1. Response to Blue Ribbon Commission on Diversity Recommendations
UCCS Chancellor Pam Shockley-Zalabak
UCDHSC Events Center
Sept. 29, 2006

2. 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

3. BRC theme: Increase diversity of faculty, staff, students and administrators

4. Recommendation: Action:
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
Faculty lines – The filling of new and open faculty lines will be tied to diversity considerations. UCCS departments and colleges will be held accountable for their efforts toward establishing and maintaining a diverse faculty and curriculum and a department’s demonstrated commitment to diversity will be given significant consideration in the awarding of tenure-track and instructor positions.
A summary of search outcome from department searches as well as the regularly offered curriculum of departments will be used as central components of this accountability evaluation. If a department has consistently attempted to diversify its faculty by bringing in diverse search pools, it will receive additional consideration when it requests a new faculty line. If a department has developed new curricula which are culturally competent, and a new faculty line is needed to teach these courses, the department will receive additional consideration to encourage and advance this endeavor.
In performance plans, deans and VC will be evaluated on diversity initiatives. Deans have diversity of faculty and staff as one of their five target areas (others are retention, research and creative activity, total resource development, and community engagement)
In Fall 2006, VCAA and Deans will examine department p-t guidelines to ensure credit is given for diversity related activities. Report to chancellor by Dec. 2006

5. 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
Gear-up is a statewide project that locally provides student tutors from UCCS College of Ed with instructors from PPCC to teach math and reading at East Middle School. The students receive credit.
Respite Program offers field experience for special education majors and offers parents of special needs children a monthly break.
UCCS participates in Americorps where student mentors or interns are placed in local schools that serve diverse populations.
Women’s Studies and Ethnic Studies offer service internships for students to work in local schools and receive credit.
VCSS has requested that student affairs units generate internships that can promote student service with reward of academic credit. Internships to begin Fall LAS students currently providing research support for community-based Diversity Forum.

6. BRC theme: Strengthen retention of diverse faculty, staff, and students

7. Recommendation: Action:
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
Beginning in Fall 2006, UCCS will establish a campus-wide process of defining diversity efforts including faculty and student mentoring as a service component for faculty review.
UCCS will provide greater resources to faculty who serve on search committees by training them on how to increase the diversity of applicant pools and how to recruit qualified underrepresented individuals.
Campus will add diversity awards to annual recognition ceremony.

8. Recommendation: Action:
Strategically target industries and professions that align well with UCCS programs to gain funding for scholarships for under-represented students
Action:
Collaboration with Intel, Memorial Hospital, Penrose Hospital, Agilent, others
Promote student scholarships from recognized tribes and nations
Note: look for different photo from this event
Guiding principle for UCCS is close connection with its community, dating to its founding and connection to H-P. Continues today. Memorial, Penrose, Agilent (a division of HP) all support the university in many ways, most visibly through student scholarships. We will continue to work closely with local businesses to advance our goal of reaching out to first-generation students.
UCCS will create scholarships for students with verification of enrollment in a state or federally recognized tribe or nation.

9. Recommendation: Action:
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
Student Multicultural Affairs to University Center this semester (in contractor bid stage)
Elevate Anthony C from coordinator to director with reporting lines to VC Jim H.
Barbara Gaddis has directed retention efforts toward commuter students, mostly in the form of making them feel welcome and valued (bus stop greetings with coffee, do-nut)
Extended hours at Jazzman’s, wireless internet connections and commuter student lounge space

10. Recommendation: Action:
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
Student portal allows customization by student interest and needs
Course scheduling planner is offered by CU Denver. We will study to implement at UCCS (emphasis on shared resources)
Web sites being updated to assure accurate information for students
is official communication channel. Recently, sent reminding students of various religions and holidays celebrated by members of the campus community

11. Recommendation: Action:
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
The proportion of ethnic diversity in our current class has dropped to 4 out of 37 scholars. The Director of the Chancellor’s Leadership Class has met with current CLC scholars and UCCS staff members to develop strategies to increase both the number of applicants and the % of applicants from ethnic minorities. We will continue to focus on first generation college students as well.

12. BRC theme: Build an inclusive campus climate

13. Recommendation: Action:
Incorporate the topic of diversity in the curriculum of all schools
Action:
Knapsack Institute
White Privilege Conference
Freedom’s Song
Knapsack Institute is a three day summer workshop designed to show faculty how to integrate issues of diversity into their new or existing curricula
UCCS will sponsor the White Privilege Conference April 18-21, 2007 to examine diversity
Freedom’s Song was a national curriculum provided to K-12 throughout the nation and designed by UCCS faculty. Became a platform for diversity discussions with PPCC and UCCS faculty, staff and students.

14. Recommendation: Action:
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
UCCS will participate in system-wide training.Chancellor will appoint a committee to identify the types of training we will present in addition. Committee to present findings and recommendations for implementation in spring 2007.
Currently, LAS students have a core requirement for ethnic and cultural diversity in their coursework (approximately 60 % of UCCS student body). Faculty and staff will be given incentives to participate in diversity awareness or diversity competency dialogues and workshops with an overall goal to integrate diversity competency into the professional development and educational processes for all staff, faculty and students.
To learn from past experiences, UCCS will establish exit interviews to better understand why people leave and how the university can better support minority faculty.

15. Recommendation: Action:
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!”
Campus activities sponsorship included Jaime Escalante (noted math educator whose life was the subject of a movie) in cooperation with Cinco de Mayo, Inc.
“It’s Like This” was a hiphop forum connected with the Street Beat Freshman Seminar that featured student artists.

16. BRC theme: Increase community outreach

17. Recommendation: Action:
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
Pre-Collegiate program active at UCCS and works to partner with local high school students to help them reach their educational goals
Project lead the way is a national program designed to encourage students, particularly women and minorities, to study science and Math. UCCS is a regional training center for middle and high school science and math teachers (mentioned in earlier video clip)
Smart Girl is a program designed to foster self confidence and intellectual pursuits in young women
Teacher Cadet Alliance – funded by Daniels Fund grant – brings high school students in Teacher Cadet classes (high minority participation) to UCCS and provides current education majors and public school teachers as mentors.
UCCS also supports the Alignment Project where UCCS faculty and staff meet with high school counselors to better meet student needs.

18. Recommendation: Action:
Publicize throughout southern Colorado diversity successes
Action:
Student ambassadors
Highlight accomplishments of diverse students during Commencement ceremonies
Regular contact and sponsorships with foundations, chambers
Student ambassadors are part of a “Take UCCS Home for the Holidays” in coordination with Admissions. Admissions arranges for students to speak at their former high schools during winter break
During commencement, recognition of several students in chancellor’s address and in publicity distributed throughout the region – notably the success of a Vietnamese woman who earned her degree in engineering (Ngoan Truong) and a visually impaired man who earned his master’s degree (George McDermith) and a Mexican immigrant and Air Force member Victor Salvador. CS home to State School for Deaf and Blind – we have a number of visually and hearing impaired students and employees.
ABC affiliate broadcast piece on commencement that include Ngoan Truong and her brothers who were also graduating.
UCCS works closely with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation (mention award from PHEF?) and is a regular sponsor of such events as El Cinco de Mayo celebrations in CS, Ebony Ball in Denver and the Pueblo Hispanic Education Foundation Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony.
Video clip is about Engineering’s top ranking in the percentage of women graduates and extensive efforts to get young women interested in science and engineering

19. Recommendation: Action:
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%
UCCS works with every community college in Colorado through the University Connection program. Students in this program who complete an AA and maintain a 3.0 gpa receive a scholarship for their first semester at UCCS.
In 2004, UCCS received a Daniels Fund Scholarship to focus on supporting graduates from southern Colorado community colleges. Scholarships were offered to students graduating from PPCC, Pueblo CC, Trinidad State Junior College, Lamar Community College and Otero Junior College – all of which have high enrollments of underepresented students.
We will target a 2% increase per year in UC enrollments

20. BRC theme: Share best practices in diversity

21. Recommendation: Action: Connect with other CU campuses
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
Diversity Alliance Committee proposed (and received) funds from President’s Fund for a collaborative diversity retreat. Now rescheduled for Fall 2006.
Gratified but not satisfied with efforts to date. Continued area of focus.

22. BRC theme: Develop diversity plans with accountability and performance measures

23. Recommendation: Action: Approach diversity plan based on campus growth
Kee Warner, professor, Sociology, to head diversity strategic planning for UCCS
Plan supported by task force of experienced faculty and staff
Warner is a Chicano faculty member who grew up in Colorado and is co-chair of Faculty Minority Affairs Committee

24. Recommendation: Action: Continued
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
First meeting of leadership team is next week, Oct. 3.
Diversity Within – diversity among students, staff, faculty, administrators; retention, support; campus climate
Diversity Without – recruitment of students, faculty and administrators, community partnerships and links
Diversity in what we do – curriculum, research, cultural competencies in the workplace, business practices

25. Recommendation: Action: Continued
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

26. 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

27. America’s premier regional comprehensive research university
UCCS in the future
America’s premier regional comprehensive research university