Diversity Principles, Strategic Goals, and Accountability The need for organizational learning in promoting equity in OUS and EOU Rosemary Powers April 28, 2009

Overview Brief background on educational attainment in Oregon First five slides from presentation to OUS Committee on Participation and Completion, Jan 30, 2009 by Bob Kiernan of OUS institutional research. Diversity Principles and Goals OUS commitment to increasing participation and completion of post-secondary education by under-represented students EOU history and strategic goals Accountability Reflections on our current situation An example of organizational learning Recommendations

Educational Attainment: Race/Ethnicity Highest Level of Educational Attainment in Oregon by Race/Ethnicity Ages 25 and Older, 2007 Source: US Census, American Community Survey 2007 3 January 30th, 2009

The Changing K-12 Pipeline Proportion of Oregon’s K-12 Population by Race/Ethnicity, Select Grades, 2006-07 Sources: NCES, Common Core of Data; US Census, 2007 American Community Survey 4 January 30th, 2009

Rural and Urban Counties as Defined by the Oregon Progress Board Rural/Urban Counties Rural and Urban Counties as Defined by the Oregon Progress Board Polk Yamhill Lincoln Columbia Clatsop Tillamook Washington Multnomah Hood River Klamath Benton Marion Union Umatilla Gilliam Sherman Wasco Curry Clackamas Coos Crook Deschutes Douglas Grant Harney Jackson Jefferson Josephine Lake Lane Linn Malheur Morrow Wallowa Wheeler Baker Urban Counties Rural Counties Source: Oregon Progress Board 5 January 30th, 2009

Educational Attainment: Rural/Urban Highest Level of Educational Attainment in Oregon by Rural/Urban County Ages 25 and Older, 2007 Note: Due to Census geography boundaries, Columbia County is included in rural counties for this calculation. Source: US Census, American Community Survey 2007   6 January 30th, 2009

OUS Six-Year Graduation Rates by Rural/Urban County OUS Graduation Rates OUS Six-Year Graduation Rates by Rural/Urban County Ten Year Trend 60.7% - 2007 Oregon Resident OUS Graduation Rate³ ¹ 1991-92 Fall First-Time Freshman Cohort completing by June 1997 ²1996-97 Fall First-Time Freshman Cohort completing by June 2002 ³2001-02 Fall First-Time Freshman Cohort completing by June 2007 Source: OUS Institutional Research 7 January 30th, 2009

OUS strategic priorities: March 2007 Lead a statewide effort to deliver a measurable increase in higher education participation and success for underserved populations throughout the state. Facilitate student success and degree completion by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of k-20 learning processes. (OUS March 2007, An Investment in Oregonians for our future)

State Board of Higher Education Student Participation and Completion Committee Goal: Develop strategies to improve participation, retention, and success in postsecondary education of all Oregon students, with special focus on the needs of underserved populations throughout the state.

Committee actions in addressing goal Developed “Taking Back Oregon’s Future” Student Success Policy Option Package—a $15.5M request to the legislature for improving student preparation, participation, retention Convened expert panel on best practices for retention Conducted outreach focus groups on barriers for underserved populations

Economic Downturn implications Committee identified that deliberate, proven strategies must be supported to increase access and promote success for students not already attending post-secondary institutions Major components of the Policy Option Package proposal were unable to be included in Governors Recommended Budget (GRB)

Key Goals Remain Increase college participation rates for Hispanic/Latino, Native American populations. Increase retention for African-American and Native American population Increase college participation and retention for rural and first generation students Pursue efforts to improve participation of other underserved groups such as LGBTQ, adult students, student parents, students with disabilities.

Priority # 1 for 2009 work Support partnerships and collaboration with existing successful pre-college academic prep/outreach and retention programs, strategies that have demonstrated (i.e. evidence based) success with target populations. Ensure that existing successful programs are fully enrolled and funds are connected to most needed groups.

Priority # 2 for 2009 work Develop and advocate for best practices, alignment of current campus efforts toward underserved populations, and policy recommendations regarding participation and completion for underserved populations --to the Board of Higher Education, campuses, as well as partner agencies.

Priority # 3 for 2009 Work Improve faculty effectiveness with underserved populations’ retention and completion rates; focus on improving campus learning and environment through professional development, collaboration for these resources.

State Board Diversity Principles Approved March 6, 2009 1. Overall commitment to diversity 2. Commitment to workforce enhancements 3. Commitment to equity in student success 4. Commitment to welcoming campus environment 5. Commitment to vendor and contracting enhancements 6. Commitment to continuous feedback 7. Commitment to key goals Full Text and suggested actions to address goals distributed

Diversity principles directly related to committee priorities Principle # 1. Overall Commitment to Diversity Board values perspectives, educational benefits and robust exchanges of ideas…seeks to promote and support initiatives that sustain best practices in diversity efforts. Board, Chancellor and campus presidents will Identify opportunities and promote expectations for diverse representation, inclusion, and engagement throughout OUS programs and activities

#3 Commitment to equity in student success Board is committed to providing Equitable opportunities to succeed Efforts to close achievement gaps among underserved populations Campus presidents and OUS committees will identify strategies and progress relating to student success among diverse populations

#4: Commitment to welcoming campus Board values importance of campus environment in attracting, recruiting, and retaining diverse students, faculty, staff Campus presidents will Identify campus climate challenges and successes Discuss measures taken to promote welcoming environment Describe the possible impact of these measures on student success

Next Steps: Pursue 2009 priorities through: Fall Symposium focused on best practices Data Summit (sharing institutional research on student participation and completion) Support Senate Bill 906 (creates task force on increasing the number of students in post-secondary education) Seek methods to address longer-term challenges that require funding

What about EOU?

EOU institutional commitment to diversity and inclusion Established Diversity Committee of the University Assembly (now reporting to University Council -- 6/02) Proposed diversity requirement as part of general education or as institutional requirement (2003, 2006,2007) Determined Strategic Goal related to diversity/globalization (May, 2007)

Diversity/Globalization EOU Strategic Goal 2007-2010 Support and sustain an educational community that respects racial, ethnic, gender, sexual, socioeconomic, physical, ideological and other differences. Promote a climate of inclusion and equity through recruiting and retaining a diverse student body, faculty and staff. Promote understanding of global diversities through internationalizing the educational experience.

Efforts to attract, recruit and retain members of underserved groups Summer programs Work with high schools Diversity scholarships First-year experience Outreach to rural communities Rural Initiative grant support Native American recruiter/advisor Multicultural Center Other initiatives

Diversity Requirement Several proposals for a diversity requirement exist, but could not find any official statement that EOU had approved having a requirement. We did report to OUS that: “…a diversity requirement will soon be added to the curriculum…” May 2008 Performance Report OUS Report to the Oregon State Board of Higher Education (p. 50). “Eastern has adopted a new General Education initiative that contains a diversity requirement” (Diversity Panel Discussion, State Board 9/08). While there seems to be agreement on some kind of diversity requirement, we are still debating what form this should take.

Where are we now? OUS -- principles and committee work, proposals for legislative action, data gathering, summit planning. Direct accountability measures are being developed. EOU – diversity requirement is still being debated. Accountability measures for moving towards strategic diversity goal need to be developed.

A provocative claim As an historically white university, part of an historically white system of colleges and universities, participating in an academic culture based on white Western European models of learning and success, we will be unsuccessful in reaching our goals regarding diversity and inclusion without significant organizational learning.

Accountability: measurable commitment to equity “Celebrating ethnic and racial diversity on our campuses is laudable, but is not the same as achieving equity. We must deliberately and energetically remove the conditions that deny or impede equitable outcomes for all students” (Estela Mara Bensimon,2004, p. 46).

What will it take to fulfill our commitments?

An example The Diversity Scorecard A learning approach to institutional change

Promoting organizational learning to achieve equity in educational outcomes …”Evidence, [i.e. factual data] about inequities in educational outcomes [access, enrollments, retention, excellence, graduation]…can have a powerful effect upon faculty members, administrators, counselors, and others and their motivation to solve them.” Estela Mara Bensimon

Traditional approach to addressing needs of under-served students: Deficit model Low participation, retention, achievement of under-served students often attributed to pre-college characteristics—attitudes, behaviors, lack of cultural capital Responsibility for learning placed primarily on the student

The equity model: organizational learning for student success Institutional actors (faculty, staff, administrators) become responsible for the learning needed to improve educational outcomes for these students Attitudes, behaviors, lack of data, lack of structural analysis by institutional agents account for significant inequity in outcomes.

What conditions promote organizational learning? The presence of new ideas The cultivation of doubt in existing knowledge and practices The development and transfer of knowledge among institutional actors

Access Indicators In what programs and majors are under-served students enrolled? What access do these students have to financial support? What access do they have to graduate and professional schools?

Retention indicators What are the comparative retention rates for under-served students by program? Do these students disproportionately withdraw from certain programs? How successful are these students in completing basic skills courses?

Institutional receptivity indicators How well is our university serving the needs of students of color? Do educational outcomes for these students reveal an equity gap? Are the experiences of students of color acknowledged in the curricula and the co-curricula ? In what ways? Does the composition of the faculty enhance diversity, and correspond to the racial and ethnic composition of the student body? Does the institution hold itself accountable for the success of students of color?

Excellence Indicators Access: Which majors or courses function as “gatekeepers” for some students and “gateways” for others? Are students of color concentrated in certain majors? Why might this be? Achievement: What are the comparative completion rates in competitive programs? What is the pool of high-achieving under-served students eligible for graduate study?

Recommendations: Initiate a process of organizational learning regarding diversity and equitable outcomes. To do this, we need to introduce ourselves to new ideas to question existing knowledge and practices to develop and transfer knowledge among ourselves as institutional actors

Suggested steps: initiate structured conversation and process regarding organizational learning and equitable outcomes; encourage participation in the OUS fall symposium focused on best practices for promoting access and success for under-served students; promote creation of diversity action plans for all university units; make approval of specific diversity requirement a priority.

Hold ourselves accountable