Draft Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence for CECAS (CLEMSON UNIVERSITY)

Draft Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence for CECAS CECAS Mission for Inclusive Excellence CECAS is committed to Clemson University’s mission to educate “undergraduate and graduate students to think deeply about and engage in the social, scientific, economic and professional challenges of our times” as well as to provide an environment supportive of “the personal growth of the individual” and “good decision making, healthy and ethical lifestyles, and tolerance and respect for others” among the students, staff, and faculty of CECAS. CECAS is committed to inclusive excellence and support for the ClemsonForward Plan and its ten-year aspirational targets.

CECAS Vision for Inclusive Excellence Develop and maintain an inclusive mindset and culture that cultivates the values of and supports diversity within CECAS for the faculty, staff, and student body.

Foster a student body and graduate successful students that reflect the demographics of the State of South Carolina.

Process for Development of the CECAS Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan The process began in the summer of 2017 when Dean Gramopadhye appointed a taskforce consisting of associate deans, department chairs, and directors of CECAS programs. They were given the charge to develop short- and long-term strategies for improving the climate and culture surrounding inclusion and diversity within CECAS. The taskforce developed the vision above based on the data gathered about the demographics of the student body, staff, and faculty. Next the dean formed a working group in the spring 2018 to begin the process of creating a strategic plan to fulfill the vision. The working group recommended the creation of a CECAS standing committee and the hiring of an associate dean who together with the committee would have a charge of working towards fulfilling the vision. Simultaneously, an effort was underway at the university level to develop a strategic plan that addresses the ClemsonForward targets for inclusion. An ad hoc committee was formed to work with the university level effort. Details such as the composition of the various groups is available in the Appendix and notes from those meetings are available by contacting Cindy Lee (LC@clemson.edu) or the Dean’s Office.

The next step in the process is to vet the draft strategic plan with the faculty, staff, and representatives from the student body. (Note that for purposes of this review process, post-doctoral associates are considered faculty and will be included in the request for feedback.) Input will be gathered from these stakeholders and incorporated in a plan that will be submitted to the university at the end of March 2019.

Note that the strategic plan will be a living document. As CECAS gains experience with the efforts to fulfill the vision, updates to the strategic plan, especially the metrics that are derived to measure progress, will occur. An amendment to the CECAS by-laws will be submitted for vote at the college faculty meeting to create a standing committee with representation from the CECAS faculty, staff, and students to begin the process of implementing the strategic plan.

“All-In” Focus Areas Objectives 1

At the university level, the college plan administrators agreed to include the “All-In” Focus Areas in all the college strategic plans for inclusive excellence. The complete list of Focus Areas is available in the Appendix. 

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Recruitment of underrepresented students Undergraduate Students: Improve CECAS recruiting practices to increase the applications of underrepresented students by three times (compared to 2018 results) with the result of increased enrollment of underrepresented students by two times the 2018 enrollment.

Graduate Students: Improve CECAS recruiting practices to increase the applications of women to an average enrollment of 35% and underrepresented students to an average enrollment of 15% in the college.

Retention of underrepresented students Undergraduate Students: Retain 100% of the in-coming first year class of undergraduate students into their second year in CECAS majors and graduate 100% within 6 years.

Graduate Students: Retain 100% of graduate students who pass their comprehensive exams.

Recruitment of underrepresented faculty and staff Faculty: All CECAS faculty (instructional plus research faculty) will meet the percentages of women and underrepresented minorities as of the 2016 averages for their specific disciplines within five years and by 2026 will exceed those averages.

Staff: Double the number of staff who identify as underrepresented minorities, African American, Hispanic, Native American, Pacific Islander, or 2+ races (excluding Asian-White), in full-time FTE and Temporary/Time limited positions (as of 2016 count) by 2026.

Retention of underrepresented faculty and staff Faculty and Staff: Zero departures of faculty and staff due to climate or cultural reasons.

Recruitment of underrepresented university leaders CECAS will ensure a large slate (50%) of diverse potential candidates for any leadership positions such as dean, associate dean, department chair, or school director.

Retention of underrepresented university leaders Zero departures of college level leaders due to climate or cultural reasons.

Inclusive institutional policies, practices and procedures CECAS will advocate for academic/university policies that promote inclusive excellence and model its policies, practices and procedures to reflect inclusive excellence.

Intercultural competence of students CECAS will institute mandatory training for graduate and undergraduate students with pre- and post-testing.

Intercultural competence of faculty and staff CECAS will institute mandatory training for CECAS faculty and staff with pre- and post-testing.

Communication to campus regarding efforts geared towards inclusive excellence CECAS will maintain communications to the public; prospective students, faculty, and staff; and current students, faculty, and staff that reflect inclusive excellence.

Diverse course offerings CECAS will encourage and support course content that reveals the diverse contributions to knowledge in engineering, computing and applied sciences; and applications of knowledge that affects diverse populations.

Diverse curricular experiences

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CECAS will encourage and support course offerings (e.g., study-abroad, project-based learning, and more) and extra-curricular activities (e.g., service-learning, cultural exchanges, and more) that promote diverse experiences.

CECAS Specific Focus Areas The following goals were developed by the ad hoc committee from Focus Areas that not all colleges and libraries are including in their plans. 

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Research involving underrepresented / underserved populations CECAS will encourage and support research by undergraduate and graduate students and faculty that includes underrepresented groups as well as research that focuses on knowledge generation and application that benefit underrepresented groups.

Inclusive facilities CECAS will advocate for facilities that meet the needs of all its students, faculty, and staff and that promote an inclusive environment.

Culture of support for diversity and inclusion CECAS will encourage and support a college-wide culture that promotes a climate conducive to equity, inclusion, and diversity.

To Provide Feedback on the draft of the CECAS Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence See URL HERE to post comments, questions, suggestions, and concerns for the committee to consider in the final version of the plan.

Thank you for taking the time to read and provide input on an important initiative for CECAS and Clemson University.

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Appendix to CECAS Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence

Taskforce and Committee Members

CECAS Taskforce on Inclusion and Diversity 2017

Cindy Lee, Chair (ESED)

Doug Hirt (ADRGS)

Regina Taylor (Dean’s Office)

Serita Acker (PEER/WISE)

Eileen Kraemer (SoC)

Joe Watkins (GE)

Sez Atamturktur (ADVANCE)

Alex McCafferty (AuE)

Raj Bordia (MSE)

Dan Noneaker (ECE)

David Bruce (ChBE)

Brad Putman (ADUGS)

Richard Figliola (ME)

Rajendra Singh (ECE)

Zoran Filipi (AuE)

Cole Smith (IE)

David Freedman (EEES)

Josh Summers (ME)

Ad hoc Committee on Inclusion and Equity Spring 2018 The members of the ad hoc committee were Mandolin Bright (student services coordinator, General Engineering/Engineering & Science Education), Jordon Gilmore (assistant professor, Bioengineering), Cindy Lee (cochair, department chair Engineering & Science Education), David Neyens (assistant professor, Industrial Engineering), Serita Aker (director of PEER & WISE), Tonyia Stewart (assistant director of graduate studies and postdoctoral affairs), Joshua Summers (co-chair, professor of Mechanical Engineering).

Ad hoc Committee for Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence Fall 2018 Cindy Lee (co-chair, ESED)

Joshua Summers (co-chair, ME)

Serita Aker (director of PEER & WISE)

Martine LaBerge (BE)

Kelly Collins (CECAS Chief of Staff) David Neyens (IE)

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List of University Focus Areas for Inclusive Excellence

Strategic Priorities and Focus Areas

Description

Climate and Infrastructure

Creating academic, work and living environments that effectively support the success of all faculty, staff and students.

Inclusive curricular practices

Curricular practices that seek to provide a welcoming and inclusive environment that's conducive to learning for people from diverse backgrounds, identities, cultures and abilities.

Inclusive institutional practices, policies and procedures Institutional practices, policies and procedures that are inclusive of people from diverse backgrounds, identities, cultures and abilities.

Inclusive facilities

Facilities that are designed to be welcoming and inclusive spaces for people from diverse backgrounds, identities, cultures and abilities.

Inclusive marketing and branding efforts

Marketing and branding efforts that feature people from diverse backgrounds, identities, cultures and abilities as well as highlight diverse university experiences.

Support services for underrepresented / underservedProviding support services to ensure all students, faculty and populations staff have an opportunity to be successful, especially members of underrepresented / underserved populations.

Recognizing the contributions of people from diverseRecognizing faculty, staff, students, alumni and community populations members from diverse populations for their contributions to, and successes at, the university. This includes naming opportunities.

Communication to the campus regarding efforts geared Providing consistent and timely information to university towards inclusive excellence stakeholders regarding university programs, activities, and initiatives geared towards diversity, equity and inclusion.

Inclusive development / fundraising practices

Development / fundraising practices that include members of diverse populations as well as highlight giving opportunities of interest to diverse populations.

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Strategic Priorities and Focus Areas

Description

Education and Training

Education and training experiences to build cultural competencies across the organization.

Diverse course offerings

Course offerings that better reflect the diversity of the student body and/or appeal to people from backgrounds, identities, cultures and abilities.

Diverse curricular experiences for students

Curricular experiences that increase the knowledge level and engagement of our students around diverse issues and cultures.

Diverse co-curricular experiences for students

Co-curricular experiences that increase the knowledge level and engagement of our students around diverse issues and cultures.

Intercultural competence of students

Education and training for students that serves to increase the range of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills that lead to effective and appropriate communication with people of other cultures.

Intercultural competence of faculty and staff

Education and training for faculty and staff that serves to increase the range of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills that lead to effective and appropriate communication with people of other cultures.

Leadership Support and Development

Top-down support for diversity and inclusion and the creation of a pipeline of culturally competent academic leaders.

Intercultural competence of leaders

Education and training for university leaders that serves to increase the range of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills that lead to effective and appropriate communication with people of other cultures.

Culture of support for diversity and inclusion

Visible, fiscal and proactive support from the university administration for efforts to create a more diverse and inclusive environment at the university.

Leadership development opportunities for underrepresented populations

Providing opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds, identities, cultures and abilities to develop and assume leadership roles at the university.

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Strategic Priorities and Focus Areas

Description

Recruitment and Retention

Active and aggressive recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty, staff and student body.

Recruitment of underrepresented students

Recruitment efforts designed for students from populations that have been identified as underrepresented.

Recruitment of underrepresented faculty and staff Recruitment efforts designed for faculty and staff from populations that have been identified as underrepresented.

Recruitment of underrepresented university leaders Recruitment efforts designed for university leaders from populations that have been identified as underrepresented.

Retention of underrepresented students

Retention efforts designed for students from populations that have been identified as underrepresented.

Retention of underrepresented faculty and staff

Retention efforts designed for faculty and staff from populations that have been identified as underrepresented.

Retention of underrepresented university leaders

Retention efforts designed for university leaders from populations that have been identified as underrepresented.

Research and Scholarship

Building and enhancing opportunities for research and scholarship in diversity-related fields.

Research involving underrepresented/underserved Research geared towards populations that have been populations historically underrepresented and/or underserved, with special attention paid to the residents of South Carolina in support of Clemson's land grant mission.

Research and share the complete history of ClemsonUtilizing with an interdisciplinary approach and diverse research regard to diverse populations teams to research and share the complete history of Clemson as it relates to diverse populations.

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Strategic Priorities and Focus Areas

Description

Strategic Partnerships

Building and supporting strategic partnerships that respect diversity, include diverse groups, and support the advancement of diversity and inclusion for both.

Minority, women, and veterans business participation Contracting with minority, women and veteran-owned businesses whenever possible for needed goods and services.

Diversity of representation on alumni/advisory boards Ensuring representation on alumni and advisory boards from people from diverse backgrounds, identities, cultures and abilities.

Improving the plight of underserved communities in Initiatives the that are designed to identify and address state/region inequities impacting underserved communities throughout the state and region.

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