Diversity and Community Engagement
Institutional and Division of Diversity and Community Engagement
Five-Year Equity-in-Action Plan
ABOUT DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
Established in 2017, the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement is led by Shawnboda Mead, interim vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement. In fall 2018, the first assistant vice chancellor for diversity and the first assistant vice chancellor for community engagement joined the team. DCE envisions a more equitable, engaged and self-transforming university, community and world. The division moves toward this vision while supporting the mission of UM by transforming people, institutions and communities. It does so through partnership, access and engagement that fosters belonging, enriches learning and development, enhances research, and creates equitable opportunities for all.
Vision
A more equitable, engaged and self-transforming university, community and world.
Mission
The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement supports the mission of UM by transforming people, institutions and communities through partnership, access and engagement that fosters belonging, enriches learning and development, enhances research, and creates equitable opportunities for all.
Values
- Mutual Respect: Each person is inherently valuable, and we hold other people’s dignity equal to our own while recognizing that their beliefs, ideas and values will differ. Mutual respect is the basis for authenticity, trust and honest communication that transcend agreement and conflict.
- Equity: We are committed to identifying and removing barriers, improving fairness in systems and outcomes, and creating a more inclusive understanding of how opportunities for success and achievement can be made available to all people.
- Access and Opportunity: We have a responsibility to ensure that all people have the awareness, opportunity and support to benefit from the transformative power of a college education.
- Learning and Development: We acknowledge that we will always have new things to learn and skills to develop, and that learning and development challenge us personally and professionally.
- Collaboration: We believe that the most pressing social, civic, economic and moral problems are best solved through interdisciplinary, collaborative partnerships within and beyond the academy.
- Responsibility: We must be accountable to ourselves and other members of the community.
- Civic Leadership: We recognize the well-being of each member of our community is interconnected, and we dedicate ourselves to making our community better for all.
MESSAGE FROM THE VICE CHANCELLOR and PLANNING TEAM
The critical work of diversity, equity and inclusion requires a deep, sustained partnership across all areas of our institution and community. Building a culture of inclusion and elevating issues of inequity helps create an optimal learning environment and community in which all individuals can reach their full potential. These commitments are central to our flagship mission – to foster academic excellence, to build healthy communities, and to improve the quality of life at our university, our state and throughout the world.
The Pathways to Equity: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Institutional Strategic Plan lays the foundation for the University of Mississippi to improve outcomes and meaningfully advance diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on our campus. Pathways to Equity outlines three overarching goals for institutionally advancing diversity, equity and inclusion:
- Advance Institutional Capacity for Equity
Infrastructure, Information, Systems, Education and Processes - Cultivate a Diverse and Equitable Community
Recruiting, Retaining, Advancing and Succeeding - Foster an Inclusive Campus Climate
Support, Value and Belonging
The overarching goals, coupled with individual college/school- and division-level Equity in Action plans, provide a road map for building on existing work, promoting inclusivity at all levels for all members of our community, and advancing a more equitable environment and a better University of Mississippi.
Pathways to Equity is a collaborative, coordinated and proactive strategy for advancing diversity, equity and inclusion at UM. The plan includes challenging yet attainable goals and action items. In addition to the 2019 campus climate survey results and feedback from governing bodies, diversity liaisons, and other students, faculty and staff, this plan is equally informed by a critical and honest assessment of our past and a comprehensive assessment of institutional composition, opportunity and outcomes data.
The success of Pathways to Equity requires an engaged UM community. As we embark on this journey, I hope you’ll take advantage of opportunities to provide input and feedback. Regardless of your position within the university, there is space for everyone to join in the advancement of the overarching goals and action plans. We must all work together to achieve meaningful results and hold ourselves accountable for prioritizing this important work. Thank you for your partnership as we move forward in making the University of Mississippi a more inclusive and equitable community.
Sincerely,
Shawnboda Mead, Ed.D., Vice Chancellor for Diversity & Community Engagement
Norris “EJ” Edney III, Ed.D., Director, Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement
DIVERSITY TEAM
Central Office
- Shawnboda Mead, Ed.D., vice chancellor
- Yashwant Prakash Vyas, MPA, diversity education & strategic initiatives director
- Rashanda Booker, Ph.D., inclusive excellence & engagement director
- Olivia Garrett, executive assistant
- Roger Davis, Jr., graduate assistant
- Kaylee Crafton, graduate assistant
Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement
- Norris “EJ” Edney, Ed.D., director
- Lauren Jones, M.A., assistant director, retention
- Sarah Pinon, M.S.Ed., assistant director, engagement and programming
- Karrye Tynes, M.Ed., assistant director, access and recruiting initiatives
- Isaiah Wilson, coordinator, LGBTQIA+ programming and initiatives
- Breanna Foreman, graduate assistant
- Yakiah McKinney, graduate assistant
- Erin Geist, graduate assistant
- Thomas Lee, graduate assistant
PATHWAYS TO EQUITY: University of Mississippi Institutional Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategic Plan
The University of Mississippi continues its commitment to excellence and making a positive difference in society through higher education. Pathways to Equity stands as our institutional guidepost for addressing and advancing our institutional mission through centering on diversity, equity and inclusion. Our complex institutional history, coupled with our rich culture of students, faculty and staff striving for inclusive change, has led us to the solidification of this institutional plan. Pathways to Equity works in concert with the university’s strategic plan to leverage university-wide, college/school-level and departmental transformative initiatives that cultivate a more diverse, equitable and inclusive campus.
Guiding Principles
The development of this plan requires us to address individual, social, organizational and systemic factors that create and sustain inequities that prevent all members of our community from fully participating and thriving. We view this as central to the mission of the University of Mississippi. As we embark on this journey together, we must commit to the following shared principles:
- Equity-mindedness[1] – We embrace the institutional responsibility and agency to actively address the challenges and disparate outcomes at all levels of our community. This requires us to be data informed and connect best and promising practices to generate high-impact change for underserved groups in our community.
- Institutional Accountability – We must ensure efforts outlined throughout Pathways to Equity are acknowledged in the established systems of recognition, performance and accountability. It is vital that we work to account for the advancement of these goals in our ideas of success, merit and reward. Further, we must account for, honor and recognize faculty, staff, administrators and students in their commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion.
- Transparency – In our execution of Pathways to Equity, our success is predicated on a highly accessible and collaborative process that actively involves university stakeholders to work as meaningful partners. To that end, we will consistently, publicly and broadly share our intended actions, goals and measurable impacts of this plan.
- Innovation – Actualizing diversity, equity and inclusion will require us to deeply examine and rethink our policies, practices and procedures at the University of Mississippi. Each unit and individual across campus is invited to offer thoughts, ideas and perspectives as we thoughtfully consider ways to make our institution more equitable and inclusive through an intersectional lens. This disposition of robust inquiry and evidence-based imagination will create a community of learning, growth and development as we collectively engage in this complex work.
- Alignment of Critical Resources – During this planning process, we have navigated a global health pandemic that has shown the vulnerabilities in our systems that disparately affect underserved and under-resourced communities. As we continue to navigate these unprecedented times, we must not falter in our commitment to creating a more diverse, equitable and inclusive community. We must recognize that our commitment to equity is more important than ever.
OVERARCHING GOALS
The following goals represent the University of Mississippi’s commitment to the advancement of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). These overarching goals represent interconnected priorities that are applicable to UM broadly, from our comprehensive divisions, down to individual teams. We aim to have all units see meaningful alignment of these goals with their work. We will ensure UM embraces the transformative nature of diversity, equity and inclusion across all levels of the institution, addressing challenges to DEI at every corner of our institution by combining contextual understanding with internal and external expertise.
- Advance Institutional Capacity for Equity
Infrastructure, Information, Systems, Education and Processes - Cultivate a Diverse and Equitable Community
Recruiting, Retaining, Advancing and Succeeding - Foster an Inclusive Campus Climate
Support, Value and Belonging
Institutional-Level Actions: Detailed Plan
In collaboration with the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, the Office of the Chancellor and the Office of the Provost will provide leadership for the following actions to advance the overarching goals and aspirations of Pathways to Equity. The chancellor also will ensure each college/school and division puts forward its strategic response to this plan.
I. Recognize and Reconcile UM’s Racial History:
The Office of the Chancellor and the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement will work to acknowledge, honor and recognize the racial history of our institution. We will work to elevate the stories and experiences of those who have been marginalized in our institution’s history and create avenues of reconciliation. Our efforts will include commemorating the 60th anniversary of integration at UM, creating a chancellor’s committee on race, history and symbols, recognizing excellence from underrepresented alumni, developing a historical display on our complex history, and connecting historically disconnected communities in Mississippi to UM.
Areas Responsible: chancellor, provost, and vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement
Institutional Capacity
- Number of events recognizing the institutional history of UM (Baseline: TBD)
Diverse and Equitable Community
- Number of individuals recognized for advancing diversity throughout the history of UM (Baseline: TBD)
II. Enrich the Experience of Underrepresented Students:
The Office of the Chancellor and Office of the Provost will champion the experience of underrepresented students to ensure vibrant and enriching experiences. The chancellor and provost, in partnership with other senior leaders, will identify and charge signature programs across campus to actively address the representation, engagement and success of underrepresented students. The provost, vice chancellor for student affairs, and vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement will explore the designation of physical campus space for multicultural organizations to host programs and create community. These efforts will work to improve the campus climate, academic success and social experience of underrepresented graduate and undergraduate students including students of color, transfer students, students with disabilities, international students, LGBTQ+ students, low-income students and first-generation college students.
Areas Responsible: chancellor, provost, vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement, vice chancellor for student affairs, and academic deans
Diverse and Equitable Community
- Percentage of students who are members of underrepresented groups on campus (Baseline: TBD)
- Percentage of underrepresented students in high-impact programs (Baseline: TBD)
- Percentage of underrepresented students in highly selective programs (Baseline: TBD)
- Student success metrics (retention, graduation, etc.) for underrepresented students (Baseline: TBD)
Campus Climate
- Percentage of underrepresented students who feel supported at UM (Baseline: 2019 Climate Study indicator)
- Percentage of underrepresented students who feel valued at UM (Baseline: 2019 Climate Study indicator)
III. Develop a Chancellor’s Diversity Fund:
In collaboration with the provost and vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement, the Office of the Chancellor will develop a funding process to support the development of innovative, clear and measurable progress in bringing about transformative and sustainable advancement of Pathways to Equity. Allocated funding will support addressing immediate administrative challenges colleges/schools/divisions may experience in advancing their equity-in-action plans including cluster hire funding, consultant visits, position reclassifications, graduate student fellowships and undergraduate initiatives.
Areas Responsible: chancellor, provost, and vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement
Institutional Capacity
- Funding allocated to the Chancellor’s Diversity Fund annually (Baseline: TBD)
- Number of diversity-related efforts through the Chancellor’s Diversity Fund (Baseline: TBD)
IV. Develop a Provost’s Scholars Program:
A Provost’s Scholars program will be developed to provide selected faculty and staff members with a robust professional development experience and professional mentorship to enhance their skills. This program will seek to recruit members of underrepresented groups, especially women and women of color, who demonstrate professional potential at the University of Mississippi, to increase the pipeline of talented and prepared future institutional leaders. The program will engage participants with priorities and challenges at the University of Mississippi while they develop their own signature initiatives to meet the institution’s needs.
Areas Responsible: provost and vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement
Institutional Capacity
- Funding allocated to the Provost Scholars program annually (Baseline: TBD)
Diverse and Equitable Community
- Number of female faculty and faculty of color selected as Provost Scholars annually (Baseline: TBD)
V. Expand Institutional Outreach:
The Office of the Chancellor will provide leadership in expanding outreach to underrepresented communities to build positive relationships with the institution. This outreach centers on engaging a diverse spectrum of students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the institution in the progress of UM. The chancellor will host several roundtable meetings with student organizations and leaders from underrepresented communities. We will also evaluate the representational diversity of existing chancellor’s committees and increase the number of underrepresented vendors and contractors.
Areas Responsible: chancellor, provost and vice chancellor for administration and finance
Institutional Capacity
- Number of chancellor standing committees dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion and the experiences of underrepresented communities (Baseline: TBD)
Diverse and Equitable Community
- Number of underrepresented individuals serving on chancellor standing committees (Baseline: TBD)
- Number of underrepresented contracts/vendors contracted (Baseline: TBD)
- Number of underrepresented student organization roundtable meetings with the chancellor and/or senior leadership (Baseline: TBD)
Campus Climate
- Perceptions of underrepresented groups feeling valued/supported at the University of Mississippi (Baseline: TBD; 2019 climate study)
VI. Expand Fundraising for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
The Office of the Chancellor, Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, and University Development will collaborate on expanding culturally relevant avenues for giving to invest in Pathways to Equity and other diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The university will strengthen the Inclusive Excellence Retention Fund, expand recruiting scholarships for underrepresented Mississippi students, explore an endowed professorship for diversity, equity and inclusion, and explore an endowed fund for diversity, equity and inclusion efforts.
Areas Responsible: chancellor and vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement
Institutional Capacity
- Personnel dedicated to advancing fundraising to support diversity, equity and inclusion efforts (Baseline: TBD)
- Annual fundraising to support diversity, equity and inclusion (Baseline: TBD)
VII. Expand Curricular Offerings on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
The Office of the Provost will charge the Multicultural Curriculum Task Force with inventorying the diversity-, equity- and inclusion-centered courses on our campus and exploring diversity-, equity- and inclusion-based curricular requirements for undergraduate students. In collaboration with the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement and the Graduate School, the university will explore undergraduate and graduate credentialing (certificate, minor, etc.) programs on diversity, equity and inclusion.
Areas Responsible: provost and vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement
Institutional Capacity
- Number of courses with diversity-, equity- and inclusion-specific concepts and/or learning outcomes (Baseline: TBD)
- Percentage of graduates equipped to enter a diverse and global workforce (Baseline: TBD)
Division of Diversity and Community Engagement
The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement will provide leadership, consultation and support to the university as it advances Pathways to Equity and the corresponding Equity-in-Action plans. The DCE will also advance the following institutional-level strategies:
I. Expand Cohort and Mentoring-based Student Retention Initiatives:
Championed by the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement, the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement will expand efforts to offer high-impact experiences through cohort and mentoring-based retention efforts for underrepresented students, including the existing Mississippi Outreach to Scholastic Talent (MOST) and IMPACT programs. CICCE will also develop new initiatives to support the success of underserved undergraduate student communities, particularly Black and Latinx males, first-generation college students and LGBTQ+ students. These programs provide students with mentorship opportunities, academic support and personal development experiences.
Area Responsible: Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement
Diverse and Equitable Community:
- Short- and long-term student success metrics (retention, graduation, etc.) for program participants in MOST and IMPACT+ (Baseline: TBD)
- Number of underrepresented students formally engaged in Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement cohort-based programs (Baseline: TBD)
Campus Climate
- Campus climate metrics for all cohort and mentoring-based initiatives in the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement (Baseline: N/A)
- Percentage of program participants who are able to identify student success resources (Baseline: TBD)
II. Develop an Academic Equity Scorecard:
In collaboration with various areas of campus, the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement will develop an Academic Equity Scorecard that will be posted publicly and reviewed annually as a part of our Pathways to Equity accountability process. Organizations value what they measure. As a result, we must meaningfully and regularly assess outcomes to identify successes and disparities. The Academic Equity Scorecard positions leadership to monitor comparative data and continue to advance nuanced responsive strategies. As a process, this will engage individuals in a full process of identifying, compiling and analyzing data from an equity-mindedness lens. This is professional development that increases capacity for UM to address inequity as a solvable problem of professional practice. This scorecard also will be a tool for internal and external systems of accountability to monitor divisional performance.
Potential Metrics of Measurement
- Tenure-track faculty
- Grade-point averages
- Retention rate
- Graduation rate
- Recruitment and yield (graduate students)
- Climate indicators
- Enrollment
Potential Disaggregation by Groups
- Race/ethnicity
- Gender identity
- Sexual orientation
- Economic status
- Age
- First-generation status
- Military veteran status
- Disability status
- Special program status
- Residency status
Area Responsible: The assistant vice chancellor for diversity will charge a group to develop this scorecard led by an internal or external quantitative methods and equity expert.
Institutional Capacity Metrics
- Dedicated report(s) on differences in student representation and achievement (Baseline: N/A)
Diverse and Equitable Community
- Number of strategies/plans developed to address disparate student achievement outcomes (Baseline: N/A)
- Maximum, minimum and average Academic Scorecard score across all academic colleges/schools (Baseline: N/A)
III. Expand Diversity Awards and Incentives:
The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement will expand the internal awards, recognitions and incentives related to diversity, equity and inclusion. These efforts include enhancing existing processes such as the Diversity Innovator Award, the Diversity Incentive Fund and the Achieving Equity Investment Grants, and developing new efforts such as research grants that support collaboration with underrepresented graduate students and funding to support new faculty participation in programs offered by the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity. We will expand awards to honor the legacy of individuals who have advanced diversity, equity and inclusion at UM.
Areas Responsible: program director and assistant vice chancellor for diversity
Institutional Capacity
- Faculty and graduate student engagement with NCFDD (Baseline: N/A)
- Number of programs/events that are supported by the Diversity Incentive Fund (Baseline: N/A)
Diverse and Equitable Community
- Funding from DCE awards and incentives processes allocated to faculty, staff and students (Baseline: N/A)
- Recognition from DCE awards and incentives processes given to faculty, staff and students (Baseline: N/A)
IV. Expand Diversity Education:
The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement will expand diversity education services available for all faculty, staff and students at the University of Mississippi. Diversity education seeks to equip our community with the knowledge, skills and awareness conducive to fostering an inclusive campus climate, celebrating the full spectrum of diversity, working collaboratively and engaging in discourse across difference. Diversity education will continue to provide online diversity training to each incoming undergraduate class, entering 1Ls in the School of Law and other populations across campus. The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement will explore the expansion of diversity education to meet the growing needs of our campus and advance Pathways to Equity efforts. We will place specific emphasis on increasing opportunities for faculty, staff and students to become skilled training facilitators on diversity, equity and inclusion. In partnership with the Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement, we will work to expand the Allies program to build institutional capacity for supporting the LGBTQ+ community. In partnership with the Academic Innovations Group and the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, we will expand campuswide offerings to further inclusive teaching skills among faculty and graduate students, including launching the first Inclusive Teaching Institute. Our mechanisms for evaluation of diversity education will go beyond the number of trainings completed to include the application of new practices, individual ability to foster an inclusive environment, and other behavioral and practical metrics.
Area Responsible: program director
Institutional Capacity
- Number of trainings completed across divisions/colleges/schools and topics (Baseline: number of trainings each year prior to 2021)
- Number of faculty members who participate in inclusive teaching engagement opportunities (Baseline: N/A)
- Percentage of participants who have at least one new strategy after participating in a training (Baseline: N/A)
- Percentage of participants who feel more equipped to engage with diversity, equity and inclusion after participating in a training (Baseline: N/A)
Campus Climate
- Percentage of training participants who feel more prepared to foster an inclusive environment (Baseline: N/A)
V. Bolster Institutional Infrastructure toward Equity:
The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement will seek internal and/or external expertise to evaluate the current structural makeup in relation to meeting the diversity, equity, inclusion and community engagement needs of our campus. Diversity liaisons are an essential group in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion at the University of Mississippi. The potential results of this evaluation will provide direction on the organizational structure, reporting lines, support for diversity liaisons and personnel needs. These efforts will also establish formal processes that support the development and success of diversity personnel across campus.
Areas Responsible: chancellor and vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement
Institutional Capacity
- Number of full-time personnel in Division of Diversity and Community Engagement (Baseline: N/A)
- Number of full-time personnel with at least 40% of time dedicated to diversity, equity and inclusion (Baseline: N/A)
- Number of professional development opportunities offered to diversity liaisons (Baseline: N/A)
- Policies and processes intentionally adjusted to account for equity and opportunity (Baseline: N/A)
Diverse and Equitable Community
- Compensation/professional support for diversity liaisons (Baseline: N/A)
VI. Expand Recruitment Efforts for Faculty and Staff Diversity:
The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement will provide support and training to deans and vice chancellors as they work to recruit a talented and diverse workforce. These efforts include creating a Visibility Project for LGBTQ+ faculty, staff and graduate students and developing formal recruitment plans for seeking talented underrepresented candidates, especially women and people of color, in their respective areas. These plans will outline a current baseline of workforce demographics in their college, school or division; externally curated workforce data for each discipline; and recruitment strategies all searches will follow to maximize the available diversity of potential applicants. These plans also will include revisions to job descriptions to include diversity competency language where most applicable. We will also work to identify and support pathways to leadership for talented, high-performing underrepresented employees. Tenure-track faculty positions and administrative staff positions (director level and above) will be considered the highest priorities to be addressed by these plans. Academic deans and vice chancellors will be able to leverage their outlined plans to advocate for cluster hires, external grants and other advantageous opportunities.
Area Responsible: assistant vice chancellor for diversity
Institutional Capacity
- Number of job descriptions that include diversity-, equity- and inclusion-specific language (Baseline: N/A)
- Number of recruitment plans for diverse applicant pools (Baseline: N/A)
Diverse and Equitable Community
- Diversity composition of applicant pool data for faculty searches and academic administration searches (Baseline: N/A)
- Diversity composition of applicant pool data for staff searches, with an emphasis on managerial staff and senior administration (Baseline: N/A)
- Diversity composition of faculty and academic administration on campus (Baseline: N/A)
- Diversity composition of staff and senior administration on campus (Baseline: N/A)
Campus Climate
- Perceptions of opportunities for advancement for underrepresented faculty and staff (Baseline: N/A)
VII. Expand External Grant Funding for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion:
The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement will pursue and support applications for external grant funding that strengthen our diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. These efforts include working with faculty on grant proposals with explicit diversity commitments, exploring a National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant proposal, and pursuing other external grants committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education such as Lumina Foundation, National Science Foundation Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate Grant, Kellogg Foundation and Department of Education TRIO grants.
Areas Responsible: assistant vice chancellor for diversity and program director
Institutional Capacity
- Amount of external funding awarded to Diversity and Community Engagement (Baseline: N/A)
- Number of grants awarded related to diversity, equity and inclusion (Baseline: N/A)
Diverse and Equitable Community
- Amount of grant dollars awarded to underrepresented scholars (Baseline: N/A)
VIII. Expand Formal Undergraduate and Graduate Recruitment Initiatives:
The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement will work to improve the representation of underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students at UM. The Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement will explore strengthening the Mississippi Outreach to Scholastic Talent (MOST) program by providing financial incentives for students to enroll at UM. DCE and the Graduate School will develop a new initiative titled the Mississippi EDGE (Enhancing Diversity in Graduate Education) program. Mississippi EDGE will provide targeted recruitment and financial incentives for underrepresented graduate and professional students, including housing fellowships and supplemental financial stipends to stack with departmental financial support to help attract talented graduate students who enhance our diverse and vibrant campus community. In partnership with the Office of Admissions, DCE will develop a new initiative titled the Mississippi Flagship Scholars program. Flagship Scholars will reach out to counties and high schools in Mississippi that are underrepresented at UM to meet with students, families and counselors about attending our institution. Students in this program will be awarded student loans that will be forgiven after three years of postgraduation work in Mississippi. Mississippi EDGE and Mississippi Flagship Scholars students will participate in enriching learning opportunities during their time at UM.
Areas Responsible: Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement and Graduate School
Diverse and Equitable Community
- Enrollment of underrepresented minority graduate students from Mississippi
- Enrollment of individuals from underrepresented minority universities in Mississippi in graduate programs (Baseline: unknown)
- Admissions offers to yield for underrepresented minority graduate students (Baseline: approximately 60%)
- Percentage of MOST Conference participants who enroll at UM annually (Baseline: N/A)
- Amount of dollars awarded to M-GAP, MOST and Flagship Scholars students for pre-enrollment fees (admissions application, orientation fee(s), housing application) (Baseline: N/A)
- Percentage of MOST, Flagship Scholars and M-GAP participants who participate in high-impact opportunities (Baseline: N/A)
Campus Climate
- Campus climate metrics for M-GAP, MOST and Flagship Scholars (Baseline: N/A)
IX. Develop Inclusive Excellence Scholars Programs:
The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement will explore a number of initiatives that expands the pipeline of talented underrepresented scholars into academia and supports the success and promotion of underrepresented scholars at the University of Mississippi. The efforts may include, but are not limited to, establishing a postdoctoral program for underrepresented scholars, establishing a predoctoral fellowship program, establishing an administrative faculty fellowship program and establishing a visiting scholars program. These initiatives will be explored and established over the span of this strategic plan and beyond.
Area Responsible: assistant vice chancellor for diversity
Institutional Capacity
- Amount of funding allocated to support Inclusive Excellence Scholars programs (Baseline: N/A)
Diverse and Equitable Community
- Number of women and people of color served in these programs (Baseline: TBD)
X. Address Campus Climate Study Results:
The Division of Diversity and Community Engagement contracted Rankin and Associates to conduct an institutional campus climate study in fall 2019. In spring 2021, DCE will outline key action items that specifically address the critical climate needs based on the results of the institutional climate study. These specific efforts and the efforts outlined above will work in tandem to ensure the University of Mississippi is a vibrant and supportive environment for all members of our community. DCE also will formalize a chancellor’s standing committee dedicated to the continued evaluation and improvement of campus climate. At the conclusion of Pathways to Equity, UM will reproduce an institutional climate study to comprehensively measure campuswide progress.
Area Responsible: program director and vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement
Institutional Capacity
- Number of initiatives outlined to directly advance the campus climate study results (Baseline: N/A)
Campus Climate
- Campus climate metrics analyzed through various assessments annually (Baseline: N/A)
[1] Bensimon, E.M., Dowd, A.C., Witham, K. (2016). Five principles for enacting equity by design. Diversity and Democracy, The Equity Imperative. Winter 2016, Volume 19, No. 1.
