The campus can do more within itself, within the region and within the university to increase diversity, equity, and inclusion, and will intensify its efforts to do so. Some of our initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion are embedded in the three strategic priorities that were part of the original On Seas of Care strategic plan. We present others, which are more focused on changing the campus’s culture, here, under a new strategic priority. We recognize that culture change will require sustained, forward-thinking efforts that pursue continual improvement and prevent regression. Drawing from the work of intersectionality scholars, we recognize that people embody diverse and overlapping identities that are shaped by multiple forms of oppression. We also recognize that our approach to changing our culture must be flexible, reflective and coalitional in light of the reality that structural oppression is multidimensional and sometimes hidden.
Adopt organizational practices that promote diversity, equity and inclusion
- Host Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) listening sessions with faculty, staff, and students
- Nominate a faculty member and staff member to serve on the university-level PSAC
- Establish a public art master plan designed to guide the selection, placement and redistribution of public art, with emphasis on diversity and inclusion
- Ensure that faculty mentoring addresses the needs of faculty who are women and/or underrepresented minorities
- Require employee training in diversity, equity, inclusion, and antiracism to better support LGBTQ and BIPOC members of the campus community
- Establish Employee Resource Group (ERG) guidelines and support each group’s events/activities through co-sponsorships of up to $500 annually.
- Explore the possibility of establishing scholarships and other types of financial support for Native American students to recognize that the 1862 Morrill Act’s benefits to the university came partially through the sale of Native lands acquired by the U.S. through unratified treaties or by executive order
- Consult with Native Americans regarding what they think the university should do to rectify the injustices associated with the 1862 Morrill Act
- Create and fill “teaching faculty” positions
- Consider the recommendations of from the external evaluation of our climate for diversity, equity and inclusion
- Implement annual retreats for the Dean/Director’s Council focusing on strengthening our commitment to social justice and developing our annual Inclusive Excellence Plan
Transform the campus staffing and physical facilities to better support diversity, equity, and inclusion
- Establish an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in partnership with COTC
- Hire an additional staff member in student multicultural affairs to offer more intercultural, extracurricular activities, and to increase the office’s support for student organizations
- Work with university offices to recruit a diverse applicant pool for our lead mental health counselor position and improve the likelihood that we will hire a person of color
- Create a faculty hiring plan and a cultural transformation plan that align with the RAISE program announced by President Johnson and that help us increase faculty diversity to match that of our student population
- Increase the racial and ethnic diversity of our staff
- Commission a statue of Ella Baker
- Attend to the needs of our diverse campus population as we plan for the physical development of the campus, including by creating gender-inclusive restrooms in all campus buildings
- Begin long-range planning for a building for the Newark Earthworks Center
Cultivate an intellectual and academic environment that demonstrates inclusivity
- Establish outreach and engagement programming focusing on social justice
- Provide funding to the Faculty Assembly Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee
- Work with the Newark Earthworks Center on ways to acknowledge Indigenous Peoples who have lived on the land on which our campus is located· Invite Faculty Talks Outside the Box speakers to discuss how their research and disciplines address social change
- Overhaul our approach to evaluating teaching, and address ways in which it might produce disparate outcomes by race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and language
- Incorporate anti-racism, anti-Blackness, and racial social justice as topics in the EXP course
- Provide training for faculty to enhance the inclusiveness of their pedagogies
- Work with the Graduate School and the College of Arts and Sciences to help the university increase the number of students from the Newark campus who eventually enroll in graduate programs at Ohio State and focus specifically on encouraging BIPOC students to enroll and succeed in STEM graduate programs
Increase the degree to which our constituents are welcomed in the local community
- Partner with community organizations to mitigate racism in the surrounding communities
- Fund some or all of the proposals submitted to the Seed Fund for Racial Justice that received positive reviews but did not receive funding