James Madison University
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer lead the University’s initiatives, goals and objectives related to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The office has direct oversight of JMU’s Task Force on Racial Equity, Climate Study and the launching key programs that foster equity and inclusivity. https://www.jmu.edu/inclusion/vice-president/people/carter-hoyt-malika.shtml Malika Carter-Hoyt, Ph.D. serves as the vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer (CDO) (start date: Aug. 25, 2022). She was selected through a highly competitive national search. Dr. Carter-Hoyt has led the creation of the following initiatives during her tenure:

• Sun Belt DEI Consortium - A network of Sun Belt Conference diversity leaders. This group meets monthly to build connections while gaining new tools and frameworks, working to build a more diverse, equitable, inclusive Sun Belt Conference consortium. 

• Indigenous Awareness, Relations and Action Working Group – A platform to express concerns, share experiences, and offer recommendations for improving the university's engagement with Indigenous issues. 

• 30+30 Awareness to Action Inclusive Future Tour – An academic-year long series of virtual presentations featuring thought leaders (co-champion(s)) leading public updates to demonstrate current levels of accessibility, belonging, equity, diversity, inclusion activity, celebrate the champions involved, and invite information exchange toward continuous improvement; amplifying the power of our community’s collective intelligence, expertise and skill. 

• Inclusive Event Planners Alliance – The alliance pulls from real-time knowledge of event planners to promote and arrange inclusive and accessible experiences and serve as a platform for ongoing community feedback related thereto to enhance the artistic, cultural, commemorative and intellectual life of the campus while providing recommendations to the division heads for final approval. 

• Freedom of Expression Series – A virtual event series featuring multi-industry panelists who hold focused discussions about Freedom of Expression and applicable rights and responsibilities. 

Dr. Carter-Hoyt has oversight to ensure accountability for and progress on University goals and objectives related to DEIAB. 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 in the division of academic affairs, JMU also created the following:

The Office of Strategic Initiatives and Global Affairs Associate Provost for Diversity and Equity: https://www.jmu.edu/academic-affairs/siga/index.shtml

 Shared Equity Leaders across the Academic Affairs Division: https://www.jmu.edu/academic-affairs/siga/leaders.shtml

To provide greater coordination and leadership in Student Affairs, Dr. Bruce Mitchell II serves as the Associate Vice President for Accessibility and Belonging: https://www.jmu.edu/studentaffairs/people/avp-accessibility-belonging.shtml

Student Cultural Competence Training Activities:

1. JMU continues to have DEI leaders and experts share their knowledge and skills with a variety of student organizations and leaders. Examples 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, Student Athletes, Student Ambassadors, and key academic mentorship program leaders.
2. Since 2002, JMU's Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services (IIHHS) has offered the Building Cultural Humility Workshop (BCHW) and Poverty Simulation at least 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. These workshops are led by the Institute for Innovation in Health and Human Services. Between 2002 and October 2023, over 6,000 students have participated in the Building Cultural Humility and Poverty Simulation Workshops.
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.
4. 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 (academic staff) 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/events/cfi/2023/01/31-igd-national-identity.shtml
   
   
2. Faculty Departmental Dialogues for academic units. These departmental dialogues are designed to do the following:
   • Create a set of common values, 
   • Assist the department with the creation of a diversity statement, 
   • Determine the diversity of curriculum and scholarship that is within the department (i.e., faculty will share what they are researching and teaching), and
   • 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

 4. The Center for Faculty Innovation provides resources to support faculty through their section on Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. In partnership with the Provost’s Office, JMU was able to sponsor an institutional membership with the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD). The NCFDD is an independent center that offers a wide range of resources to support the professional development and successful transitions of faculty, post-doctoral scholars, and doctoral students throughout their academic careers. The resources are broadly applicable across academic disciplines and include webinars/workshops on topics such as how to develop a daily writing plan, strategies for increasing research productivity, managing time more effectively, how to write grant proposals, and maintaining work-life balance. https://www.jmu.edu/faculty/faculty-success/national-center-for-faculty-development-and-diversity.shtml

 5. Each Shared Equity leader engages in workshops, trainings and programs designed to address cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities within their academic college. These are done on an annual basis to assist JMU in becoming more inclusive.

Non-Academic 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 17 years at JMU. The attendance at each conference over the past 4 years has averaged about 440 faculty and staff. https://www.jmu.edu/inclusion/iee/programs-and-events/diversity-conference/index.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

All Employee Cultural Competence Training Opportunities:

1.     JMU partnered with EVERFI to expand individual and collective employee knowledge in the areas of harassment and discrimination. Since October 2020, all current and new employees are required to complete an online training which includes the following content: recognizing, preventing, and intervening to address instances of any form of harassment and/or discrimination and important skills and resources to help foster a safe, inclusive, and healthy campus environment.  

*For the estimated proportion of both academic staff and non-academic staff that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities, "all" was selected because all employees are required to complete the harassment and discrimination training described above. https://www.jmu.edu/inclusion/title-ix/training-and-classes/index.shtml 

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

Updated information provided by Art Dean and entered by Amanda Bodle on February 23, 2024.