Michigan State University
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives guides and supports efforts to advance a diverse and inclusive campus community, consistent with MSU's core values. 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. 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 Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer works to advance MSU’s diversity, equity and inclusion strategic priorities along with staff in the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives (I3), and partnership among senior executives, deans, faculty, staff, students and alumni. This position, housed within the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives, reports directly to the president.

The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Steering Committee was established in December 2019 and was charged with creating a strategic framework centered on diversity, equity and inclusion. The university-wide DEI Plan was released in 2021.

Council of Diversity Deans (CODD) provides a cross-campus forum for Assistant and Associate Deans with college level responsibility for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Michigan State University. The Council provides recommendations for policies, procedures, and programs that strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion within the MSU community. The Council maintains a collaborative working relationship with the new Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer and helps inform the University’s overall action plan for DEI. CODD convenes monthly meetings to respond to DEI concerns at MSU as they arise, share DEI best practices and strategic initiatives, support one another, discuss climate issues, and other DEI concerns at MSU. CODD advocates for structural and policy change at the University, College and Unit levels.

MSU has multiple units that engage in DEI work, including: Office of Institutional Equity; Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions; The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center; Migrant Student Students; MOSAIC: Multicultural Unity Center; Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities; Student Veterans Resources; Office of the Ombudsperson; President's Advisory Committee on Disability Issues; Task Force on Racial Equity; Coalition of Racial and Ethnic Minorities; Diversity Research Network; Women's Advisory Committee for Support Staff; MSU Women of Color Community. For more information about these units and other programs and resources related to DEI, visit: https://inclusion.msu.edu/campus-resources/index.html.

MSU initiated a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Foundations online education program required to be completed by all students, faculty and staff in fall 2020. DEI Foundations is intended to heighten awareness and take a step toward ensuring all members of our community feel welcome, respected and included, which are prerequisites to offering an environment where all can succeed. This online program serves as a starting point for all students, trainees, faculty and staff members who can then engage in more nuanced learning around bias, DEI language and inclusive community building through the Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives. Students and employees receive an email notification alerting them to take the module and must complete it within 30 days. The training is accessed through MSU's internal training platform through the Office of Regulatory Affairs (https://ora.msu.edu/train/).

The Diversity & Inclusion eLearning module coordinated by Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives gives a general overview of diversity and inclusion at MSU, an introduction to basic terms and concepts, and a sense of how students can engage with each other more deeply at MSU. All undergraduate, first-year incoming students, and transfer students are required to complete the eLearning, which includes a series of videos and self-assessments. The e-learning takes approximately 30-45 minutes to complete. Members of the MSU community interested in viewing the videos associated with the e-learning initiative can access them at https://inclusion.msu.edu/education/inclusion-elearning.html. Learning assessment questions are available upon request.

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.

The Office for Inclusion and Intercultural Initiatives also has a robust offering of in-person, hybrid and virtual workshops, seminars and innovative programs throughout the year to support continued growth and proficiency in DEI principles and practices. For example, the Office hosts two different dialogue series every semester, one for staff and one for students, called MSU Dialogues. MSU Dialogues is an intergroup dialogue program for students, faculty and staff at Michigan State. It is a face-to-face learning experience that brings together people from different identity groups over a sustained period of time to: Understand our commonalities and differences; Examine the nature and impact of societal inequalities; Explore ways of working together toward greater equity and justice; and Prepare individuals to live, work, and lead in a complex, diverse society. https://inclusion.msu.edu/education/intercultural-dialogue1.html

The Office also coordinates the Understanding Implicit Bias Certification Program. The certificate program is offered entirely online and consists of five modules: (1) Why Talk About Race? Systemic Racism in the US Context; (2) Inclusive Environments; (3) Identity; (4) Implicit Bias and Microaggressions; and (5) Taking Action. https://inclusion.msu.edu/education/understanding-implicit-bias-certification-program.html

The Office also coordinates the Anti-Racist Path: Series for dialogue, skill-building, and action. Participants apply to participate in this twelve-week series in three Stepping Stones. The first stone is focused on increasing our knowledge of structural, organizational, interpersonal, and personal racism and how they function in our lives. The second stone introduces participants to key emotional resilience skills that will help individuals stay on the anti-racist path even when it is painful, difficult, and challenging. In the third stone, participants practice interventions and write a plan for our personal anti-racist journeys going forward. https://inclusion.msu.edu/education/Resources.html

Refer to additional opportunities below and for details, visit https://inclusion.msu.edu/education/diversity-and-inclusion-workshops.html.
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.
Incorporating Dialogue into the Workplace: Learning skills that are foundational to engaging in dialogue across difference

RHS offers tailored diversity and inclusion trainings that are specifically tailored to meet the needs of a requesting RHS team. In addition, RHS collaborated with other university units to offer Queer Inclusive Learning and Leadership (QuILL) trainings. https://rhs.msu.edu/news/our-pledge-and-promise-diversity-and-inclusion-equity-and-social-justice

Infrastructure Planning and Facilities (IPF) launched customized unit-wide cultural competency training to build cultural awareness and inclusiveness skills among staff in summer 2020. More than 60 trainings were held with a total of 652 employees in attendance. According to a representative sample of survey respondents, the training proved beneficial and useful, with CARES (Communication, Appreciation, Respect, Empathy and Sensitivity) being one of the most beneficial topics to their jobs. The training has been embedded as part of the unit’s onboarding process for new hires. Additionally, the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) is leveraged by IPF’s IDI Qualified Administrator with the executive leadership team to measure intercultural competency and learning outcomes on both a group and individual level to support development plan efforts. This assessment tool provides a customized intercultural development plan and is offered as a voluntary effort to unit staff.