Productive Meeting

Ok, before I recount today, I need to say that yesterday I discovered that my heating pad helps the sciatica. That was totes my positive for yesterday.

Now, onto today.

Background info: I graduated in December with my EdS in Technology and Occupational Education. My area of emphasis is Student Development. My thesis was researching the use of gender-inclusive practices among faculty. My major findings are that faculty want to be inclusive, they just don’t know how and they don’t know where to find the information.

I met with the Provost this morning about the findings and recommendations in my thesis. The meeting was also supposed to include the President but he was on the phone following the budget meeting in the state capital from yesterday and sent his apologies. I feel positive about the meeting and hope that the administration follows up with what we discussed.

The Provost said that he believes this is timely information and falls in line with the efforts the university is working toward in their strategic planning efforts. Some of the things he agreed are easy and necessary steps toward a more inclusive climate include the addition of inclusivity expectations in college meeting visits at the beginning of the year, establishing a list of inclusivity best practices to share with faculty, and adding discussion of inclusive practice expectations in new faculty orientation. He agreed that we need training opportunities for faculty on their role in student development and how even the perceptions of their actions contribute or detract from student success.

He asked me if there is a campus diversity climate measurement available. I told him about the Campus Pride Index as one resource that measures campus perceptions and efforts toward LGBTQ inclusivity. He said that he would like to see one that measures campuses on all aspects of diversity and, if we can’t find one, we should make one. He wants to see our school rank highly on being a place where students of diversity can feel welcome and accepted.

Additionally, we talked about the diversity resources available to students on campus. He specifically said he is interested in doing things and not just saying them so that we leave legacies that change the campus. Included in that discussion was our multicultural center and the transition it recently went through. He agrees that staffing the center with one half-time director and minimal ($5000) budget is not sufficient for establishing and maintaining a climate of inclusivity.

Before we concluded the meeting, he stated that he would like to have a follow-up meeting with our student affairs officer to explore that resource in greater detail. He would also like my input on the upcoming campus climate survey with regard to the questions on diversity and inclusivity. I told him that I am looking forward to supporting our university in its journey toward embracing inclusivity as a climate.

I am optimistic about the meeting and hope to see some changes starting as a result.