Highlights
Members gathered for an EDI Leaders Circle Symposium in February to exchange ideas and explore equity Pillars of Progress, designed by Dr. Doris Houston.
EDI Leaders Circle
The EDI Leaders Circle represents nearly 40 councils, committees, and areas across campus dedicated to advancing EDI at the University. The Circle is an opportunity for those in grassroots efforts to engage with one another and build a community.
IDEAS graduation requirement
After a years-long effort to adopt a domestic diversity graduation requirement, Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access in U.S. Society (IDEAS) will begin in fall 2023.
Mayuko Nakamura of the Center for Integrated Professional Development.
Strand Award
Mayuko Nakamura of the Center for Integrated Professional Development was honored with the 2022 David A. Strand Diversity Achievement Award, in part for her work with the President’s Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council, AsiaConnect affinity group, Campus Climate Task Force, Office of the Provost’s Inclusive Leadership Initiative planning committee, and the Multi-Ethnic Cultural and Co-Curricular Programming Advisory Committee.
Dr. Dakesa Piña from the College of Education and University Marketing and Communications graphic designer Lawrence Lair.
EDI Wordmark
EDI is you. It is a simple, but powerful, message. One that is encapsulated in a new wordmark—or a logo created mainly from text—for Illinois State’s commitment to equity work. The EDI ISU wordmark was conceived by Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Dr. Dakesa Piña from the College of Education and designed with intentionality of font and style by University Marketing and Communications graphic designer Lawrence Lair.
Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Aondover Tarhule.
Faculty Diversity Enhancement Program
In the ongoing effort to recruit and retain outstanding new faculty who promote equity, diversity, and inclusion at the University, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Aondover Tarhule announced the launch of the Faculty Diversity Enhancement Program. The $4.5 million program will advance teaching, scholarly, and creative efforts of new faculty who promote EDI through their research, teaching, service, and mentoring.
Search Advocate Program
As part of efforts to recognize and interrupt unconscious bias throughout the search process, Human Resources began training sessions for the Search Advocate Program. Trainings for the first and second cohort were held in the fall and spring, with a special cohort of faculty trained in the summer.
SOAR Scholars
The 2021-2022 year marked the inaugural year for the Success, Opportunity and Realization (SOAR) Scholar program in University College. In partnership with high schools throughout Illinois, the program focuses on increasing leadership, engagement, retention, and the overall experience of undergraduate students from high schools in underserved communities.
Interim Dean Diane Zosky.
Service in tenure
The College of Arts and Sciences worked to recognize and encourage more inclusive teaching, research, and service among faculty. Under the guidance of Interim Dean Diane Zosky, seven of 16 departments amended their faculty appointment, salary, promotion and tenure (ASPT) policy to include performance measures related to EDI efforts. The departments include Social Work; English; Sociology and Anthropology; Psychology; Communication; Languages, Literatures, and Cultures; and Philosophy.
Illinois Tutoring Initiative
Illinois State is coordinating the Illinois Tutoring Initiative in partnership with the Governor’s Office, the Illinois State Board of Education, the Illinois Board of Higher Education, and the Illinois Community College Board. The program will provide tutoring for approximately 8,500 Illinois students during the two-year period.
College of Engineering
The Illinois Board of Higher Education approved a new College of Engineering at Illinois State, with the institution centering equity in every stage of development. The new college will focus on addressing disparities in the engineering field by designing a new standard of equity. An Equity Roundtable was convened by Dr. Doris Houston and Provost Aondover Tarhule for the purpose of securing feedback and recommendations from engineering industry professionals, college deans, department chairs, and faculty members from underrepresented groups with expertise in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and match) fields. These recommendations were integrated into the final engineering proposal that was approved by the Illinois Board of Higher Education.
Dr. Shawn Hitchcock.
Outstanding teaching
Dr. Shawn Hitchcock was honored with the Dr. Henry C. McBay Outstanding Teacher Award from the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers.
Leaders for Liberation
Milner Library conducted seven Leadership for Liberation Library pop-ups during relevant heritage months. These events invited the Illinois State University community to explore cultural leadership as a form of creative resilience through recognizing multicultural writers, artists, and creatives from marginalized backgrounds.
Grants for EDI
Eight teams in the College of Applied Science and Technology received funds for innovative, grassroots efforts to advance an equitable and inclusive community through the Diversity, Equity, Belonging, and Inclusion (DEBI) Committee. Career Services, in partnership with the Office of the Provost, also developed the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Grant project. Milner Library provided funding for a variety of EDI projects and programming, including the purchase of historic art prints and monographs for the collections.
Spanish Language Resources
The College of Arts and Sciences partnered with Latin American and Latino/a Studies and the Department of Languages, Literatures, and Cultures to create COBAS (Communities of Belonging and Success), learning communities in sections of a general education course, targeting Spanish heritage speakers and taught in translingual ways (Spanish, English, and Spanglish). Admissions continued bilingual representation, with families provided the opportunity to speak with a bilingual representative from Admissions or Financial Aid.
Brown Boots
Brown Boots is a new, registered student organization (RSO) that supports BIPOC students interested in hiking, biking, camping, and an appreciation of the outdoors.
Rainbow Floor
In Fall 2021, University Housing Services added the Rainbow Floor Themed Living-Learning Community to its housing options. The Rainbow Floor was designed for students interested in living on a floor supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.
Dr. Tina Williams’ research on underemployment was featured in Redbird Scholar.
BIPOC features
The University saw a 60% increase in News Hub features about campus individuals and groups that identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). This includes a 112% increase in stories about BIPOC women scholars from University Marketing and Communications.
University Police webpage
University Police launched an updated webpage that includes data, reports, and policies. This section, dedicated to transparency, is part of the ongoing work of the ISU Police Advisory Council.
Application assistance
The Office of Admissions conducted workshops at high schools with large numbers of underserved students to assist them with the application process. Workshop participants, along with all Chicago Public School students, received an application fee waiver to reduce the financial barrier to an Illinois State education.
CAMP COB
The Department of Management and Quantitative Methods hosted Camp COB, which was designed to show students how majoring in business contributes to income equality, social justice, and generational wealth.
Dr. Natalie Shaheen and Dr. Mindy Ely work to advance low vision and blindness programs at Illinois State.
Low vision and blindness
Consistently ranked as one of the top programs in the state and in the country, the Department of Special Education was lauded as one of 33 low-vision and blindness programs in the country and one of only eight for undergraduates.
Amplifiers
The Fall 2021 semester began with instructors having greater access to personal voice amplifiers, which not only assisted low-hearing students, but also faculty who preferred to wear masks.
Hope Chicago
Illinois State University announced an agreement with Hope Chicago, opening the door for Chicago Public School (CPS) students and their parents to pursue debt-free higher education. Hope Scholars accepted into Illinois State will receive full tuition, fees, room, and board all funded by Hope Chicago, a nonprofit organization. Hope Parent Scholars have the option to apply and attend the following year, with full tuition, fees, and a stipend for living expenses. There were 60 Hope Chicago students enrolled for the fall 2022 semester.
Expanded menus
Event Management, Dining, and Hospitality expanded the number of vegan and vegetarian offerings throughout residential dining with support from the Plant-Based Advisory Board.
Assistant Professor of Race, Visual, and African American Rhetoric Byron Craig.
Making voices heard
A new podcast launched by Assistant Professor of Race, Visual, and African American Rhetoric Byron Craig called Tapis Talk explores issues surrounding equity, diversity, and inclusion.
First-Generation Triumph podcast
Elevating the voices of first-generation students and their lived experiences is the goal of the First-Generation Triumph Podcast, which launched in September.
Teach Chicago Tomorrow
Students in Teach Chicago Tomorrow, part of the University’s new Pathway Partnership program, worked with the National Center for Urban Education at Illinois State for immersion experiences.
Deliberative Dialogues
The new Deliberative Dialogues program from the Center for Civic Engagement seeks to depolarize opinions and connect students with training in constructive dialogues.
Women in Technology
The Women in Technology Group formed this year in the Office of Technology Solutions with the purpose of providing a community of support to encourage women’s success in a field where women are normally underrepresented.
Student Access and Accommodation
Student Access and Accommodation Services implemented Accessible Information Management system (AIM) accommodation system.
National Immigrants Day: Flags on the Quad