Overall Rating Bronze
Overall Score 34.83
Liaison Katie Wall
Submission Date March 24, 2022

STARS v2.2

Lees-McRae College
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.33 / 2.00 Charles Gibson
Chief Diversity Officer
Office of the President
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Part 1 

Does the institution have a diversity and equity committee, office, and/or officer tasked by the administration or governing body to advise on and implement policies, programs, and trainings related to diversity, equity, inclusion and human rights?:
Yes

Does the committee, office and/or officer focus on students, employees, or both?:
Both students and employees

None
A brief description of the diversity and equity committee, office and/or officer, including purview and activities:
Chief Diversity Officer; Office for Inclusive Excellence; Presidential Commission for Inclusive Excellence.

Presidential Commission for Inclusive Excellence (PCIE) is the college-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion committee. The PCIE will advise the president on DEI related issues, and be a thought partner in operationalizing the DEI strategic plan, Lux Montibus: The Framework for Inclusive Excellence.

Establishment of student-led organization, W.O.K.E., which provides a supportive group for students to learn, understand, and promote the experiences of different individuals and cultures represented at Lees-McRae College. International Food Fair. Weekly meetings and campus presence. Collaboration with other organizations with different backgrounds.

Part 2 

Estimated proportion of students that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
Some

Estimated proportion of academic staff that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
Some

Estimated proportion of non-academic staff that has participated in cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
Some

If trainings are made available, provide:

A brief description of the institution’s cultural competence, anti-oppression, anti-racism, and/or social inclusion trainings and activities:
Safe Zone (LGBTQIA+)
Green Zone (Veterans)
First Gen Forward (First Generation)

New Office of Diversity Inclusion Plans & Initiatives

Established the formation process for the first college-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) taskforce. It will be known as the Presidential Commission for Inclusive Excellence (PCIE). We hope to get everyone formally appointed by President King early next month.

Established the first college administrative DEI division. This unit is known as the Office for Inclusive Excellence (OIE). The OIE will provide leadership on all institutional DEI-related matters—working closely with the division of student affairs, the executive director of compliance and Title IX, and the director of institutional research.

Established the first college DEI strategic framework known as Lux Montibus: The Framework for Inclusive Excellence at Lees-McRae College. The PCIE will reference this framework to inform their work in providing DEI policy recommendations.

Drafted plans for new diversity webpage. The Office for Inclusive Excellence is working with the Office of Marketing and Communications to develop a strong cyber presence. The webpage should be live before the end of the Spring 2022 semester.

Administered the first college-wide inclusion and belonging survey. I worked with our exceptional Director of Institutional Research, Taylor Barry, to administer this survey, known as LUMINOSITY: The Inclusion & Belonging Survey at Lees-McRae College. Results were available during the last week of February and will be shared on the Office of Inclusive Excellence webpage soon. We hope more members of the community will participate in the survey over time.

Partnered with the Office of Marketing and Communications to develop a monthly newsletter to share updates and news, beginning with this March 2022 issue.

Optional Fields 

Website URL where information about the institution’s diversity and equity office or trainings is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
New and first ever DEI full-time staff member was recently hired.
https://www.lmc.edu/about/news-center/articles/2022/lees-mcrae-hires-charles-e.-gibson,-iii-as-inaugural-chief-diversity-officer.htm

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.