Portland State University
PAE-6: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The mission of the Diversity Action Council(DAC) is to work towards the goals of the Diversity Action Plan. The DAC meets in retreat every June to review progress made over the past year and formulate specific goals for the coming academic year. We are guided in our work by the vision statement shown below. The DAC engages in diversity planning and advises the university President, by way of his Chief Diversity officer on matters of concern to its members­­­.

Members of DAC were appointed by by the President, as they were founded as part of his Diversity Initiative, and represented a healthy cross section of faculty, staff, and students from all corners of campus that also had an interest in and commitment to enhancing diversity and the educational enhancement that it encourages. Currently, under the newly appointed Chief Diversity Officer, DAC membership is in the process of being expanded to require representation from every practical entity across campus. To see current membership go to: http://www.pdx.edu/diversity/diversity-action-council-members-2009-2010

The Office of Diversity and Equity is now housed in the Office of Diversity & Inclusion (ODI)alongside the Office of Equity & Compliance. It is now called the Office of Diversity Advocacy (ODA). The ODI's mission is to create a university learning environment that celebrates diversity, builds partnerships, promotes equity, and provides support to enhance the successes of the campus community. It's vision is to promote the value of diversity and the recognition that it enriches our campus community by supporting and enhancing an inclusive and culturally respectful university environment. Under the guidance and with the support of the ODI, the ODA offers support, information, and advice to the many Portland State people who work to make our campus a welcoming place for everyone. ODA plays an increasingly important role in student, faculty, and staff recruitment and retention. Regarding Faculty, employees in the ODA act as, and train Search Advisors. Search Advisors offer education, advice, and support in diversity recruitment/retention best practices efforts geared at attracting a qualified diverse applicant pool. Historically, the ODA was advised by and provided support to the Diversity Action Council (DAC), a group of faculty, staff, and students from all corners of campus appointed by the President. The DAC engages in diversity planning and advises the university president on matters of concern to its members­­­. Through working with the DAC, the ODE gained a wider frame of reference and benefits from a diversity of insight and opinion. Now the ODA works directly with the Chief Diversity Officer and is supported by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion.

On September 1, 2010, Jilma Meneses (HEEL-ma ME-ne-sis) was appointed as the new Chief Diversity Officer (CDO) at PSU. The CDO oversee the Office of Diversity & Inclusion, the Office of Diversity Advocacy, and the Office of Equity and Compliance. The CDO is committed to building partnerships with external and internal stakeholders to help with diversity efforts that relate to five overarching categories: (1) Students (Admissions, Financial Aid, Scholarships, Internationalization, University Relations, Support, Retention); (2) Faculty Recruitment & Retention (Search Committees, incentives); (3) Employee R&R (Searches, HRIS, AAP); (4) Compliance (develop mandatory Online-Training, Investigations); and (5) Community (outreach, partner with Chamberss, School districts, Alumni, Local community organizations, Foreign universities, Nations). In the short term the CDO has taken inventory of the needs of PSU, and started developing and implementing recruitment and retention plans for students, faculty,, staff and employees from under-served or historically discriminated populations. Her long term goals include: Preparing and implementing a revised university wide Diversity Action Plan, Connecting existing programs and services, and developing new initiatives. (Source: http://www.pdx.edu/news/jilma-meneses-joins-portland-state-university-leadership-as-new-chief-diversity-officer Additionally, the Office of Diversity Advocacy has a Community Liaison that focuses on training and outreach. He develops and implements diversity training programs on campus primarily for faculty and staff, though professors sometimes request training for students in the classroom. The Coordinator also oversees the Diversity Advocacy Search Advisors for search committees. Each search committee (for new faculty) is assigned a Search Advisor which gives tips on how to broaden the applicant pool, such as ad placement and writing, and seeks to improve retention of hired faculty. He also oversees the newly implemented Student-to-Student Outreach, where current PSU students go into the local area high schools and discuss why they, despite racial, social, or economic oppression decided to pursue higher education and how PSU is supporting them in their efforts to better themselves. The coordinator also serves on the Diversity Action Council as a permanent member.