Diversity and Community Engagement
The University of Mississippi

School of Education

School of School of Education
Five-Year Equity-in-Action Plan
INTRODUCTION

MESSAGE FROM DEAN, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

In the School of Education, we believe that there is no stronger force for inspiration, innovation, leadership and opportunity than education provided by reflective professionals. In support of the University of Mississippi’s vision, the School of Education seeks to be a leader in the development of equity-minded educators, counselors, leaders and higher education professionals dedicated to the “transformation of individuals and communities to advance educational equity and excellence” as advocates for all learners in Mississippi and beyond.

During the next five years, the School of Education will strengthen accountability for diversity, equity and inclusion through five strategic activities that reach across our three academic departments. These tactical activities with related tasks will focus on further developing and enhancing: 1) the structure and organization of the school’s Diversity Office; 2) the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority faculty, staff and students; 3) initiatives to expand opportunities for inclusion of underserved populations within the school and field of education; 4) training and professional development for students, faculty and staff; and 5) resources and external funding for critical scholarships and academic programs.

In alignment with an overriding commitment to continuous improvement and diversity standards advanced by the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and three specialized accreditors, these five strategic commitments will better foster excellence in learning through a shared commitment to a vibrant, more equitable School of Education community.

MESSAGE FROM DIRECTOR OF DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION; DIVERSITY LIAISON TO THE DIVISION OF DIVERSITY AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The University of Mississippi School of Education will promote and celebrate diversity, and we commit ourselves for the long term. In doing so, we recognize that we must constantly change as we prepare students for the future. We also recognize that progress is sometimes made in a day but often requires months and years. The School of Education embraces within its campus culture those values and experiences that enrich human understanding. We choose to be a school where civil discourse triumphs over ignorance. We choose to be a school that prepares our students for participation in a world that may transcend geographic borders but embraces the unique identity of each individual. We believe that creating and sustaining a diverse university community serves our educational mission, our values and our purpose. We will begin our plan by documenting our thoughtful consideration of the ways in which we can promote diversity in the School of Education. This document is our starting place, our plan. This plan takes life through our actions and through an equally thoughtful implementation strategy. We look toward the future with optimism and with a sense of commitment to the success of our graduates through the learning environment we build with them. 

GUIDING STATEMENTS FROM ASSOCIATE DEAN, SCHOOL OF EDUCATION

As a foundational conception, the School of Education seeks to produce educators who use reflective thinking to acquire knowledge, refine skills and cultivate dispositions for lifelong learning in an ever-changing and increasingly diverse society. Among the five outcomes identified for the unit, producing educators who are “advocates for diverse learners” gives purpose to what we do, both philosophically and practically. In many ways, we know that education environments are enriched when diverse individuals come together in a spirit of open discovery and learning. Yet many forces – historic, socioeconomic and cultural, to name a few – work against diversity in the educator workforce and equitable educational opportunity for all.

In a multiphased, community-driven process, faculty and staff revised the unit’s vision statement to include the word “equity” in 2014. When we affirmed this objective commitment and “imagined” how innovative professional educators could spark transformation for individuals and whole communities when dedicated to equity and excellence, we lacked recognition of the institutional changes we would need to make to enliven our espoused commitment. As we approach the strategic actions and tasks identified in this plan, we will build upon the unit’s conceptual framework as well as the priorities articulated in the university’s vision, mission and core values. As we do this important work, we will be reflective professionals in action, cognizant that we cannot transform others without self-transformation.

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.

With Pathways to Equity, the University of Mississippi aspires to achieve the following statements by the conclusion of this plan.

  1. The University of Mississippi consistently and comprehensively articulates diversity, equity and inclusion as essential in fulfilling the mission, vision and values of the institution.
  2. The University of Mississippi is organizationally and culturally equipped with the knowledge, skills and awareness to continue advancing diversity, equity and inclusion.
  3. A campus climate is fostered that ensures all individuals are valued, supported and feel a sense of belonging at the University of Mississippi.
  4. The University of Mississippi has decreases in disparities across underrepresented groups in the enrollment, retention and graduation rate at undergraduate and graduate levels.
  5. The number of underrepresented groups employed at the University of Mississippi is increased to reflect a talented and diverse workforce at all organizational levels, especially tenure-track faculty, managerial positions and executive leadership positions.

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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 virtuous partners. To that end, we will consistently, publicly and broadly share our intended actions, goals and measurable impacts of this plan.
  4. 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 new thoughts, ideas and perspectives as we thoughtfully consider ways to make our institution more equitable and inclusive through an intersectional lens. This disposition will create a community of learning, growth and development as we collectively engage in this complex work.
  5. 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 underresourced 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. Instead, we must recognize that our commitment to equity is even more important today 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.

  1. Advance Institutional Capacity for Equity
    Infrastructure, Information, Systems, Education and Processes
  2. Cultivate a Diverse and Equitable Community
    Recruiting, Retaining, Advancing and Succeeding
  3. Foster an Inclusive Campus Climate
    Support, Value and Belonging

OVERVIEW OF SCHOOL OF EDUCATION EQUITY-IN-ACTION PLAN

OVERVIEW

The University of Mississippi School of Education values and celebrates diversity without regard to national origin, gender, race, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, disability or intellectual perspective. The education environment is enriched by the diversity of individuals, groups and cultures that come together in a spirit of learning. The School of Education’s vision and plans encompass being committed to leading the school in the continued establishment and maintenance of a campus culture that embraces the diversity of cultural backgrounds, personal characteristics and life situations represented at the University of Mississippi.

DIVERSITY PLANNING COMMITTEE

Karen V. Davidson Smith, director of diversity, equity and inclusion in the School of Education, is the central resource for the facilitation of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives in the School of Education.

She has created the following set of equity working groups for fall/spring 2022 to facilitate ongoing discussion and feedback to guide further development of and implementation strategies for the School of Education’s strategic goals. The new committee members were established fall 2021.

  1. SOE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Council
  2. SOE Department/Unit Equity Faculty and Staff Committee (currently named SOE Inclusion Advisory Committee)

(Current) SOE Inclusion Advisory Committee members include Joel Amidon, Jill Cabrera, George McClellan, Mandy Perryman, Sara Platt, Karen Smith, Hunter Taylor, Amy Williams and Kenya Wolff.

*The purpose of each group is listed below:

SOE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Council

The inaugural members will include representation from the undergraduate and graduate programs in the School of Education. Undergraduate programs include early childhood education, elementary education, secondary education, special education, and health and physical education. Undergraduate membership will also include representatives from the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program, Teachers of Tomorrow and UM Education Ambassadors. Graduate programs include counselor education, higher education/personnel, secondary education, alternate route, early childhood education, special education, educational leadership and elementary education. Graduate membership will also include representatives from the Mississippi Teacher Corps, Chi Sigma Iota (the international honor society for professional counseling), the UM Student Personnel Association (higher education student group) and the Doctoral Education Network in the SOE.

Members can volunteer and/or be recommended by faculty in each program. Members will regularly meet with the director of diversity, equity and inclusion at least twice a month per semester and as needed to discuss developing and/or unexpected diversity, equity and inclusion matters.

The goals and purpose of the SOE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Council include the following:

  1. Create a process for SOE students to express diversity-related concerns.
  2. Publicize university, community and SOE diversity-related events.
  3. Create diversity-related educational and professional development for SOE students. For example, SOE seniors will attend diversity-related training as part of their required professional development days.
  4. Advise the SOE Department/Unit Equity Faculty and Staff Committee on ideas to include in student orientations to support recruitment of students from underrepresented populations.
  5. Provide peer support for diverse students during unforeseen circumstances and as needed.

SOE Department/Unit Equity Faculty and Staff Committee

The inaugural members will include representation from each School of Education department, including the Department of Higher Education, Department of Leadership and Counselor Education and Department of Teacher Education. Members will regularly meet with the director of diversity, equity and inclusion at least twice a month per semester and as needed to discuss developing and/or unexpected diversity, equity and inclusion matters. Members will be selected voluntarily and recommended by the department chairs.

Within this committee, we will form subcommittees based on voluntary selection. Subcommittees will include the categories of student recruitment/retention, faculty recruitment/retention, international faculty and student engagement, community engagement, faculty mentoring and inclusive pedagogy, faculty recognition/awards, and bias reporting processes/search committee bias training, fundraising and grants, and gender/LGBTQ equity.

The goals and purpose of the SOE Department/Unit Equity Faculty and Staff Committee include the following:

  1. Tap into leadership and faculty expertise already existing in the school, especially among faculty doing equity work and faculty from underrepresented global majority.
  2. Support specific equity projects as imagined and designed by the SOE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Council.
  3. Provide regular advice to the dean and associate dean on critical equity matters.
  4. Provide and make statements of support for all underrepresented faculty/staff/student groups.
  5.  Support specific equity projects as imagined and designed by the SOE Department/Unit Equity Faculty and Staff Committee with the goal of measurable outcomes that work to “move the needle” on equity in line with current strategic goals.

STRATEGIC ACTIVITIES

STRATEGIC ACTIVITY No. 1:

Promote, integrate and take action to create a diverse SOE and university community: The University of Mississippi School of Education will promote, integrate and take action to create a diverse SOE and university community. To enhance ongoing support and visibility for underrepresented faculty, students and staff, the SOE must consider reorganizing the SOE Office of Diversity. The reorganization will include the following tactics of implementation.

Tactic No. 1:

Develop/revise a mission statement for the SOE Office of Diversity. The general purpose of the SOE Office of Diversity is to foster a climate that promotes and nurtures diversity and equity for all stakeholders in the SOE and university community. While the general responsibilities of this office could include assessing the effectiveness of diversity initiatives across the campus, a more detailed portfolio of responsibilities should be developed in the SOE.

Tactic No. 2:

Revise and update the current webpage for the Office of Diversity with a diversity statement from Karen V. Davidson Smith, current director of diversity, equity and inclusion. Updates will include additional information from the SOE Diversity Office and include website organization and links to the University of Mississippi Division of Diversity and Community Engagement and the University of Mississippi Center for Inclusion and Cross Cultural Engagement.

Tactic No. 3:

Reporting relationship/credibility. The SOE Office of Diversity will report monthly to the SOE dean and associate dean. Discussions will include updates from the faculty and student diversity committee meetings and activities.

Tactic No. 4:

Accountability. SOE will have open lines of communication from other campus initiatives and any recommendations for improvement reported to Shawnboda Mead, vice chancellor for diversity and community engagement, and shared with the university community in the spirit of promoting continuous improvement.

Area(s) Responsible: SOE director of diversity, equity and inclusion; SOE Department/Unit Equity Faculty and Staff Committee; SOE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Council Committee

Resources Statement: No funding needed

Institutional Capacity

  • Mission statement of the SOE Office of Diversity established and approved
  • SOE website updated with DEI efforts
  • SOE Office of Diversity holds monthly meetings
  • SOE Office of Diversity reports recommendations for improvement to leadership.

Diverse and Equitable Community

On the SOE webpage, we will have a section where feedback is welcomed and will be reviewed for potential updates as needed.

Mission statement outlines general responsibilities including assessment of DEI effort efficacy.

Inclusive Campus Climate

Mission statement outlines general responsibilities including monitoring departmental climate for students, faculty and staff.

STRATEGIC ACTIVITY No. 2:

Increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty, staff and students: The University of Mississippi School of Education will increase the recruitment and retention of minority faculty, staff and students. Our implementation of this strategy includes the following tactics:

Tactic No. 1:

Establish relationships with HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges and Universities), partnerships with universities that serve other underrepresented groups and other recruiting mechanisms to create a more diverse pool of candidates.

Tactic No. 2:

Establish relationships with various recruiting sources and professional societies targeted at minorities to enrich applicant pools with qualified underrepresented applicants.

Tactic No. 3:

Streamline what is needed to receive SOE faculty tenure and promotion to clarify expectations, processes and resources. For example, organize workshops to assist ALL SOE faculty with promotion and tenure applications.

Tactic No. 4:

Work collaboratively with the Office of Human Resources and Office of Institutional Research to conduct a diversity needs assessment of each major division of the university (academic affairs, student affairs, business & financial affairs). Then identify goals, develop initiatives and set timetables for achieving goals based on the needs assessment.

Tactic No. 5:

Scholarships. Work closely with SOE associate director of development, SOE development officer, SOE Scholarship Committee and SOE Graduate Studies Office to assure a diverse pool of nominations and recipients. Enhance student awareness of scholarship opportunities and criteria for awards.

Area(s) Responsible: SOE director of diversity, equity and inclusion; SOE associate director of development; SOE development officer; SOE Department/Unit Equity Faculty and Staff Committee; SOE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Council; SOE Scholarship Committee; SOE Office of Graduate Studies; University of Mississippi Human Resources; University of Mississippi Office of Institutional Research

Resources Statement: One example of a new scholarship opportunity is the Education Equity Undergraduate Scholarship, which was implemented fall 2021.

Education Equity Undergraduate Scholarship: The Education Equity Undergraduate Scholarship will support undergraduate students in the School of Education who demonstrate a strong commitment to racial equity in the classroom, contribute to the diversity of our School of Education and plan to teach in Mississippi public schools following graduation. All education majors, including first-year and transfer students, are eligible for the scholarship, and recipients can retain this award for up to eight semesters.

Institutional Capacity

Access to current participants involved in the Education Equity Undergraduate Scholarship was granted to the director of SOE DEI in fall 2021. Current numbers of participants in this initiative will be used as a baseline to develop future goals.

Number of established recruiting relationships with HBCUs and minority-serving institutions or number of touchpoints with groups from HBCUs or MSIs

Tenure and promotion process, resources and expectations clarified

Diverse and Equitable Community

  • Registration status on Handshake for HBCU undergraduates will be checked.
  • National Pan-Hellenic Council members attending events will be monitored.
  • Registration status of those attending career expos at HBCUs will be counted.
  • Relationships, targeted to enrich applicant pools, will be established by creating a list of minority-serving organizations and sending a list to all search committee chairs and HR.
  • To streamline what is needed to receive SOE faculty tenure and promotion, we will get feedback once we pair junior faculty with a mentor as they prepare the dossier.
  • A diversity needs assessment will be conducted after receiving previous assessment data from HR and the Office of Institutional Research.
  • After meeting with the SOE Development Office, Scholarship Committee, Graduate Studies and program coordinators, we will recruit a robust pool of applicants for awards/scholarships.
  • Insight into tracking mechanisms and scholarship applications will be obtained from advertising the scholarships on social media, print media and SOE websites.
  • The baseline data will be received from the feedback and tracking mechanisms.

Inclusive Campus Climate

Increasing resources to lessen financial barriers for underrepresented populations.

STRATEGIC ACTIVITY No. 3:

Develop initiatives that enhance the representation of faculty, staff and students in the SOE without regard to national origin, gender, race, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, disability or intellectual perspective: The University of Mississippi School of Education will develop initiatives that enhance the representation of faculty, staff and students in the SOE without regard to national origin, gender, race, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, disability or intellectual perspective. The implementation strategies would first focus on faculty and staff by integrating the following tactics. Students need providers/professors who not only look like them but can identify with them. Currently, the SOE has a low number of minority faculty and staff members compared with other ethnic groups. By addressing these issues, we will be better able to accomplish our recruiting goals and connect with current underrepresented students.

Tactic No. 1:

Search committee membership. Build up a protocol to establish how people will be selected to serve on SOE search committees. Work with ALL departments within the SOE to ensure diverse representation on search committees. Ensure that the “charge” to the search committee emphasizes the importance of diversity and inclusion, and that committee members understand the need to increase interview opportunities among applicants prior to selecting finalists for on-campus interviews.

Tactic No. 2:

Ensure opportunities for minority faculty members to chair SOE search committees.

Tactic No. 3:

Focus on assessment to gauge progress; we will develop mechanisms to acknowledge progress as seen in the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation annual reporting measures and from students and staff. The SOE would help to develop custom-tailored survey instruments for different groups: administration, faculty, staff, students/student groups. The review will include a summary of reports submitted to the SOE Office of Diversity. The plan should be reviewed annually. Revisions, updates and additions are anticipated. This will be done to ensure the plan’s continual development and reaffirmation of the university’s and SOE’s commitment to diversity.

Area(s) Responsible: SOE director of diversity, equity and inclusion; SOE Department/Unit Equity Faculty and Staff Committee; SOE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Council; SOE admissions counselor

Resources Statement: Discuss current resources available and additional resources needed.

Institutional Capacity:

Develop a current baseline by reviewing search committee members involved in the past five years in all departments of the SOE. Through reviewing past search committees, note how many times underrepresented members appear in relation to majority faculty.

Diverse and Equitable Community

SOE assessment system administrators will be contacted to access faculty demographic data that will be used to create a platform (Google Sheets) to record all searches from the previous academic year (2020-21). This information will help in creating a baseline data/starting point.

Previous year(s) search information will be retrieved after meeting with HR to create baseline data.

Results will be reviewed, recorded and analyzed. Conclusions will be drawn from applying the chosen instrument to analyze the effectiveness of creating a diverse and equitable search process.

Inclusive Campus Climate

The results of this endeavor will serve as a baseline data point to measure the effectiveness of the SOE in creating a diverse and equitable job search process and will also guide the next steps of creating initiatives that enhance the representation of faculty, staff and students in the SOE without regard to national origin, gender, race, religion, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, veteran’s status, disability or intellectual perspective.

STRATEGIC ACTIVITY No. 4:

Diversity, equity and inclusion training and professional development. The University of Mississippi School of Education will commit to diversity training for all SOE faculty, staff, search committees and students.

Tactic No. 1:

Encourage attendance at internal training workshops for search committees with Human Resources. These workshops will ensure that all search committee members are informed of how implicit bias may operate in the selection process.

Tactic No. 2:

SOE faculty and staff will attend diversity training by experts through webinars and professional development speakers to ensure that all faculty, staff and students network and advance racial equity across the SOE and university community.

Tactic No. 3:

Implement a way to create a more diverse pool of graduate assistant (GA) applicants.

Tactic No. 4:

Organize engagement opportunities for faculty, staff and working students to create a more familiar working environment, an environment where titles and roles are clear but do not serve as a barrier for open and inclusive communication.

Area(s) Responsible: SOE director of diversity, equity and inclusion; SOE Department/Unit Equity Faculty and Staff Committee; SOE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Council; SOE associate director of development; SOE development officer

Resources Statement: Internal financial resources will likely be necessary to bring in training workshop facilitators. Currently, the DEI budget consists of approximately $12,000. Workshops may include (but are not limited to) Implicit Bias and Microaggressions Training, Inclusive Teaching Practices, Anti-Racism Training (by Kelly Wickham Hurst). Faculty, staff and students will be required to attend one training session and complete a survey at the end of the training.

Institutional Capacity

After each training, a survey will be administered to faculty, staff and student participants to gain insights into desired themes outlined in the mission statement.

Diverse and Equitable Community

Encourage 100% participation among faculty, staff and students to complete at least one training per semester. Following the training, participants will complete the post-survey and a short open-ended questionnaire at the end of the academic year. Desired progress among faculty, staff and students will spark change, and faculty, staff and students will push past their fears of being vulnerable. The training will ensure that the SOE community has equal access to opportunities to succeed.

After encouraging attendance at internal training workshops for search committees, we will determine the types of workshops that are offered, specifically what topics need to be addressed. After that task is completed, requirements will be determined for training in order to serve on a search committee.

The committee will seek out opportunities to promote DEI trainings that exist outside the university with outside experts in the field. These experts will be chosen based on specific types of programming. Then afterwards, we will do a pre-assessment of “Where are you now when it comes to DEI?”

Determine and recruit a more diverse pool of graduate assistant applicants by viewing demographic information on applicants. The GA applicant data will be the starting point. We will measure it by looking at data from the previous five years of GA applicants with baseline data being the next term of GA applicants.

Inclusive Campus Climate

By organizing engagement opportunities for faculty, staff and working students, we will first determine what type of engagement opportunities would best suit our community of faculty, staff and students. We would measure it by using a survey instrument and are unsure if this type of data has been collected in the past. 

STRATEGIC ACTIVITY No. 5:

Replenishing ongoing budget through grants and donors. Create funds for the SOE Office of Diversity and/or see if any existing funds already qualify.

Tactic No. 1:

Increase new grant proposals for funding, with focus on inclusivity activities and processes in grant projects at the School of Education.

Tactic No. 2:

Collaborate with the associate director of development and development officer to engage in Pre-Ignite/Ignite campaign initiatives. These initiatives will enable us to reach out to businesses and possible donors.

See the current IGNITE campaign(s) in the SOE.

Area(s) Responsible: SOE director of diversity, equity and inclusion; SOE Department/Unit Equity Faculty and Staff Committee; SOE Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Student Council; SOE associate director of development; SOE development officer

Resources Statement:  

The SOE has two existing projects described below.

Transfer to Teach: Transfer to Teach is modeled on the Mississippi Excellence in Teaching Program to provide talented Mississippi community college transfer students full cost-of-attendance service loans from the University of Mississippi School of Education. Transferring students will be able to complete their bachelor’s in education from UM and earn scholarship funds if they agree to serve in Mississippi public schools for at least three years following graduation. Participants may pause their service agreements if they enroll in graduate school, and if participants are unable to complete their three years of service, their scholarship will convert to a prorated student loan.

 

 

[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.