Office of Diversity Relations
CAES Action Plan
Task Force Members
| Dr. Gerald Arkin Dr. Miguel Cabrera Dr. Manjeet Chinnan Ms. Patricia Fletcher Mr. Jim Fountain Mr. George Hadley |
Dr. Mel Hall Ms. Susan Harrell Dr. Gary Hill Mr. Bridges Holmes Dr. Milton Lopes Dr. Sylvia McLaurin |
Ms. Jessica Garris Miller Dr. Robert Shulstad Ms. Patricia Simmons Dr. Malcom Sumner Dr. Romeo Toledo Dr. Steve Turner |
- Background
- Charge
- Rationale
- Action Plan 2000
- Recommendations
- Recruitment
- Pre-undergraduate
- Undergraduate
- Graduate
- Faculty
- Staff
- Retention
- Curriculum
- Image and Reputation
- Assessment
- Launching Action Plan 2000
Background
The mission of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences is to seek, verify and apply knowledge related to agriculture and the environment, and to disseminate this knowledge through student education and public outreach programs. To ensure successful accomplishment of this mission the College Strategic Planning Task Force (SPTF) identified ten major areas of focus for the next five years. Diversity was one of these focus areas. The SPTF chose to address diversity in its broadest sense, i.e., encompassing differences among people with respect to age, gender, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, socioeconomic status and spiritual practice. Within this context the SPTF recommended that the College:
- Recognize, encourage and publicize diversity, pluralism and multi-cultural activity already existing in the College.
- Collaborate with other University System units to create linkages among teaching, research, and outreach.
- Develop a mechanism, such as a forum with multiple formats, to encourage open discussions within the College community on issues of diversity and unity that divide us.
The College Strategic Plan set forth the College's aspiration on the issue of cultural diversity. It is for the faculty, staff, college administrators and stakeholders to fully embrace and implement a plan that fulfills the College's aspiration on the issue of diversity.
Charge
The Cultural Diversity Task Force was charged by Dean Buchanan on April 25, 1997 with developing a comprehensive action plan that will guide the College in its efforts to foster and enhance cultural diversity.
Rationale
The Cultural Diversity Task Force chose ethnicity as the element to receive full and immediate attention. By any objective measure, the task force determined this compelling diversity issue of race to be the most important and pressing challenge to the College. Specifically, the task force identified the lack of representation of African Americans employed as faculty and staff or enrolled as students in the College as a deficiency. African Americans in Georgia in 1994 represented 27.9% of the population. In 1995, 4.5% of College faculty were African American and 5.6% of undergraduate and 2.6 % of graduate students, respectively were African American.
The task force targeted recruitment and retention as keys to correcting the deficiency. The task force also recognized the signal importance to faculty and students of including diversity in the curricula. Regularized introspective assessments were considered essential for fostering a collegial environment conducive to diversity and for evaluating progress.
The Cultural Diversity Task Force encourages and endorses College efforts to foster and enhance diversity in the broadest sense. The task force focus on African American representation is intended to strengthen these efforts. The inclusionary action plan that follows when implemented is expected to fully engage the College in all elements of the diversity issue.
Action Plan 2000
The Cultural Diversity Task Force developed a suite of recommendations that in total represent a comprehensive action plan for enhancing and fostering ethnicity in the College. This action plan is intended to be dynamic and encourage creativity and ingenuity for embracing other opportunistic activities that foster and enhance diversity. An ultimate objective of Action Plan 2000 is for College faculty, staff and student representation to more closely mirror the demographic diversity in Georgia. The goal for fully implementing the recommendations is 3 to 5 years, barring exigencies. Benchmarks for assessing progress and success vary dependent upon the recommendation's complexity, budget constrains, and factors outside the College's control. In some instances the College has implemented portions of the recommendations on a limited basis.
Recommendations
The Task Force recommendations are the action items of the Action Plan 2000. Complete elaboration of the details for implementing the Task Force recommendations will reside with the faculty, staff students, College administrators and stakeholders. Implementation of Action Plan 2000 is expected to help correct the under representation of African American faculty, staff and students in the College.
The Task Force recommends that four umbrella strategies prevail in the College:
- Strategy One: Commitment to Pluralism
The College incorporates pluralism as an integral part of its mission and vision and strives to achieve and sustain pluralism.Strategy Two: Commitment to Diversity
The College will enhance and sustain the diversity of its student body, faculty and staff.Strategy Three: Environment for Diversity and Pluralism
The College maintains a physical, psychological and emotional environment that fosters and sustains pluralism and diversity and eliminates discrimination at all levels.Strategy Four: Participation
The College will include members of diverse groups, specifically African Americans, in all aspects of the College and in establishing policies and decision making that shapes the College and its programs.
Of the suite of Task Force recommendations that follow, the Task Force recommends that initially, particular emphasis be placed on faculty hiring, student numbers, course requirements, magnet schools and establishing an Office of Human Resources. This recommendation in no way diminishes the importance of the entire suite of recommendations, but rather is intended to help identify a point of departure for the College for concentrating its efforts on critical areas where measurable success can reasonably be expected in the near term.
Recruitment
Recruitment is fundamental to correcting the deficiency of African American in our College. Recruitment action items are recommended for faculty, staff, students (pre-undergraduate, undergraduate and graduate).
Pre-undergraduate
Recruiting African American faculty and staff in the College will be a challenge as long as the number of African American students entering agricultural and environmental academic disciplines is low. As long as pre-college student remain unaware of the exciting opportunities in agriculture and the related environmental sciences the pipeline of qualified students will no flow.
To prime the pipeline pump the College should:
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Support the development of agricultural magnet schools in minority school districts.
High schools and middle school students will have an opportunity to become familiar with agriculture and the environmental sciences and the College. Faculty participation with school personnel will help insure that college bound students are properly prepared for admission and directed to the College's programs. The College should pilot no fewer than 3 magnet schools by the year 2000 with a goal of six magnet schools by 2002.Establish a "Summer of Excellence" program.
The Summer of Excellence program is a 2-3 week fast paced residential workshop for high school students featuring the application of cutting edge science and technology. Workshop participants will have an opportunity to become familiar and comfortable with the College, its faculty and the Athens campus.Develop a Co-op program that engages agribusiness partners.
The Co-op partnership program will offer an educational summer employment experience for upper level high school students. Participating students will learn about agriculture and career opportunities while earning money and helping to build a vitae for college enrollment.Develop a student apprenticeship program.
High school students recruited throughout the state will be hired by the College to work with our faculty and staff. This six to eight week program will be an intensive working and learning experience. The College and students' benefits are similar to those of the recommended co-op program with agribusinesses.Develop a teacher internship program.
High school and middle school science teachers, recruited statewide, will be hired by the College to work with the faculty and staff. This intensive working and learning experience will give them an opportunity to incorporate agricultural and environmental sciences in their curricula and/or programs to take back to their classrooms and schools. They may also receive professional development credit for their internship.Develop a mentoring program for middle and high school students.
Students work with faculty and staff on special agricultural and environmental science projects. Students participating in the program are chosen by high school and middle school teachers. Participating students are not paid, but benefit from the personal attention and assistance they receive from College faculty and staff. The mentoring program is a unique opportunity to dispel misconceptions about agriculture, career opportunities, the College and to address sensitive areas for students.Engage students in the College in recruitment efforts.
Middle and high school students relate well to College students recruitment efforts. This relationship is particularly important for recruiting African Americans and other students of color.Promote junior chapters of MANRRS (Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences) in high schools.
In addition to supporting the existing University's chapter of MANRRS, the College will encourage high schools to establish junior chapters.Create a high school science teachers support network.
High school science teachers need a ready resource for assistance with programs (e.g., science fairs, curricula development, etc.) and information concerning the College.
Undergraduate
Undergraduate enrollment of African American students in the College is not reflective of the statewide diversity of college ready students. Perceptions concerning agriculture, the College, and career opportunities adversely affect enrollment. Better information delivery can be invaluable for correcting these misconceptions.
For the College to improve undergraduate enrollment, the College should:
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Enhance information delivery to Junior College advisors.
Junior College advisors need current course requirement, career opportunity, financial aid, and transfer requirement information. To better engage and inform advisors, the College, at its expense, should host an annual, by-invitation advisors meeting. The better informed and supported they are, the better their advisement will support the College.Teach College's courses in feeder schools.
Students become familiar with the faculty of the College. They also gain a better feeling about the quality of education the College offers.Highlight minority opportunities in recruitment packages.
Helpful information contained in brochures, film video, or on the Web is needed. It is also important that this information be effectively distributed.Establish internship and course credit co-op programs.
These programs offer financial support and at the same time offer invaluable learning experiences. They can also be an important student retention factor.
Graduate
Targeted recruitment programs are needed to identify potential graduate student candidates and inform them of course offerings, financial assistance, entrance requirements and career opportunities.
To effectively recruit students, the College should:
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Strengthen recruitment efforts at, and partnerships with, Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
A strong and continuing recruitment effort at HBCUs will help candidate students make better informed decisions when choosing institutions for their graduate studies. Teaching, research and extension partnerships with HBCUs will expose HBCU faculty, staff and students to the College's faculty, staff and graduate study opportunities.Recruit at targeted national technical association meetings.
Targeted recruitment at national technical meetings will significantly improve the visibility of the College's graduate program offerings and opportunities.
Faculty
To compete for the limited number of faculty available some new approaches need to be explored.
To more effectively compete for faculty, the College should:
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Recruit post-doctorate (non-tenure track) appointments.
Post-doctorate appointments, similar to visiting scientist or sabbatic appointments will give the incumbent an opportunity to take additional courses, if necessary, to qualify for available faculty positions. These appointments, also, offer an opportunity for the post-doctorate to learn more about employment opportunities within the College.Broadly define advertised faculty positions.
Broader description of advertised faculty positions, when appropriate, will increase the number of suitable candidates and increase opportunities for recruiting competent faculty.
Staff
More effective staff recruitment for qualified employees is, to a large extent, dependent on improved awareness of available positions and better distribution of position announcements.
Word of mouth, helpful in filling many vacant staff positions, has little chance of success for minority recruitment. Often, finding another position for a spouse can be the determining factor affecting whether recruitment will or will not be successful.
For the College to be more effective in recruiting staff, the College should:
- Advertise with minority churches, organizations and media outlets.
Too often, traditional advertising of position announcements does not reach minorities. Often minority churches, professional organizations, and media outlets have very good job networking capabilities and are well established as resources for job opportunities.Help spouse find employment.
Assistance to a working spouse seeking employment because of relocation can be the deciding factor for successful recruitment. In some instances, simply making the spouse aware of other University, College or community positions may be all that is needed.
Retention
Retaining recruited faculty, staff and students in the College is equally as important as recruiting them and equally challenging. Minorities and particularly people of color face challenges that make retention by the College problematic.
For the College to improve retention of faculty, staff and students, the College should:
- Establish support networks for faculty, staff and students.
Both social and job related support networks can help recruited students and employees with sensitive assimilation issues and better enable them to understand and work within the College culture.Establish external mentoring programs for faculty, staff and students.
Agribusiness partners of the College are a resource of excellent mentors for faculty and students. Engaging agribusiness partners in mentoring has the added advantage of strengthening partnerships and bringing different perspectives to supporting recruited faculty and students.Establish collaborative research, teaching and extension programs in and outside the College for faculty.
Encourage existing faculty members to actively seek opportunities to collaborate with newly recruited faculty members. Areas of mutual interest may exist across as well as within academic disciplines.
Curriculum
Cultural diversity is an essential ingredient in the learning experience of every student. Cultural diversity needs to be better incorporated into the College's curriculum. A suite of options are available to include cultural diversity in the curriculum. Of primary importance is that all the College's students gain an appreciation for cultural diversity.
To improve the College learning experience, the College should:
- Weave cultural diversity topics into current courses.
Appropriate existing courses could be modified to include relevant topics that also include aspects that increase knowledge of diverse cultures.Develop new courses with cultural diversity emphasis.
New courses could be developed that emphasize cultural diversity within the Agricultural and Environmental Sciences framework. These courses may also attract non-College majors.Refer students to courses outside the College.
Courses offered outside the College that have a cultural diversity emphasis should be reviewed for relevant content. A suggested list of courses will then be available for students of the College.
Image and Reputation
Internally and externally the College needs to develop an image and reputation for embracing cultural diversity. An improved image and reputation for embracing cultural diversity is a key element for recruitment and retention.
For the College to enhance its image and reputation for embracing Cultural diversity, the College should:
- Regularly communicate internally and externally College cultural diversity efforts.
Keeping faculty, staff, students and the public informed of cultural diversity efforts by the College signals the College's commitment to all. Informed employees are better able to help the College's efforts.Offer cultural diversity learning opportunities for all employees.
Faculty, staff and students will benefit from cultural diversity learning experiences. These learning experiences can be provided by invited speakers (e.g., minority scholars, agribusiness leaders, etc.) at College events and meetings, focus group meetings and program offerings for students, staff and faculty (e.g., seminar series) highlighting cultural diversity. For example, Martin Luther King's Birthday and Black History Week are excellent times for the College to offer learning opportunities.
Assessment
Routine assessment and evaluations will be essential to assure that Action Plan 2000 is implemented and having a valued impact. Action Plan 2000 will require leadership from the Dean, Department Heads and other College administrators; coordination; facilitation; and logistic support.
For the College to know whether Action Plan 2000 is succeeding and nurture its success, the College should:
- Establish an Office of Human Resources.
Overall responsibility and oversight for Action Plan 2000 implementation should reside with the Associate Dean. A non-tenure track faculty member coordinator reporting to the Associate Dean will coordinate program reviews and activities, assist with program coordination, and provide guidance, counsel and assistance, as required, to College administrators, faculty, staff and students. The coordinator could be a "faculty administration intern" serving a 1-2 year term, extended or renewed as deemed appropriate.
The Office of Human Resources will develop and manage relevant databases, monitor and track program success, evaluate program efficacy and quality and help facilitate programs. Of particular importance will be scheduling annual/biannual department/unit Action Plan 2000 implementation reviews and annually reporting review outcomes to the College.
For the College to create an amicable work and learning environment, the College should:
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Conduct introspective assessments.
The College will need to seek out and eliminate existing obstacles to diversity (e.g., offensive mementos, symbols, intimidating environments, etc.). Intellectual discussion concerning issues that impede cultural diversity should be encouraged. All College employees should have opportunities to freely speak out about issues that impede cultural diversity.
Launching Action Plan 2000
A one day College retreat should be held to serve as a platform for launching Action Plan 2000. The retreat will be an opportunity to study, review and discuss Action Plan 2000 and will help further elaborate details for implementation. The retreat format should provide a college learning and planning opportunity.