Pennsylvania State University
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Penn State Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusive Excellence:
"The Pennsylvania State University is committed to and accountable for advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all of its forms. We embrace individual uniqueness, foster a culture of inclusive excellence that supports both broad and specific diversity initiatives, leverage the educational and institutional benefits of diversity, and engage all individuals to help them thrive. We value inclusive excellence as a core strength and an essential element of our public service mission."

The full statement can be found here: http://equity.psu.edu/psu-diversity-statement
Penn State has a formal policy prohibiting intolerance, AD29 Statement on Intolerance. http://guru.psu.edu/policies/AD29.html

"Penn State's Protocol for Responding to Bias Motivated Incidents" outlines detailed procedures, points of contact, and resources for response by either the targeted individual, or by a campus-designated support person responding on the targeted individual's behalf. http://equity.psu.edu/reportbias/reports/protocol-for-responding-to-bias-motivated-incidents/view

The protocol is posted on a website "Report Bias", managed by the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity. The website provides students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests with a Penn State User ID with a web form for reporting acts of hate or intolerance that occur at Penn State. A Statement of Confidentiality and instructions for alternative means of submitting a report through the Lion Support Help Line are also included. Incidents are reported to the Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity, the Campus Environment Team, and the MRC Counselor/Diversity Advocate for Students. http://equity.psu.edu/reportbias
An archive of bias-motivated incident reports is maintained here: http://equity.psu.edu/reportbias/bias-report-archive
On August 14, 2020 a policy was put in place to address regulation amendments. The policy details specific procedural requirements to address complaints of sexual harassment as defined under Title IX. https://affirmativeaction.psu.edu/files/2020/08/New-PSU-TITLE-IX-Policy2.pdf

Penn State supports a number of programs aimed at recruiting students from underrepresented groups.

The Council of College Multicultural Leadership is primarily responsible for leading the efforts to recruit and retain a diverse student body within the academic colleges and the Graduate School. They assist in advising and developing their respective College's diversity strategies.

The Student Minority Advisory and Recruitment Team (SMART) was founded in 1988 by 17 undergraduate students, with the goal of sharing the success of underrepresented students at Penn State and assisting with the recruitment of ethnic minorities.

The Comprehensive Studies Program is an equal opportunity higher education program funded by Penn State. The program provides access and retention to Pennsylvania students displaying high academic potential, who also meet economic criteria and who may be the first in their family to attend college. http://equity.psu.edu/mrc/csp

Penn State participates in many of the Federal TRIO Programs, which are outreach and student services programs designed to identify and assist low-income individuals, first-generation college students, and individuals with disabilities to progress through the academic pipeline from middle school to post-baccalaureate education. The TRIO programs include: Educational Opportunity Center (targeting adult learners); Talent Search; Upward Bound; Upward Bound Math and Science; and Upward Bound Migrant. http://equity.psu.edu/units-and-programs

The Penn State Millennium Scholars Program is open to academically strong high school seniors whose future plans include pursuing a doctoral degree in science or engineering, and to increasing the diversity of researchers in science and engineering. http://www.millennium.psu.edu/

The McNair Post-baccalaureate Achievement Program is designed to help academically talented students from traditionally underserved backgrounds reach their potential by earning a doctoral degree. https://gradschool.psu.edu/diversity/mcnair/

The following relate to Penn State's strategies for recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce:

Human Resources provides a presentation, Innovative Recruiting Strategies for Diversity Presentation, on their website https://hr.psu.edu/hr-professional
The Affirmative Action Office's Searches and Recruitment page provides information for academic search procedures to ensure that diversity is considered in the candidate field. There are also links to recruitment resources and diversity workforce guidelines. https://affirmativeaction.psu.edu/welcome/recruitment-searches/academic-search-procedures/tools

Penn State's Administrative Fellows Program provides professional development opportunities for faculty and staff that are designed to allow the participants to become more effective in their existing positions within the University and to provide a foundation for them to excel in future, higher-level jobs. Women and members of underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply. The program has proven valuable in increasing the availability of qualified women and minorities interested in pursuing careers in university administration.

The President's Opportunity Fund supports initiatives that increase new faculty hires from diverse racial/ethnic groups and women faculty.

Finance & Business has its own Strategic Priority Team for Advancing Diversity & Inclusion among staff in F&B. The team is led by the F&B Director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. One of its goals is to recruit and retain a racially/ethnically diverse workforce.

Penn State sponsors a plethora of programs, offices, and centers that support underrepresented groups, in addition to the key coordinating bodies described in Credit PA-1. A list of most of these programs can be found at: http://equity.psu.edu/diversity-resources and https://gradschool.psu.edu/diversity/resources-and-related-sites/ Some examples are provided below.
College Multicultural Programs: Each University Park-based college has a college multicultural office that provides support for underrepresented/underserved students within their college. http://equity.psu.edu/council-of-college-multicultural-leadership
The Office of Scholars Programs (Educational Equity) manages four programs that have the broad and shared goal to enhance inclusion efforts at Penn State, and provide support to underrepresented and underserved students.
http://equity.psu.edu/scholars-programs
Office for Disability Services provides services to students with disabilities at University Park and acts in an advisory capacity to the Disability Contact Liaisons at other Penn State locations. http://www.equity.psu.edu/ods/
The Multicultural Resource Center (MRC) provides undergraduate students of color at University Park with academic and personal support. Within the MRC are the Comprehensive Studies Program (CSP), Asian American Students In Action (AASIA), Blends of Traditional Heritages (B.O.T.H.), and the Black Male Empowerment Group.
http://equity.psu.edu/mrc
Office of Veterans Programs Office of Veterans Programs is a comprehensive, direct service unit for veterans and Department of Veterans Affairs benefits recipients. http://www.equity.psu.edu/veterans
The Commission for Adult Learners is composed of faculty, staff, and students from several University locations, dedicated to improving the adult learner experience at Penn State. http://cal.psu.edu/
Penn State’s Gender Equity Center (GenEq) supports students who have been impacted by sexual violence, relationship violence, stalking, harassment, and other campus climate issues through providing education, advocacy, referrals, and crisis intervention/support counseling. https://studentaffairs.psu.edu/genderequity
The Paul Robeson Cultural Center provides programs and services that encourage the appreciation of the diverse perspectives, experiences, and cultures of many under-represented communities that comprise the student, faculty, staff, and community population of University Park and State College, Pennsylvania. http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/cultural/
The Center for Ethics and Religious Affairs offers a welcoming, safe, inclusive environment for the Penn State community to explore a multitude of faith traditions in a compassionate, open-minded setting. http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/spiritual/

Specifically for employees:
The Office of the Vice Provost for Educational Equity has created a Faculty Pathway website with new resources for supporting faculty members from underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds – including a new faculty tenure and promotion resource, a mentorship resource clearinghouse, Multicultural Faculty Development Support Funds and a Mid-Career Faculty Advancement Program. http://equity.psu.edu/faculty-pathway-sfm
The Senior Faculty Mentor program provides a variety of supportive services to tenure track faculty members belonging to underrepresented racial/ethnic groups to facilitate attainment of tenure and promotion. http://equity.psu.edu/sfm
The Affirmative Action Office serves as a resource in promoting and furthering the University’s commitment to equal opportunity and diversity. The office works to support the University’s strategic goal of respect and its efforts to advance a diverse and inclusive campus community. https://affirmativeaction.psu.edu/
A variety of programs are supported by the Equal Opportunity Planning Committee (EOPC), whose primary task is overseeing the allocation of institutional funding to Penn State units for developing and implementing programs and activities intended to advance the diversity mission of the University. http://equity.psu.edu/eopc

Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) is an eight-week research program designed to interest talented undergraduate students from underrepresented groups in academic careers and to enhance their preparation for graduate study through intensive research experiences with faculty mentors. https://gradschool.psu.edu/diversity/srop/
The Penn State Sloan Scholars program provides funding for underrepresented students to pursue doctorates in mathematics, science, and engineering. Faculty members who have proven track records in graduating underrepresented students from their doctoral programs are selected each year to mentor incoming fellows. https://gradschool.psu.edu/diversity/sloanscholars/
The McNair Scholars Program is designed to help prepare talented undergraduates to enter graduate school and to receive their doctoral degree. https://gradschool.psu.edu/diversity/mcnair/
The Penn State Millennium Scholars Program is open to academically strong high school seniors whose future plans include pursuing a doctoral degree in science or engineering, to increase the diversity of researchers in science and engineering.

The Office of Graduate Educational Equity Programs in concert with the Graduate School and the academic colleges sponsor professional development opportunities for underrepresented graduate students, which address issues that can serve as barriers to students’ academic success. https://gradschool.psu.edu/diversity/prodev/
The Council of College Multicultural Leadership (CCML) is comprised of the Multicultural Directors/Deans of the eleven academic colleges and the Senior Director of the Office of Graduate Educational Equity Programs, at University Park. These individuals are primarily responsible for leading the efforts to recruit and retain a diverse student body within the colleges and the Graduate School.

In mid-2020, Penn State President Eric J. Barron announced a number of initiatives to address racism, bias and community safety, and to advance meaningful change. https://actiontogether.psu.edu/ongoing-initiatives
In addition, the "All In at Penn State: A Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion" initiative, launched in October 2016, has been an ongoing commitment to spotlight the importance of diversity at Penn State, demonstrate the University’s commitment to inclusivity and inspire all members of the community to take an active role in promoting respect and embracing diversity. Accomplishments of the initiative are highlighted here: https://sites.psu.edu/allin/all-in-accomplishments/