College of Lake County
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The Diversity Council at the College of Lake County provides direction to evaluate and promote institutional priorities related to diversity and inclusion in the college community. Advisory recommendations, of the commission, will support the implementation, achievement, and maintenance of the diversity objectives set forth in the College's Strategic Plan. This council will work to ensure that the CLC community practices institutional integrity in all aspects of diversity in our community, both on campus and off. The Diversity Council will work within the shared governance system of the college to ensure that issues related to diversity and inclusion are addressed and kept in mind during the decision making process.

The college’s strategic plan includes 6 pillars; one of which is Pillar 2: Equity and Inclusion. Pillar 2 supports the success for every student and employee by providing a supportive, barrier-free environment that enables them to achieve academic, career and personal goals. CLC creates a barrier-free environment by removing instances of power, privilege and inequity in policies, procedures and processes. In addition, role-specific knowledge is developed in every employee so they apply demonstrated skill in inclusive practices, diversity, sense of belonging, cultural competence and equity-mindedness in their daily work. The use of disaggregated student data to identify opportunity gaps in achievement and inform decisions about system changes is a regular practice. Academic curriculum and cocurricular activities are embed with equity concepts, such as inclusion and social justice. Talent management addresses equity and diversity in hiring, retention, talent management and compensation and benefit practices. Furthermore, the Diversity Council sponsors, at a minimum, two professional development opportunities a month. Topics include CRT pedagogy, resilience in diversity work, workshops to learn about the experiences of various groups in the U.S., ally training for LGBTQ+ and undocumented students, etc. A keynote speaker is sponsored by the Diversity Council to kick off Employee Professional Development Days every March. Additionally, the Diversity Council hosts drop-in breakfasts/luncheons three times a semester at different campuses. The breakfasts/luncheons are open to all CLC employees. The objectives of the breakfasts/luncheons are to discuss topics of diversity on campus as well as to provide a space where employees can share life experiences with one another to promote making real connections that will breakdown racial barriers.