Furman University
PA-6: Assessing Diversity and Equity
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
1.00 / 1.00 |
Laura
Bain Associate Director of Sustainability Assessment David E. Shi Center for Sustainability |
Has the institution engaged in a structured assessment process during the previous three years to improve diversity, equity and inclusion on campus?:
A brief description of the assessment process and the framework, scorecard(s) and/or tool(s) used:
In 2021 Furman Outlined the following:
Strategic Planning Process
The strategic planning process initially started as an outgrowth of work conducted by the Chief Diversity Officer (CDO). This prework involved formal and informal discussions with administrators, faculty, staff, students, and alumni. This process also reflects experience with Furman’s current diversity efforts; engagement with a variety of diversity themed issues, and an evolving understanding of the numerous components that fuel Furman’s short-term and long-term operations.
In Spring 2020, the process shifted to reflect an evolving partnership with the university wide Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Meetings were held with faculty and with Staff AC to introduce the Strategic Diversity Plan (SDP) and to solicit feedback on the draft in Summer 2020. The complexities of opening and managing the COVID crisis temporarily slowed down the advancement of the SDP in Fall 2020. Despite this, revisions were still advanced and in early 2021 the SDP we will be available to the broader campus community. During the Spring 2021 semester the broader campus community will be encouraged to participate in a process that encourages discussion of the plan with an emphasis on strategies and outcomes that support the goals and objectives of the SDP. Following this, the DEI committee, the Senior Administration Team (SAT) and the CDO will consider the input of the campus community and revisit the plan to discuss revisions and adjustments. We expect that a final plan will be ready for implementation in the Fall 2021 semester.
Management
Role of the Chief Diversity Officer
The Chief Diversity Officer will have oversight over the creation and implementation of the SDP and ensures that the progress of the plan is communicated to the campus community. This will require the CDO to work within a context that is highly collaborative given the many divisions and silos that exist within the context of a 21st century liberal arts college. This is also of prime importance because the CDO operates in the context of a “collaborative officer model” where the CDO has no direct reports and relies heavily on voluntary collaboration with others across the university.
Stakeholders & Campus Leaders
One of the primary tenets of strategic diversity leadership is that our efforts to build inclusive excellence cannot operate solely with one individual or within one office. To make our vision a reality will require widespread and shared ownership. With this in mind, our campus leadership will need to take an active role to help with planning and to assist with coordinating campus efforts as the process progresses. This support is being coordinated primarily through meetings between the CDO and other members of the Senior Administrative Team (SAT) and their senior staffs. Other internal and external stakeholders, such as students, faculty, staff, alumni and local community members are asked to take a proactive role in partnering with campus leaders in advancing our efforts.
Accountability
In an effort to facilitate accountability, an internal scorecard charting the progress of the SDP will be maintained by the CDO. This scorecard will include all Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Measures/Outcomes that are part of the SDP. Members of the SAT will work collectively and individually with the CDO to advance the SDP and will be responsible for advancing its goals related to inclusive excellence in their individual areas of responsibility. To this end, an annual report will be produced by the CDO and made available to both the campus community and the public. This report will chart the progress of the plan and makes recommendations for changes to goals, objectives, strategies, etc. Features of this report will allow tracking of the plan’s progress and will clearly identify who or what office or unit is responsible for specific parts of the SDP as well as how and when these efforts will be accomplished. The production of this annual report does not preclude the creation of interim reports or summaries that advise the campus community on the progress of our efforts towards Inclusive Excellence. Implementation of the SDP will be monitored by the CDO who will meet regularly with the DEI committee and the Senior Administrative Team (SAT) to ensure adequate progress.
Planning & Implementation
We fully expect that the campus community will have suggestions and recommendations regarding specific strategies that it would like to see implemented as part of the SDP. These recommendations will be noted and will become part of the discussion around the plan’s implementation. The CDO will continually receive and compile input from the campus community (see info below for specifics) and will regularly engage the DEI committee and the SAT regarding a path forward via the SDP. Receiving input from “open” sources such as email and social media will allow a broad range of constituencies to comment on the SDP and will serve as an especially strong conduit for students, alumni and members of the local community members. Close review by the DEI committee will ensure that our faculty and staff have a voice in shaping both the content and the implementation of the SDP. Lastly, it is important to fully include the members of the SAT in the process as they will have responsibility for implementing, supervising and tracking SDP goals related to their individual areas of responsibility.
Does the assessment process address campus climate by engaging stakeholders to assess the attitudes, perceptions and behaviors of employees and students, including the experiences of underrepresented groups?:
Does the assessment process address student outcomes related to diversity, equity and success?:
Does the assessment process address employee outcomes related to diversity and equity?:
A brief description of the most recent assessment findings and how the results are used in shaping policy, programs, and initiatives:
Diversity in the freshman class of 2024: 22%
Countries represented by students: 22
Are the results of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment shared with the campus community?:
A brief description of how the assessment results are shared with the campus community:
Diversity reports are available online here: https://www.furman.edu/diversity-equity-inclusion/institutional-commitment/our-committee/
Updates and announcements from the Chief Diversity Officer are also shared via email with the campus community and alumni, and distributed via social media channels.
Are the results (or a summary of the results) of the most recent structured diversity and equity assessment publicly posted?:
The diversity and equity assessment report or summary (upload):
Website URL where the diversity and equity assessment report or summary is publicly posted:
Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity assessment efforts is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.