 and established
a detailed workplan in November, 2001. The following material
reflects the work of the Muskie School Diversity Committee
and is the basis for the Muskie School Diversity Plan for
academic years 2003-2006.
GOAL I: Climate
USM continuously strives to make the campus a welcoming
climate, inclusive in its understanding and integration across
multiple dimensions of diversity, including, but not limited
to, diversity based on race and ethnicity, gender, disability,
sexual orientation, age, gender expression and identity, religion,
and class.
- To insure students, faculty and staff are informed of
the School-wide commitment to diversity, additional efforts
will be taken to include that commitment in all school-wide
publications.
Time frame: AY 2003-2004
Responsible unit: Office of Strategic Management
Measure of performance: OSM will review publications and
report percentage of compliance at the end of each year.
- To further the development of a more inclusive campus
environment, the Muskie School will identify and offer training/development
workshops for faculty and staff during the academic years
2003-2005.
Time frame: AY 2003-2005
Responsible unit: Program directors, Institute directors
and Senior Management
Measure of Performance: (1) the sessions held will be
documented; (2) a survey of the participants will be conducted
to determine the effectiveness of the workshops.
GOAL II: Academic Experience
The USM academic experience, which includes both
curricular and co-curricular activities, increasingly reflects
the multiplicity and diversity of communities and cultures
locally, nationally, and globally.
- To insure that issues of multiculturalism and diversity
are reflected across the curriculum of the Muskie School,
efforts will be undertaken to begin compiling relevant scholarly
material for faculty use in developing individual course
syllabi. This will include conducting an assessment of current
materials available to faculty within the three disciplinary
areas (faculty survey and discussion at program meetings).
Time frame: Fall, 2003
Responsible unit: Diversity Committee workgroup
Measure of performance: Committee will report to faculty
meeting fall, 2003
- Target resources for scholarly material from other academic
units within USM (contact relevant departments to obtain
information regarding material availability)
Time frame: Spring and fall, 2003
Responsible unit: Diversity Committee workgroup
Measure of performance: Faculty representatives report
to the November 2003 meeting of the academic program chairs
- Explore opportunities for funding to purchase video tapes,
and other materials
Time frame: academic AY 2003-2004
Responsible units: Program directors, Institute directors
and Senior Management
Measure of performance: Dean reports funds available at
first meeting of fall semester, 2003.
- To stress the importance of inclusiveness in course content
the Muskie faculty course evaluation form will be revised
and approved to include question(s) regarding the extent
to which these issues are addressed in course work and materials
for the spring 2004 semester evaluation process
Time frame: academic AY 2003-2004
Responsible units: Muskie School Committee on Peer Teaching
Measure of performance: This will need to move forward
through the Muskie Faculty. The chair of the Diversity
Committee and the member of the Center for Teaching Advisory
Board will have the responsibility to present this to
the faculty.
GOAL III: Student Recruitment and Retention
USM strives to increase the diversity of its student
body through active outreach and recruitment. USM increasingly
works to develop structures and mechanisms that support the
retention of all students of color and other underrepresented
populations.
- To enhance the interaction with and experiences of Muskie
International Students, a subgroup of the Diversity Committee
will work with other interested faculty and staff to address
four areas of concern: learning resources, community connections,
academic advising and social events. The working group will
consider a survey of former and current Muskie Fellows and
other international students to determine the strengths
and weaknesses of current efforts as well as collect information
for Muskie international students to ease their transition
into both the University and Portland communities.
Timeframe: academic AY 2003-2005
Responsible unit: Diversity subcommittee to be established
Measure of performance: The subcommittee will develop
specific proposed activities and report to the Diversity
Committee an action list documenting when actions are
fulfilled.
- The Muskie School will develop 4-5 community forums for
the academic years 2003-2005. The first series will focus
on the Native American experience in Maine and involve tribal
leaders and community representatives examining issues of
governance, culture, education, economic development and
land/water rights. Faculty will be encouraged to set aside
classroom time for student attendance and integration of
the forum content in classroom discussion/work.
Timeframe: AY 2003-2005
Responsible unit: PPM faculty
Measure of performance: An action tracking report will
be sent to the Dean each semester.
- Stressing the importance of student led initiatives;
the Diversity Committee and the Muskie Student Organization
will identify training opportunities for students regarding
multiculturalism and diversity.
Time frame: AY 2003-2005
Responsible unit: Academic program directors, research
institute directors and senior management
Measure of performance: An action tracking report will
be sent to the Dean each semester.
- In order to increase minority students at the Muskie School,
efforts will be made to identify a recruitment strategy.
The Diversity Committee will work with the Enrollment Management
Team of the School on this goal. There is a significant
lack of information regarding undergraduate students of
color at USM and other Maine higher education institutions.
The Diversity Committee will recommend action steps to help
identify these populations and develop ways to inform these
students about the academic programs at the Muskie School.
To institutionalize these activities, responsibility for
this will be part of an overall enrollment management strategy.
This includes:
- initiating contact with prospective minority students
in the recruitment area of USM;
- providing opportunities for faculty and staff to work
directly with organizations that have minority membership
or focus; and
- conducting an assessment of student minority populations
throughout the state and developing opportunities for
contact.
Time frame: AY 2003-2005
Responsible unit: Office of Student Services
Measure of Performance: An action plan with steps and
dates will be part of the enrollment management plan.
This will be reported each semester to the meeting of
the academic program directors.
GOAL IV: Faculty and Staff Recruitment and Retention
USM strives to increase the diversity of faculty and staff,
particularly faculty and staff of color, but inclusive of other
underrepresented populations as defined in Goal I.
- To increase minority employees at the Muskie School and
to assure retention, steps will be developed to strengthen
the ties with the Office of Campus Diversity and Equity
for all hiring, particularly research staff opportunities
(these represent the largest area for opportunity) with
academic program directors, institute directors and the
Dean. This will include additional efforts for targeted
recruitment of professional vacancies within the Muskie
School
Time frame: AY 2003-2006
Responsible unit: Program directors, Institute directors
and Senior Management
Measure of performance: The Diversity Committee will work
with the Dean and unit leaders to develop a reporting
scheme to be presented twice a year to the Program Directors
Group, which is the leadership team of the School
- Provide a forum for discussions regarding hiring and retention
between the Office of Campus Diversity and Equity and the
School's Director of Operations, the Muskie School HRM Committee
and the Academic program directors.
Time frame: fall, 2003
Responsible unit: Program directors, Institute directors
and Senior Management
Measure of performance: The Diversity Committee will ask
the Dean to document the dates such forums are scheduled
and held.
- Explore ways to increase opportunities for the hiring
of minority adjunct faculty with academic program directors.
Time frame: fall, 2003
Responsible unit: Academic program directors
Measure of performance: The Diversity Committee will arrange
sessions with the academic program directors and the Dean
to explore this topic.
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