University of Texas at El Paso
PA-5: Assessing Diversity and Equity

There are multiple levels of assessment. The Center for Institutional Evaluation, Research and Planning (CIERP) assesses diversity trends for students (gender and ethnicity by department, college and university) and faculty (gender and ethnicity by rank and teaching load, for all departments, college and university) every semester (last assessment - Fall 2013). Any major issues associated with diversity trends are communicated to the President and other senior administrators. UTEP also participates annually in the Great Colleges to Work For Survey, which specifically asks questions related to job satisfaction/support, teaching environment, professional development, compensation, benefits and work/life balance, facilities, policies, resources and efficiency, shared governance, and pride in institution (last assessment – Spring 2013). The President's Advisory Group on Diversity also monitors the campus climate to foster and model a campus environment that is welcoming, accessible and inclusive to all students, faculty, staff and visitors.

Every year, UTEP facilitates “Survey Week,” which includes surveys on the undergraduate and graduate campus experience, athletics, student affairs customer service and undergraduate studies customer service. Specific questions related to diversity include:
a. “How adequately has UTEP contributed to your ability to do each of the following?: Understand and respect differences among people, Understand US/Mexico border issues, Understand life in a multicultural/multilingual/multinational region.”
b. “To what degree do each of the following groups provide opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students to interact with individuals from backgrounds and cultures different from their own?: Faculty/staff at UTEP, Other students at UTEP, Individuals at UTEP.”
c. “To what degree does UTEP intentionally structure student experiences to increase understanding, appreciation and respect for diverse ideas and world views?”

Survey Week was last conducted in 2013, and it has followed this format for the past 6 years. Departments share the data received with the student body and make appropriate changes/modifications based on the findings. Examples include the creation a new position directly related to inclusion efforts at UTEP, new programming in the SELC area related to inclusion, a bolstering of the Rainbow Miner Initiative which is dedicated to supporting the LGBT community at UTEP, the establishment of Ability Awareness Week, enhanced/additional workshops related to supporting students with disabilities, the creation of a graduate assistant position in the Office of International Programs to support intercultural education and programming, and the anticipated launch of the Global Fellows Program in our new residence hall which will open in Fall 2015.

CIERP had created state-of-the-art tools to track the enrollment, retention, progress and success of students by race, ethnicity and gender, and the Center undertakes comprehensive analysis of progress using internal tools and external reports, including Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board’s Annual Accountability Report (last assessment – December 2013), THECB’s Closing the Gaps Analysis (last assessment – Spring 2013), US Department of Education IPEDS Analysis (last assessment – February 2014), and UT System Dashboard (last assessment – Fall 2013). In addition, CIERP completed two major studies of student success funded by Lumina Foundation (2005-2008 and 2009-2012) to identify predictors of success (retention and graduation); gender and ethnicity were considered in this this analysis. The insights from these assessments have shaped institutional policy and actions related to students success. The impact of these efforts are significant: undergraduate degrees awarded increased by 54% between 2004 and 2011, which places the institution in the 97th percentile, compared to 2700 baccalaureate-awarding institutions in the country. UTEP is one of the top universities in awarding degrees to minority students and is listed among the top institutions by the magazines Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education and Diverse Issues in Higher Education.

The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is committed to equal opportunity principles which are applied to all aspects of employment including recruitment, promotion, compensation, benefits, and training. The University of Texas at El Paso performs in-depth analysis of its total employment process to determine if there are areas where minority and/or female groups may face impediments to equal opportunity.

Employee diversity and employment equity assessments:
• Equal Opportunity Policy, reviewed annually.
• Establishment of Responsibilities for Implementing of the Written Affirmative
Action Program; designated office: Equal Opportunity Office.
• UTEP’s Written Affirmative Action Program identifies goals for the institution
(annually/FY 2013-2014):
o Identify Placement Goals
o Review of accomplishments of prior year placement goals
o Development and execution of action-oriented programs
o Internal Review and Reporting System

Women and members of underrepresented groups are well represented in leadership positions on campus; fifty percent of the vice presidents and fifty percent of deans are women or members of underrepresented groups. Additionally, a central focus of UTEP’s mission is to serve the mostly Hispanic El Paso region. UTEP’s student body currently reflects demographics of the region; this is the result of deliberate efforts over the last twenty five years. UTEP has established a tradition of engaging the region in shaping its future. As an example, President Natalicio convened 100 UTEP alumni, friends, and supporters to think strategically about the institution’s future as members of the Centennial Commission. This very diverse group, chaired by alumni Larry K. Durham and Philip Martinez, was charged with exploring topics of special relevance to UTEP’s mission. The feedback from the Commission has shaped UTEP’s plan documents, including the Strategic Plan (produced in 2007) and the Strategic Plan for Research (2010). In addition, all UTEP colleges have advisory groups, comprised of diverse alumni and supporters, who also provide feedback and strategic guidance to the deans.

Additional websites where information is available:

CIERP: http://irp.utep.edu/Default.aspx?alias=irp.utep.edu/cierp

Centennial Commission: http://ia.utep.edu/Default.aspx?alias=ia.utep.edu/centennialcommission

President’s welcome: http://www.utep.edu/aboututep/presidentswelcome.aspx

Diverse Issues in Higher Education: http://diverseeducation.com/top100/

The Hispanic Outlook in Higher Education Magazine: http://www.hispanicoutlook.com/top-100-schools/