Inclusion excellence update
There are times when troubling events push us to engage with important challenges. This has been a difficult year for our country with respect to the appropriate treatment of all citizens. In addition, VCU has engaged in a series of important conversations regarding our collective commitment to fairness, equity, inclusion and diversity in its many forms and dimensions.
We have much work to do, but before the semester ends I wanted to reach out and provide an update on our work to date, ongoing plans and our commitment.
As follow up to the charge for my senior leadership to report on issues of inclusion, we held our town hall session on March 16 and Dr. Mitchell, vice president for inclusive excellence hosted listening sessions on March 19 and 23. Provost Hackett, Interim Vice President for Health Sciences Strauss and the leadership team have completed their reports and we engaged Emeritus Consulting Group, LLC, and its national expert Dr. Alma Clayton-Petersen to assist our leadership team in supporting our work.
Based on these inputs, the following immediate actions have been recommended to and approved by me to advance and enhance diversity, inclusion and equity at VCU:
1. Establishing university policy and resources to promote inclusive hiring. The Office of the Provost is finalizing guidelines and policy to support our ability to respond to opportunities to hire exceptional faculty.
2. Faculty Mentoring Program: The Office of the Provost, Office of Faculty Recruitment and Retention, and the Division of Inclusive Excellence will engage a group of faculty and academic leaders in the creation of a mentoring program to support faculty development and retention this summer. This program will be introduced in fall 2015.
3. Chairs and directors seminars: The Office of the Provost, in coordination with the Grace E. Harris Leadership Program, will provide expanded professional development for department chairs and unit directors that will include training on exemplary practices for excellence in inclusive hiring, promotion and retention of faculty and staff.
4. Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry and Innovation: My leadership team will seek input from the VCU community on the formation of an Institute for Inclusion, Inquiry and Innovation. The institute would serve as a catalyst for interdisciplinary scholarship between the arts, humanities and sciences focused on solving problems that disproportionately impact urban communities. The institute also would provide opportunities for the university community to engage in dialogue through public teaching, seminars and workshops related to inclusive campus climate and community building.
5. Staff seminars, coaching and brown bag sessions for inclusion: During summer 2015, the Division for Inclusive Excellence will engage Human Resources and a group of staff and members of the Staff Senate in the creation of a staff development pilot program to advance inclusive excellence and talent development.
6. Target key improvements identified from the VCU Campus Pride Index Working Group. Ensure the review of recommendations with university administrators and the development of implementation plans addressing key priorities in policy, institutional commitment, academic, student and residence life, safety, counseling and health, and recruitment and retention relevant to LGBTQ members of the VCU community.
7. Innovative recruitment of underrepresented students: Recommendations from the President’s Task Force on Innovative Recruitment of Underrepresented Students will be implemented upon final approval to enhance the recruitment, retention and graduation of underrepresented undergraduate students at VCU.
8. Campus safety practices: During fall 2015, members of my leadership team will engage national research and policy experts to inform continuing local conversations regarding the national dialogue on police and community relations, and inform our efforts to maintain the VCU Police Department as a national higher education model for policing practices.
9. Council for Inclusive Excellence and Equity: The Council for Inclusive Excellence and Equity will be launched this summer. The council will provide regular reports with recommendations to the president through the vice president for inclusive excellence on issues, policies and practices that affect the university’s ability to provide support for its widely diverse population of students, staff and faculty.
Building on the preliminary reports from vice presidents in response to my winter 2014-15 diversity and inclusion charge, during summer 2015 my cabinet will finalize a comprehensive integrated action plan. As a university community, we will provide opportunity for feedback on and discussion of this plan during fall 2015. We will work together to finalize VCU’s new comprehensive plan, with the commitment that it will chart a clear, resourced and measurable course to ensuring inclusive excellence at VCU. In establishing this work, we will implement monitoring and reporting that integrates appropriate accountability mechanisms at all levels of the institution.
We have an important opportunity to work together in ensuring that Virginia Commonwealth University fully embodies and fulfills its commitments to fairness, inclusion and equity. I know I can count on you and look forward to the continued work of our community.
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