George Washington University
PAE-8: Support Programs for Underrepresented Groups

The University's Multicultural Student Services Center (MSSC) has a variety of support programs in place to support underrepresented groups on campus. MSSC is GW's center for multicultural student communication, community building, and leadership.  MSSC collaborates with faculty and major university offices to develop co-curricular and experiential learning opportunities for GW students to support the shaping of a campus climate that welcomes cultural, racial, ethnic, and intellectual diversity. The Center provides peer and professsional staff, services, and other resources to support the academic, cultural, social, spiritual and professional growth of students as well as to enhance the retention, inclusion and increase in participation rates of students of color. MSSC sponsors RISE (a peer mentoring program), the Black Men's Initiative (a program geared to Black males at GW and the development of their complete selves), monthly cultural heritage celebrations, culture-centered activities, brown bag luncheons with faculty, a leadership series, lectures and other events to name a few that support the academic, social, intellectual and spiritual growth of underrepresented groups within the student body.

The office of Faculty Recruitment and Personnel Relations (FRPR) supports the University's continuing commitment to a culturally diverse faculty/librarian workforce and affirmatively promotes inclusive recruitment and employment practices. FRPR provides confidential counseling, coaching, and referrals, as well as coordinates and advises various committees, faculty and administrators on recommendations to improve the quality of professional life of women faculty and people of color.

University Human Resources offers a variety of programs that foster participation of underrepresented groups in order to enhance their work experience at GW. The Colonial Community aims to build university-wide cohesion through socializing activities, spirit and affiliation building activities, and opportunities for individuals throughout the university to interact and learn from each other in a variety of team building projects. The Office of Organizational Development and Effectiveness also within University Human Resources offers a number of self-paced online trainings that managers and leaders can take to hep them learn and develop a core fund of knowledge and competence about diversity and culture.

http://ci.gwu.edu/multicultural-student-services-center-mssc, http://gwired.gwu.edu/mssc, http://ode.hr.gwu.edu/emdp, http://www.gwu.edu/hr/colonialcommunity/about/index.html,