Information & Resources

Mission & Strategic Plan

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion/International and Multicultural Affairs

Strategic Plan

2022-2023

Mission:

The ULM Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Multicultural Affairs seeks to cultivate an educational environment where every individual human gift will be valued, respected, nurtured and developed. To cultivate a learning environment where every person is respected and experiences a sense of belonging.

Vision:

To create a diverse and inclusive communal atmosphere accessible to all and where all individuals are respected and accepted for their uniqueness and thus are able to self-actualize as they prepare to live and work in a global society.

 

The Strategic Plan for DEI/MC focuses on six imperatives regarding diversity, equity and inclusion:

• Access to success
• Education, scholarship and professional development
• Institutional climate and intergroup relations
• Institutional infrastructure and
• Community Engagement
• Belongingness

 

 Access to success

1. Goal/Objective:

Facilitate the increase enrollment of students from historically underserved and marginalized populations.

 

1. Strategy/Action:

Collaborate with Recruitment to develop a plan for intentional recruitment activities to attract students from underserved marginalized populations.

1. Support efforts of TRIO and other outreach programs that focus on recruiting students from underserved marginalized populations
2. Assist in the identification of access barriers to higher education for marginalized populations.

 

• Increase involvement in academic efforts designed to retain students.

 

1. Develop academic support services designed to address the economic and social issues faced by underserved marginalized student populations
2. Increase opportunities for historically marginalized students to develop a “sense of belonging” at ULM.
   • Facilitate the recruit and maintain a diverse faculty and staff to provide “window and mirror experiences” for all ULM students
3. Promote a “Blind review” process of applicants for faculty and staff positions and encourage recruitment from HBCU’s, HACU’s, and AANAPISI’s in the state and beyond.

 

Education, Scholarship, and Professional Development

2. Examine curriculum for diverse and inclusive content.

 

1. Assist in the development of courses that reflect the diverse contributions in the subject area.
2. Collaborate across campus to create a data base of resources for diversity and inclusion materials for curriculum activities to be integrated into classes across the university.

 

2.2.  Increase the knowledge, appreciation, understanding of cultures represented at ULM for students, faculty, and staff.

1. Increase the number of course offerings, in-services, seminars, and social activities in this area.
2. Increase the collaboration of members of the campus community that develop discipline specific educational development opportunities in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion based on mutual interests.
3. Increase the number of service-learning opportunities across the curriculum.
4. Provide DEI training or Courageous Conversation at each University Week in the semester.
5. Include question(s) on the final teacher’s evaluation regarding course content and DEI. “Window and Mirror” experiences

Institutional climate and intergroup relations

         3.Goal/Objective

   3.1 Increase the number of events and activities that create a “sense of belonging” and        acknowledge

1. Create a campus calendar of DEI educational and cultural events

 

1. Develop a teaching and learning series on inclusive teaching strategies bank for professors to use.

 

Institutional infrastructure and

 

4.Goal/Objective

4.1 Increase opportunities to review and revise policies to address “sense of belonging” on     campus

1. Include DEI questions on faculty, staff and Administration evaluations
2. Purposeful recruitment of marginalized students, faculty and staff, i.e. Pell grant eligible students

 

Community Engagement

 

5.Goal/Objective:

                 5.1 Increase the internship and service-learning in all areas of the community.

1. Facilitate the establish service-learning and internships where they are not a required part of the discipline area.

 

1. Facilitate the increase of the number of collaborations with the community stake holders to address educational challenges of historically marginalized populations.

Belongingness

6.Goal/Objective:

6.1 Facilitate a sense of belonging for diverse groups by assisting with the development of students, faculty, and staff forums, trainings, and activities that foster interactions across cultural and social boundary lines.

1.   Facilitate Cultural Connections Forums each semester

 

1. Display and keep current the “World Map” showing all the places from which individuals in the ULM family originate.
2. Facilitate the creation of cultural events, guest lecturers to enhance the cross-cultural education collaboration opportunities across the curriculum.
3. Establish safe spaces for students, faculty, and staff to exchange ideas and discuss equity and inclusion challenges.

                

Cultural Affairs goals and objectives

The mission of the Office of International and Cultural Affairs is to promote cultural awareness events and programs both on campus and in the community and create an environment that is conducive to the total collegiate experience for students regardless of nationality, ethnicity, socio-economic status, sexual origin, gender, sexual orientation or disability.

The Office of International and Cultural Affairs strives to develop comprehensive program to increase recruitment and retention of marginalized and international students for academic success and professional development as well as collaborate with other offices and the community to create an inviting and relaxed atmosphere that promotes inclusiveness for all students.

Goals:

7.1 To serve as a location for development and awareness of multicultural programs and events

7.2 To enhance exposure and create a learning environment of cultural differences for students, staff, a faculty and community members

7.3 To support the building of inclusive academic resources

7.4 To assist in the admissions and advising in the recruitment and retention of domestic and international students.

1. To create an advisory board consisting of university and community members

 

The Universities of Louisiana Systems core competencies will serve as guide for DEI/MC activities. All activities will address one or more or those competencies.

ULS Core Competencies:

• Communication Competence -The ability to read and listen carefully to ideas and information, to understand those ideas, and to convey them to other people using both language and modes (written, oral, digital) appropriate to the intended audience.
• Critical and Creative Problem Solving - The ability to define and to respond to problems, challenges, and opportunities by employing logical, informed, and creative solutions.
• Adaptable Resilience - The ability to balance personal and professional challenges, to respond to changing realities, and to persevere through difficulty and unexpected situations.
• Cultural Competence - The ability to work respectfully and productively with people from diverse social, racial, cultural, economic, ideological, and educational backgrounds.
• Self-Reflective Awareness - The ability to learn, to actively pursue knowledge, and to continuously self-evaluate in current circumstances.