“The College of Fine Arts has adopted a comprehensive Strategic Plan for Diversity that was the result of an intensive reflection on our community’s strengths and shortcomings as an inclusive community and curriculum. At every step along the way… the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement provided the steady guidance and facilitation that made that process possible. We’re a better, more inclusive college today because of it.”
Douglas DempsterDean, College of Fine Arts
To foster systemic change, Office for Inclusion and Equity staff members work with academic and administrative diversity and inclusion committees to advise the team in developing and implementing a comprehensive strategic diversity plan for their unit. The five-stage process, tailored to the specific needs and aspirations of the unit, is grounded in theory and best practices from the University’s peer institutions. By conducting strategic diversity planning, academic and administrative units can benefit by developing comprehensive strategies for recruiting and retaining diverse students, faculty, and staff members; fostering an inclusive climate and culture that supports all individuals in the unit; and advancing strategies that actively and intentionally provide forums for the cultivation of a mutual respect of differences and cross-cultural understanding.
“It is not uncommon to encounter or participate in efforts to increase diversity and equity that are passionate, ambitious, and serious in nature. However, it is quite uncommon that these initiatives culminate in lasting institutional change that goes beyond achieving often limited and frequently short-lived victories. Through our five-year diversity plan, the College of Fine Arts is intentionally engaged in specific actions, based on theory, data, and sustainable methodologies, to improve diversity and equity within the college, resulting in long-term institutional change.”
John A. Yancey
Fine Arts Diversity Committee Chair
Professor, Department of Art and Art History
College of Fine Arts
Diversity Plan Stages
Stage 1. Diversity and Inclusion Committee formation, if applicable
Stage 2. Customization of diversity planning process framework to the needs and aspirations of the unit
Stage 3. Data collection and analysis including climate assessment, focus groups, stakeholder interviews, and strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis
Stage 4. Development of diversity plan including goals, objectives, and implementation activities
Stage 5: Implementation of diversity plan
College of Fine Arts Diversity Plan
The College of Fine Arts Diversity Committee (FADC), composed of faculty, staff, and students, participated in a pilot diversity planning process resulting in a five-year plan focused on academic curriculum and creative programming; recruitment and retention of diverse faculty, staff, and students; and culture and climate. Examples of the FADC year-one implementation priorities include creating working groups within each academic unit to develop best practices for infusing diversity and inclusion throughout the core curriculum; partnering with OIE to facilitate “Inclusive Classroom Leadership Certificate Seminar” for College of Fine Arts teaching assistants and assistant instructors; establishing a guest artist program to support artists whose work aligns with diversity and inclusion; and creating an all gender restroom within the Doty Fine Arts Building. For more information about the FADC plan’s process, goals, and implementation activities, please click here. Additional information regarding the FADC and its activities can be found here.
Diversity Planning Tools for Diversity and Inclusion Committees
Check out OIE’s diversity planning tools and resources on the Diversity Planning Tools web page. The stages, tools, and resources are customizable to meet the needs of different academic and administrative units. Many of the tools emerged from OIE’s work with the College of Fine Arts and also included are some resources created by our colleagues in the Division of Equity and Inclusion at University of California, Berkeley.
Contact Us
For more information on diversity planning, contact the Office for Inclusion and Equity at 512-471-1849.
