Infusing Diversity within a
Shared Governance Organization
by
Dr. Patricia Honzay, Director of Employee and Organizational Development
Dr. Joseph Pearson, Director of the Extended Campus at MCC
Ms. Teresa M. Toney, Manager of Governance and Ombuds Services

On Thursday, May 29, 2003, the three of us presented a two-hour session at the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE) in San Francisco, California.

Our session shared approaches that the Maricopa County Community College District has taken to address its Governing Board Goal on Diversity. The District Advisory Council (DAC) --- which is composed of broad representation from the colleges, skills centers and district office --- attempts to identify, recommend, support and monitor the organization’s overall effectiveness of infusing diversity within our shared governance organization. Our session reflected on employee and student surveys that have provided valuable feedback on the climate of the organization. And, we provided an overview of many of the programs that have been implemented in our district all the way from infusing diversity within the curriculum to working toward ensuring workforce diversity pedagogically, philosophically, and ideologically in addition to ethnic and racial diversity.

Because our session was intended to benefit attendees who have been charged with a similar goal, we facilitated discussion of their diversity-related activities by way of the following discussion instrument. And, although the three of us developed this thirty-question instrument, we invite you to modify and personalize it as you participate in or help facilitate healthy discussions on the topic at your site, campus, and/or college.

Rather than just a simple “yes” or “no,” which might have been conveyed by the checkbox that precedes each statement, we included an opportunity for participants to discuss the possible, intended, or perceived strength (S), weakness (W), opportunity (O) and threat (T) that currently exists at their place of work relative to each item:

Our Site/Campus/College/District Has . . .

1. articulated a definition for diversity (S) (W) (O) (T)

2. articulated how diversity is/is not related to EEO/AA (S) (W) (O) (T)

3. articulated diversity goal(s) (S) (W) (O) (T)

4. articulated a job description and/or expectations for its diversity coordinator(s) (S) (W) (O) (T)

5. selected its diversity coordinator(s) (S) (W) (O) (T)

6. identified measurable outcomes related to diversity (S) (W) (O) (T)

7. a systemic and systematic presence of diversity-related activities (S) (W) (O) (T)

8. periodic culture and climate surveys of students (S) (W) (O) (T)

9. periodic culture and climate surveys of employees (S) (W) (O) (T)

10. new employee diversity training (S) (W) (O) (T)

11. periodic employee diversity dialogues or forums (S) (W) (O) (T)

12. periodic student diversity dialogues or forums (S) (W) (O) (T)

13. periodic external community diversity dialogues or forums (S) (W) (O) (T)

14. written attitudinal and behavioral expectations related to diversity (S) (W) (O) (T)

15. diversity-related communication guidelines for Email (S) (W) (O) (T)

16. inclusivity/inclusiveness of all groups related to its diversity initiative (S) (W) (O) (T)

17. developed program(s) to infuse diversity into the curriculum (S) (W) (O) (T)

18. a proactive top-down commitment to fostering appreciation for diversity (S) (W) (O) (T)

19. a process in place to handle perceived challenges or real issues related to diversity (S) (W) (O) (T)

20. specific diversity training for executive council, administrative leadership and/or governing board members/advisory boards (S) (W) (O) (T)

21. values set for screening, hiring, recruiting, retaining of a diverse workforce (S) (W) (O) (T)

22. access to environmental scans related to service area public school and general population demographics (S) (W) (O) (T)

23. co-curricular activities that emphasize diversity (S) (W) (O) (T)

24. mechanisms and processes to address diversity in online programs of instruction (S) (W) (O) (T)

25. mechanisms and processes to address diversity in online programs of student services (S) (W) (O) (T)

26. formulated advertising, marketing, and media plans that address diversity (S) (W) (O) (T)

27. active recruitment of employees who demonstrate and/or embrace diversity (S) (W) (O) (T)

28. objective diversity-related criteria and/or diversity training for selection committees (S) (W) (O) (T)

29. a local mindset related to diversity (S) (W) (O) (T)

30. a global mindset related to diversity (S) (W) (O) (T)

 

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Summer 2003
- disclaimer -
Janet Felton