James Madison University
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The Office of Access and Inclusion provides leadership, coordination and support. Dr. David Owusu-Ansah and Mr. Arthur Dean serve as the Executive Directors with faculty, campus and community as their main areas of responsibilities. They assist with the following: facilitating a number of campus initiatives, fostering collaboration throughout the university and ensuring support for all groups, facilitating campus climate and culture, and supporting curricular elements for diversity and inclusion within the university. More information is available at https://www.jmu.edu/diversity/about.shtml.

The President of the University commissioned every division and academic college to create a Diversity Council. The focus of the diversity councils is both at the university level at large and specific to each college or division. The chairs of the divisional and college Diversity Councils meet monthly to look at micro and macro opportunities for JMU. Their main goal is to enhance, create and ensure diversity, access and inclusive initiatives are in place at JMU. More information is available at https://www.jmu.edu/diversity/leadership/index.shtml.

To provide greater impact and leadership, the Provost has also created the Provost’s Diversity Advisory Committee. This committee is chaired by Dr. David Owusu-Ansah and Dr. AJ Morey. The Provost’s Diversity Advisory Council assists with the elevation of issues, concerns, or opportunities related to diversity, access and inclusion within the division of Academic Affairs.

Student Cultural Competence Training Activities:

1. The Office of Access and Inclusion has partnered with key departments to ensure that JMU’s student leaders are prepared to lead diverse students at JMU. Example of those trained at JMU are Residence Life staff, Orientation leaders, University Recreation staff, Diversity Education Empowerment Program facilitators, Madison Equality (LGBTQ), College Student Personnel Administration graduate students, Make Your Mark on Madison, and key academic program mentorship program leaders.

2. Since 2002, JMU's Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services (IIHHS) has offered the Building Cultural Competency Workshop (BCCW) two or three times a semester to provide a forum for participants across health professions to discuss personal, professional, and institutional dynamics that influence the quality of patient care and interactions with colleagues. Between 2002 and October 2016, over 3,000 students have participated in the Building Cultural Competency Workshop. Emily Akerson, Anne Stewart, Arthur Dean and Marsha Mays-Bernard have been involved in planning the workshop. See https://www.jmu.edu/news/chbs/2016/041316_building_cultural_competency_workshop.shtml

3. The Center for Multicultural Student Services in 2015 established the Diversity Education Empowerment Program (D.E.E.P. Impact), which is designed to influence meaningful change throughout the James Madison University campus community through the development of programs and services that heighten awareness, increase knowledge, and celebrate the value of diversity in all forms. D.E.E.P Impact also focuses on promoting inclusion, advocacy, and respect in order to equip students with the cultural capacity to change and shape the world. The facilitators lead conversations with faculty and staff centered on cultural competence, knowledge, and awareness. This program impacted, educated, and provided culturally relevant conversations to just over six thousand students. Every first-year student participates in a program about inclusion and awareness of self and others at JMU's "We Are JMU: Springboard Orientation" program.

Instructional Faculty Cultural Competence Training Activities:

1. An Intergroup Dialogue program. "Intergroup Dialogue (IGD) is a nationally recognized, evidence-based program that brings together small groups of individuals with different social identities to share their experiences and gain deeper understanding of each other. (Social identities refer to salient sociological constructs such as gender, race/ethnicity, nationality, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, ability/dis-ability, spirituality/religion, or other belief systems – including political affiliation.) The opportunity to explicitly engage in meaningful, in-depth dialogue about these matters deepens our capacity for genuine relationships with colleagues, students, and others of different backgrounds and experiences." See https://www.jmu.edu/cfi/career-planning/faculty-communities/intergroup-dialogues.shtml

2. Faculty Departmental Dialogues for academic units. These departmental dialogues are designed to do the following:
a. Create a set of common values,
b. Assist the department with the creation of a diversity statement,
c. Determine the diversity of curriculum and scholarship that is within the department (i.e., faculty will share what they are researching and teaching), and
d. Determine what type of diversity in the curriculum, scholarship, and environment are needed to strengthen and support the goals of each department.

3. Preparing Faculty to be Inclusive Teachers (Institute). This Institute is offered through the Center for Faculty Innovation. This is a semester-long institute, and participants have the opportunity to hone their skills for appreciating, leveraging, and responding to diversity within their classrooms. Participants gain knowledge in areas associated with inclusivity and multiculturalism (e.g., race/ethnicity, nationality, ability status, etc.) and tools in managing group processes and difficult dialogues, addressing inflammatory and prejudicial comments, becoming aware of micro-aggressions and how to prevent them, and fostering more inclusive, equitable learning environments. Participation enhances agency and confidence in making classroom environments more multiculturally-minded and will create a community around issues of inclusive excellence. https://www.jmu.edu/cfi/teaching/institutes/inclusive-teachers.shtml

Staff Cultural Competence Training Opportunities:

1. JMU's Annual Conference on Diversity. JMU hosts and sponsors a conference that provides the following: cultural competence training, workshops, presentations, and sharing of knowledge for an entire day at the University. Faculty and staff present their research and knowledge or participate and learn from their fellow colleagues within the university and external to the institution. The conference has been held for 12 years at JMU. The attendance at each conference over the past 4 years has averaged about 420 faculty and staff. https://www.jmu.edu/diversity/programs-and-events/diversity-conference.shtml

2. JMU Talent Development also offers diversity-focused training primarily for administrative & professional faculty, classified staff, and wage employees, see http://www.jmu.edu/talentdevelopment/. An example of a training opportunity is "Be Competent on a Cross-Cultural Campus" (TD2240).

Responsible Party: Mr. Arthur Dean, Executive Director, Campus and Community Programs, Office of Access and Inclusion