Michigan State University
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

"The Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives leads and supports efforts to advance a diverse and inclusive campus community, consistent with MSU's core values. The Office's website states its purpose plainly: "" The Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives serves as a gateway to the many programs and services that promote and support all aspects of diversity and inclusion at MSU."" In addition to providing leadership for university-wide initiatives on inclusive excellence, the office works with campus and community partners to: Design and deliver education and training for students, faculty, and staff Coordinate programs to celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. and Cesar E. Chavez Coordinate grants to promote and enhance diversity and inclusion on campus Coordinate scholarships for community-involved students Recognize through awards the efforts of Spartans to support an inclusive campus Conduct and support research on inclusion-related topics Monitor faculty and staff recruitment and hiring practices The Senior Advisor and Director of the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, Paulette Grandberry Russel, strives to create a community on campus that lifts up all individuals and brings the community together. Russell Is a tireless advocate for inclusion and equity, and she works hard to tie the events of the nation and the world into relevance at MSU. 1. MSU opened the Office for Civil Rights and Title IV. The office aims to educate the campus community on discrimination, harassment, and gender-based violence. The office serves as a resource for students to report discrimination, and it office is responsible for conducting investigations of every complaint. Through preventative education, the office will help MSU students and its broader community move forward. The Office of Civil Rights and Title IV desribes it's goal: ""[The Office] is responsible for leadership of MSU’s civil rights compliance and efforts to cultivate a campus community that is free of discrimination and harassment."" The vision of the office is to create a ""campus where classrooms, laboratories, and workplaces are free from discrimination, harassment, and all forms of gender-based violence."" https://civilrights.msu.edu/ 2. The Intercultural Education Network (IEN) was created to bring together faculty and staff members whose job responsibilities include designing, coordinating and implementing education and development opportunities relative to diversity and inclusion. The IEN collaboratively examines educational efforts that are intended to support inclusion at MSU and enhance cross-cultural understanding. The expectation of IEN is to enable members to gain awareness of the various educational programming activities offered across the university; evaluate tools designed to measure the effectiveness of intercultural education programs; and to share an understanding of the goals, outcomes and impact of these efforts within the MSU community. http://ien.inclusion.msu.edu/ 3. The Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives serves as an institutional focal point for promoting inclusion and diversity at Michigan State University. In addition to providing leadership and support for university-wide initiatives on inclusive excellence, a staff of experts work diligently to facilitate and support a campus environment that provides students, faculty, and staff with opportunities for excellence. http://inclusion.msu.edu 4. The Women’s Advisory Committee for Support Staff (WACSS) is an organization that advises the Executive Vice President for Administrative Services about issues that primarily affect women support staff. This group was formerly referred to as WACFO. Committee members represent support staff women from all employee groups across campus and at MSU’s off-campus locations in Michigan. https://adminsv.msu.edu/wacss/ 5. MSU's Cultural Engagement Council (CEC), the organizing body behind the Year of Arts and Culture, is composed of leaders of allied cultural units, outreach, and student life. The CEC strives to increase the visibility of campus cultural resources and facilitate expanded MSU cultural engagement among our students and across Michigan, nationally, and internationally. The CEC seeks to build among students and the community a common understanding of the importance of culture through new and innovative partnerships and collaborations; and to enhance teaching and research in all aspects of the study of culture. http://outreach.msu.edu/people/CEC.aspx 6. Michigan State University's commitment to institutional accessibility and diversity, and to the principle that all people matter, guides ongoing efforts to make the university community one that welcomes the contributions of all its members, including persons with disabilities. The President's Advisory Committee on Disability Issues was established in 1987 to ensure broad institutional input on matters relating to persons with disabilities of all characteristics at MSU. According to its Bylaws the Committee is responsible for advising the President on university policies, programs, and procedures affecting persons with disabilities in the university community. http://www.inclusion.msu.edu/campus-resources-programs/committee/index.html

"MSU hosts trainings for all staff onboarded at MSU. During the same review period, the declining number of Black/African American tenure system faculty is noted and is an area of concern. New initiatives launched in fall 2016 to support faculty include the efforts of the Academic Advancement Network (www.aan.msu.edu) and the Diversity Research Network (www.inclusion.msu.edu). Both provide strategic opportunities to thrive in academe, and are intended to increase the retention rate of all faculty, in particular women and faculty of color, at MSU. While those are groups emphasized, MSU's workshops and programs address bias on every level and provide appropriate training on how to overcome and deal with them. Diversity and Inclusion workshops for faculty, staff, and students: Introduction to Inclusion: Understanding and identifying stereotyping and labeling; self-identity and understanding. Introduction to Implicit Bias and Microaggressions: review of implicit bias, interactive workshops, understanding microagressions and how they manifest; learning appropriate reaction. Building an Inclusive Workplace: offered for all faculty and staff, learning benefits of inclusive workspaces, interacting through team-building and self awareness exercises. Disrupting Bias in the Academy: Discussion-based session on campus environment and learning how to identify personal biases and how to resolve them. Racial Literacy: Sessions discussing racial biases, reducing negative stress through engagement/negotiation in racial conflicts. Preparing for the Next Encounter: Interactive; participants witness or take part in variety of mock encounters, learn how to react and recognize them. Building an Inclusive Classroom: Learning to create an inclusive classroom by reducing bias, promoting dialogue, and designing curriculum. Reflection-based. Inclusive Leadership: leadership participation, studying implicit bias, overview of how it influences retention, recruitment, and success of workforce. Diversifying and Retaining Faculty and Staff: Strategies in retaining diverse faculty/staff and in the search process for new faculty/staff. Transforming Theatre Ensemble: An interactive theatrical performances on social issues. E-learning is also provided for all students on the above topics and issues. The Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives also hosts two different dialogue series every semester, one for staff and one for students, called MSU Dialogues. Topics are chosen a semester ahead, and the dialogues meet on a regular basis to discuss the topic and work through issues surrounding it. Implicit Bias certifications are also available. All workshops and E-learnings are available for all staff, faculty, and students. Upon hiring, all MSU employees are required to take a bias and harassment training module to address the existence of such issues and guide employees in navigating through them with appropriate behavior and responses.

In 2018, MSU opened up a new wing of counseling centers for students. The Hub at MSU also has its own diversity and student support division, and all new employees are presented with health and wellness information during onboarding. Please see the main page of the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives for additional information.