Ithaca College

Diversity Strategic Plan

2010-2015

Submitted by: The Diversity Strategic Planning Committee (August, 2010)

In September, 2009, President Tom Rochon formed the Diversity Strategic Planning Committee with the charge to develop a strategic plan for Ithaca College that will focus and guide the institution’s diversity efforts over the next five years (2010-2015). The President asked that the strategic plan inform the campus community that diversity is a core value of the College. The plan should also identify the specific commitments we propose to act upon in the coming five years in order to make substantial progress towards identified diversity objectives.

The Committee included the following members as appointed by President Rochon:

  • Brian McAree, Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Life, Chair
  • Traevena Byrd, Associate Counsel and Director of Equal Opportunity Compliance
  • Mark Coldren, Associate Vice President for Human Resources
  • Sue DuBrava, Administrative Assistant in Residential Life and Chair of the Staff Council
  • Jeff Goodwin, Class of 2010 and President of the Student Government Association
  • Carol Henderson, Associate Provost for Academic Policy and Administration
  • Leslie Lewis, Dean of the School of Humanities and Sciences
  • Annette Levine, Assistant Professor and Chair of the Diversity Awareness Committee
  • Roger Richardson, Associate Vice President for Academic andStudent Affairs/Dean for the First Year Experience, and Chair of the President's Advisory Committee on Diversity
  • Tanya Saunders, Dean of the Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies
  • Stan Seltzer, Associate Professor and Chair of the Faculty Council
  • Gerard Turbide, Director of Admission

Committee members were chosen because of the important roles they play on campus, the broad and informed perspectives they could provide related to the College’s past diversity efforts, their knowledge of the institution, and their interest in moving the College forward in its commitment to diversity.

The Committee began its work on October 1, 2009 and met bi-weekly throughout the academic year, and weekly through the summer of 2010 to complete its charge. The Committee was informed in its work by the College’s Institutional Plan (2001), the Ithaca College Student Campus Climate Survey (Spring, 2004), the Presidential Task Force on Diversity Final Report (May, 2005), the summary grid of College-wide Diversity Initiatives (developed in Fall, 2005), the College’s Bridge Plan (June, 2008), and the President’s Advisory Committee on Diversity Summary Report (August, 2009).

The Committee also held a campus-wide Diversity Listening Session on January 25, 2010 (the first day of the Spring Semester, and the first day of the College’s MLK Week Celebration) which was designed to provide students, faculty, and staff the opportunity to share their views on critical diversity-related issues that the College is facing at the present time. President Rochon moderated the session, and members of the Diversity Strategic Planning Committee, President’s Advisory Committee on Diversity, and the Diversity Awareness Committee were present. The session also allowed the Committee to hear from the campus community to help us in our important work. The thoughts shared by those present were very informative for the Committee and assisted us in developing the recommendations which constitute the proposed Diversity Strategic Plan.

As the Committee began its work, we examined how and where Ithaca College articulates its commitment to diversity as a core value. Diversity is a key component of the College’s Guiding Principles. In addition, the commitment of the College to “attracting a diverse body of students, faculty, and staff” is accentuated in the College’s mission statement as we educate students “to share the responsibilities of citizenship and service in the global community.” Nevertheless, the Committee recognized the need at this time to develop a statement on diversity which would more clearly and strongly guide the College’s actions for the future. This statement would communicate to our campus community and the world our understanding of the importance of diversity to the education of our students and to the life of the College. It attempts to provide a context for our diversity efforts now and in the future and define our commitments. A proposed “Statement on Diversity” is enclosed.

The proposed Diversity Strategic Plan is composed of 11 Recommendations. For each Recommendation, we have identified a rationale for the action proposed, some preliminary thoughts on possible approaches to achieve the goal, implications if the College were to move forward with the Recommendation, and a proposed Executive Sponsor to oversee the implementation and ensure achievement of the goal by 2015.

The Committee would like to make it clear that the proposed plan for the next five years attempts to set priorities for the institution in moving forward on the College’s commitment to diversity. As a five-year strategic plan, it is not meant to be all inclusive and address every aspect of diversity that is important to the campus community. Time and resources must be dedicated and focused in certain areas in order to ensure progress in critical areas at this time in the College’s history.

As we move forward, it is important to ensure that the College’s Diversity Strategic Plan is an integral part of the College’s institutional plan. One of Ithaca College’s Guiding Principles states: “We embrace diversity as an integral part of the educational experience and of the community we create.” The importance of diversity and the value that the institution places on creating an inclusive and welcoming community is central to our mission as an institution of higher education. As the College develops its Strategic Plan (IC 20/20) for the future, diversity needs to be a key component of our aspirations for how we envision ourrich and vibrant educational community. Progress on the Diversity Strategic Plan will only be achieved if all members of the campus community understand the importance we place on diversity and commit themselves to the action steps necessary to achieve our goals.

Some recommended approaches for integrating the Plan include:

  • The Diversity Strategic Plan should be integrated into the College’s Strategic Plan for Student Learning (IC 20/20).
  • As Executive Sponsors assigned to each component of the Diversity Strategic Plan, members of President’s Council will annually align their personal/divisional goals to ensure progress according to agreed upon timelines.
  • The President’s Advisory Committee on Diversity (PAC-D) will monitor progress on the Plan and provide assistance and counsel to the President to ensure success.
  • The President’s Advisory Committee on Diversity will report on progress on the Plan as part of their annual report to the President.
  • The College needs to develop communication strategies to ensure that the Diversity Strategic Plan is known and understood by the campus community. For example, the Diversity website, coordinated by PAC-D, should be updated regularly with information about the Plan. In addition, the Diversity website should be a prominent presence on the College’s homepage.
  • The Ithaca College Statement on Diversity should be shared with all staff and faculty new to the College as part of New Employee Orientation coordinated by Human Resources and with continuing faculty and staff as part of training and professional development opportunities.

Enhanced systems of communication will be essential among the President’s Advisory Committee on Diversity, Vice Presidents, and Committee and Task Force Chairpersons responsible for ensuring that progress is being made on the Diversity Strategic Plan according to agreed upon timelines. The President’s Advisory Committee on Diversity (PAC-D) will also need to approach its work in different ways in order to improve communication and coordination of efforts among all of the Executive Sponsors (ES) of the Plan. Committee liaisons may be assigned to each ES to improve monitoring and success of the plan, and a “summit” of all ESs and PAC-D may be appropriate.

Ithaca College

Statement on Diversity

ITHACA COLLEGE STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY:

IthacaCollege values diversity because it enriches our community and the myriad experiences that characterize an IthacaCollege education. Diversity encompasses multiple dimensions, including but not limited to race, culture, nationality, ethnicity, religion, ideas, beliefs, geographic origin, class, sexual orientation, gender, disability, and age. We are dedicated to addressing current and past injustices and promoting excellence and equity. IthacaCollege continually strives to build an inclusive and welcoming community of individuals with diverse talents and skills from a multitude of backgrounds who are committed to civility, mutual respect, social justice, and the free and open exchange of ideas. We commit ourselves to change, growth, and action that embrace diversity as an integral part of the educational experience and of the community we create.

Ithaca College’s vision of becoming the standard of excellence for residential comprehensive colleges by fostering students’ intellect, creativity, and character is directly related to its mission to attract a diverse body of faculty, students, and staff. We acknowledge that recruiting, retaining, and supporting a diverse faculty, staff and student body is crucial to our sustainability as an institution of higher education. Therefore, achieving diversity at IthacaCollege requires much more than the celebration of differences. It requires members of the IthacaCollege community to acknowledge:

  • That given the increasingly diverse composition of the United States and globalization of virtually every aspect of our general experience, multicultural and international understanding are fundamental to our daily interactions, well-being, and future success.
  • That some groups of people in the United States have been and continue to be under-represented and under-served in institutions of higher education, both among the students and in the highest ranks of faculty and staff.
  • Throughout the history of the United States some groups of people have been and continue to be subject to systematic discrimination due to their race, age, religion, gender,sexual orientation, ethnicity, economic class, and disability.

Ithaca College commits itself to addressing these current and past injustices and to building a college community which reflects the diversity of the local, regional, national, and global communities we serve.

IthacaCollege’s Diversity Statement adapted from:

ColbyCollege’s Statement on Diversity

DrewUniversity’s Diversity Statement

IthacaCollege’s Vision and Mission Statement

Diversity Strategic Plan

2010 - 2015

Diversity Strategic Plan Recommendations

2010-2015

  1. Increase underrepresented ALANA student enrollment.
  1. Increase international student enrollment.
  1. Increase the graduation rate for underrepresented ALANA students to match the six-year graduation rate of their counterparts.
  1. Carry out a Campus Climate Survey for students, faculty, and staff on a regular basis and use the results to inform diversity initiatives across campus.
  1. Increase the number and retention of underrepresented ALANAfaculty and staff.
  1. Ensure that student learning outcomes focused on diversity are incorporated into every student’s program of study (through the major, minor, general education curriculum, graduation requirement, or general elective) and are assessed.
  1. Develop/implement staff/faculty professional development opportunities related to diversity.
  1. Improve the student life/residence hall experience for ALANA/LGBT students.
  1. Create a physical campus environment that recognizes and celebrates diversity.
  1. Develop specific initiatives for achieving universal access and meeting the needs of students with disabilities in and out of the classroom.
  1. Increase the number and retention of international faculty and staff.

Recommendation #1: Increase underrepresented ALANA student enrollment.

Rationale:

Over the last five years, the College has increased its freshman domestic ALANA population from 10.4% to 15.1%. This nearly five-point gain in as many years marks significant and sustained progress toward the goal and guiding principle of a more diverse campus. Continuing this trend will result in a more diverse student body, essential for the College to fulfill its mission.

The guiding principle of diversity is a top priority in all activities within the Enrollment Management and Communication division. Recruitment, financial aid, and marketing strategies are developed and implemented with the goal of increasing the diversity of the student body.

Institutional support is necessary to continue on this path of progress, aiming to increase domestic ALANA diversity, on average, one percentage point per year for the next five years. Achieving this result would enable the College to welcome an incoming freshman class of 20% ALANA students for the fall of 2015.

Proposed or recommended approaches:

  • Leverage financial aid dollars to sustain the rate of growth in ALANA students over the next several years. This will most likely require additional funds.
  • Strengthen the Martin Luther King Jr. Scholar Program: Increase the amount of the MLK Scholar Award, and strengthen marketing about the benefits of the program in order to be more successful in meeting our enrollment goals in this area.

Implications:

  • Given the forthcoming demographic changes in our society, namely the growing Latino/a population, the Enrollment Management Division is confident that it can recruit an applicant pool to support this goal. However, institutional support is necessary in the form of financial aid to enable ALANA students to enroll at the Collegeand to ensure that there is appropriate balance of race and ethnicity within our ALANA student population.
  • Increasing ALANA enrollment by one percentage point each year is projected to add $153,000 in financial aid costs during the 2011 fiscal year. This figure will grow with each additional incoming class to a cumulative amount of $1,857,000 in 2015. Once all four class years are enrolled with ALANA populations of 20% (2018 fiscal year), the College will realize and must sustain an increase of roughly $3 million dollars per year, or one percentage point of discount rate above current plans.

Executive Sponsor: Vice President for Enrollment Management

Recommendation #2: Increase international student enrollment.

Rationale:

Throughout the last six years, the College’s population of freshman international students has averaged 32 students, or 1.9% of the incoming class. However, that average masks some variability, from a low of 21 students or 1.2% of the class to a high of 40 students or 2.5% of the class. Unlike our ALANA student population, there is no discernable trend of increasing student enrollment. Rather, numbers vary from year to year.

In order to support the College’s emerging strategic plan and interest in a more international community, the Enrollment Management Division should seek to increase international student enrollment by 50% over the next five years.

Proposed or recommended approaches:

  • Leverage financial aid dollars to increase the number and percentage of international students over the next several years. This will most likely require additional funds.
  • Strengthen international student recruitment through additional promotional materials, travel, and strategic partnerships.

Implications:

Unlike the projected growth of the domestic ALANA student population, we do not anticipate that demographic changes will help boost the number of international applicants. While more international students are interested in studying at U.S. colleges and universities, the growth is slow, subject to travel interruptions post-9/11 and within the context of greater competition from institutions in other countries. It is estimated that $50,000 per year in non-salary operating funds will be required to support additional recruitment of international students.

In addition to operating dollars that support recruitment, the College should also expect to increase funding for international student aid to support this goal. Enrolling 16 additionalinternational students within a stable overall enrollment would likely increase financial aid expenditures by about $224,000 per incoming class, or nearly $1,000,000 once four classes are enrolled.

Executive Sponsor: Vice President for Enrollment Management

Recommendation #3: Increase the graduation rate for underrepresented ALANA students to match the six-year graduation rate of their counterparts.

Rationale:

There is a history of lower rates of graduation for underrepresented ALANA students compared to their counterparts. In fact, the current three-year weighted six-year graduation rate of ALANA students is 71.7 %. The comparable rate for their counterparts is 77.5%*. IthacaCollege’s mission indicates that “all members of the College community are encouraged to achieve excellence.”

As a student-centered, tuition-dependent institution, it is vital that Ithaca College foster an institutional environment that supports all students’ persistence to graduation. Retaining and graduating a diverse student body is crucial to IthacaCollege’s sustainability. Therefore, increasing the graduation rate for underrepresented ALANA students by matching the six-year graduation rate of their counterparts will provide evidence of IthacaCollege’s commitment to excellence and equity for all students regardless of race and/or ethnicity.

Proposed or Recommended Approaches:

  • Re-constitute the existing “Retention Committee” as a permanent standing committee on student retention or establish a campus-wide representative (faculty, staff, and students) standing committee on student retention. This retention committee would be formed to assess, monitor, and recommend actions to increase all students’ graduation rates.
  • Charge this committee to study, assess, and recommend appropriate actions to ensure that underrepresented ALANA students’ graduation rates are equal to their counterparts by 2015.
  • Charge this committee to monitor and assess the six-year graduation rate for international and first-generation students.
  • Meet with and submit an annual report on ALANA, first-generation, and international students’ retention and graduation rates to the President’s Advisory Committee on Diversity by the end of each academic year.

Implications:

The long term results of recommended actions may necessitate changes in the way the College provides assistance to these student populations. These recommendations may result in the need for re-allocation and/or addition of economic and human resources to meet the specific student service needs for International, First-Generation, and underrepresented ALANA students.