Division Highlights
In a manner befitting an institution of higher education, faculty, staff, and students dove into equity-focused professional development workshops, sessions, and trainings. Across all colleges and divisions on campus, areas, departments, centers, and individuals connected with current professional development opportunities and expanded into new areas with an aim toward incorporating an equity lens. Academic Affairs led more than 850 faculty in microaggression training.
DIVISION of ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Student Success
Amelia Nöel-Elkins was appointed to the new position of interim assistant vice president for student success. The office is tasked with leading student success initiatives for Academic Affairs with primary responsibility for building partnerships to develop campus-wide coordinated approaches that lead to students who feel supported, included, successful, and part of the Redbird community.
University College
Along with continuing programs such as the Persistence Committee and the Mentoring, Academics, Scholarship, and Achievement initiative, University College expanded the University Scholars program, which offers comprehensive mentoring and enrichment to students from underrepresented communities.
Preview Partners
In the summer of 2021, University College expanded “Preview Partners,” which assigns an ISU faculty or staff member to provide guidance to students whose parents or guardians cannot attend Preview.
TRIO/Student Support Services
The TRIO/Student Support Services maintains a 96 percent retention rate of first-generation students. Staff implemented the First-Generation Celebration to honor first-generation students, faculty, and staff.
Holistic evaluation
The Graduate School updated its tuition waiver application process to reflect a holistic evaluation process which includes experiences and perspectives of students as members of traditionally underrepresented groups.
Honors Program
Honors Program reported a rise of more than 600 percent from 2013-2019 in first-year students of color as a result of intentional recruitment, training, and curriculum.
Got Your 6 Pledge
With guidance from Veterans Services in the Office of the University Registrar, the University signed the “Got Your 6 Pledge,” which supports the campus needs of the military and veteran student population.
ATHLETICS
Diversity Officer search
Athletics has created a new position of Diversity Officer to provide leadership athletics’ diversity efforts. The search is complete.
Redbirds for Change
The unit convened the social justice group Redbirds for Change in the wake of protests from student-athletes. The coaches and staff have committed to completing anti-racism training with Necessary Change Consulting LLC, led by Angell Howard.
DIVISION of FINANCE and PLANNING
University Supplier Diversity program
The Office of the Vice President for Finance and Planning looked to expand its partnerships with women and minority-owned businesses under the University’s Supplier Diversity program. The initiative draws from the state’s Business Enterprise Program and the Veterans Business Program.
Search Advocate Program
Human Resources worked extensively with Oregon State University to begin shaping a Search Advocate Program for Illinois State. The program began in fall with the first cohort of faculty and staff that will be available for search committees across campus when training is complete. These external search committee members will be trained to promote equity, access, and diversity within the search process.
DIVISION of STUDENT AFFAIRS
Inclusion Change Team
Under the guidance of Angell Howard, the Inclusion Change Team practitioners facilitate and promote diversity efforts throughout the division and receive ongoing, in-depth training on evaluation and implementation. Every two years the team conducts diversity, equity, and inclusion department scans that address leadership, environment, policy, and documentation. Each department uses the results to create action plans for improvement.
Multicultural Center
COVID sidelined construction on the Multicultural Center throughout much of 2020, but work resumed in the spring of 2021. The center, led by Dr. Christa Platt, seeks to foster an affirming campus environment where students can flourish in their intersecting identities. During Birds Give Back in February of 2021, Sisters Camille Taylor Carmelita Brown, and Michelle Garner contributed $25,000 in honor of their mother, and Drs. Charles and Jeanne Morris added an additional $30,000 toward the center.
Student Counseling Services
New positions set for the fall of 2021 include an expert in racial trauma and marginalized identities that will share time in the Multicultural Center, and a new postdoctoral residency program with a multicultural focus. The Multicultural Outreach Team expanded workshops for faculty, staff, and students.
Student Access and Accommodation Services (SAAS)
The office assisted with the education of campus on the use of live transcription for Zoom, Teams, and PowerPoint, and provided instruction on caption materials that gave faculty and staff autonomy to create universally designed material. SAAS also conducted several Universal Design trainings across campus.
Career Services
Enhanced programming highlighted the Cultural Center Network Program with a Diversity Employer Expo, a Student and Alumni Diversity Meet-Up, and an expanded database for organizing the hiring of international students.
Redbirds Keep Thriving
The Health and Wellness Community of Practice created Redbirds Keep Thriving as a resource for students to manage social, emotional, physical, and financial wellness, including resources on race-related stress trauma. Health and Wellness also continues education efforts on rape culture and for assault survivors.
Staff Orientation and training
The division included a cultural competency component to staff orientation for newly hired Student Affairs staff. Campus Recreation added training for new student team members on stereotypes and silence.
ISU Police Chief’s Advisory Council
ISU Police Chief Aaron Woodruff convened a newly established advisory council to include student advocates, faculty/staff, administrators, and designees representing the voices of our diverse campus population. The purpose of the Police Chief’s Advisory Council is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and to discuss issues impacting the Illinois State University community. Find out more in the Comprehensive Plan to Promote Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism.
DIVISION of UNIVERSITY ADVANCEMENT
Training and Listening Sessions
Events drew diverse alumni together virtually, highlighted by a series of Alumni Association Listening Sessions with a focus on advancing equity and inclusive experiences of alumni. Alumni Engagement coordinated equity talks and trainings open to alumni and the current campus community and presented by Diverse Issues in Higher Education, Council for Advancement and Support of Education, and alumni and current staff.
Committee focused on equity
Additionally, the Alumni Association Board of Directors convened its inaugural Alumni Association DEI Ad Hoc Committee, led by Nikita Richards.
Highlighting diverse stories
University Marketing and Communications created content promoting underrepresented students, faculty, and staff in stories published throughout university digital and print media.
CAMPUS DIVISIONS AND CHANGE
OFFICE of THE PRESIDENT
Interim Assistant to the President for Diversity and Inclusion
In the summer of 2020, President Larry Dietz appointed Dr. Doris Houston as the interim assistant to the president for diversity and inclusion.
Identity
Under the guidance of the Identity Editorial Board, the newsletter Identity increased publication to every other week, and expanded the audience to include all students on campus as well as faculty and staff.
President’s Diversity and Inclusion Council (DIAC)
DIAC subcommittees on retention initiated dialogues with students, faculty, and staff constituencies across campus. At the request of several entities on campus, the council spent the spring of 2021 gathering input and drafting definitions for equity, diversity, inclusion, and access. More information on the work of DIAC can be found on the Office of the President website.
EDI Updates
The office generated diversity, equity, and inclusion updates to keep the campus informed of equity items of action and interest at the behest of students, faculty, staff, and the community.
Equal Opportunity and Access
Understanding Affirmative Action
The office of Office of Equal Opportunity and Access (OEOA) implemented a new program to help departments across campus understand Affirmative Action compliance. Assistant Director and ADA Coordinator Débora Piovezan Barbosa Avelino met with all campus academic and non-academic departments providing targeted presentations on good faith recruitment efforts. OEOA will continue discussing myths and facts when it comes to affirmative action planning.
Dean and Director Program
OEOA Director Jeff Lange and Associate Vice President and Dean of Students John Davenport are in the process of developing a Dean and Director Program, which will offer students a shared space to speak about issues and concerns with the heads of OEOA and the Dean of Students Office.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
GROWTH Change Team
More than 900 faculty members took part in microaggression workshops through the Division of Academic Affairs, which continued to use the Framework for Inclusive Teaching Excellence and the Framework for Inclusive Support and Service Excellence as a core for all divisional professional development. All offerings through the Center for Teaching, Learning, and Technology were centered in equity.
Working with academic departments across campus, the GROWTH Change Team helped to implement professional development plans within colleges and units, with three to four training sessions on a variety of topics, including anti-racism, decolonizing curriculum, and challenging implicit bias in the classroom.
Student Affairs
The Division of Student Affairs reported more than 100 trainings and events from cultural dinners and “Lunch N’ Unlearn” workshops to trainings in understanding implicit bias and tackling difficult conversations.
Alumni Engagement
Alumni Engagement invited alumni and the campus to join in listening sessions and two dozen training opportunities throughout the year.
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Annual Report for Illinois State University