While the 2016-2021 EDI Strategic Plan has ended, members of the Brockport community continued to use the plan as guidance for EDI efforts during the 2021-2022 academic year in preparation for the new strategic plan that is in development. Changes in SUNY EDI leadership have delayed the advancement of system-wide strategic plan efforts. Nevertheless, Brockport continues to make progress on our EDI efforts during the past academic school year. The following is a summary of the progress that was made last year against the current four goals:
Goal 1: Achieve a Balance of Representation in Faculty and Staff
Goal 2: Achieve a Balance of Representation in the Student Body
Goal 3: Expand Attendance at and Access to EDI Curriculum, Programming, and/or Trainings
Goal 4: Build and Maintain an Inclusive and Positive Campus Climate
2021-2022 EDI Objectives Progress Report
To support Goal One (Achieve a Balance of Representation of Faculty and Staff), OEDI worked to strengthen the collaborative relationship established between the Provost & Vice President of Academic Affairs and Human Resources to support the academic enterprise from an EDI lens. The following actions were taken:
- Human Resources provided NEST Training for all new employees at Brockport, at which OEDI presented regularly throughout the year. Additionally, the Diversity Recruiter partnered with OEDI to determine the best ways to onboard and support international faculty to foster a sense of belonging.
- The interim provost/vice president of academic affairs partnered with OEDI to offer training on microaggressions in the classroom for all faculty. Four workshops were provided in the 2021-2022 academic year and grouped by school. Additionally, to ensure PRODiG[1] faculty continued to receive support, the CDO and interim provost asked the director of CELT to provide oversight of the program for the year. A program review will take place in 2022-23 to determine the best way to support PRODiG in conjunction with the new provost. Finally, the assistant vice president of human resources and director of budgeting successfully submitted the PRODiG renewal application on behalf of Brockport.
To support Goal Two (Achieve a Balance of Representation of Students), Academic Affairs, EMSA and OEDI collaborated to sponsor a visit and day long workshop with Dr. Tia Brown McNair, co-author of Equity Walk to Equity Talk: Expanding Practitioner Knowledge for Racial Justice in Higher Education and Becoming a Student-Ready College. Members of Brockport’s faculty, staff and administration were invited to this workshop as part of the Persistence Roadmap initiatives, in order to learn how we can be a student-ready and equity minded campus. The workshop culminated in participants developing action plans to implement across various departments and divisions.
To support Goal Three (Expand Attendance at and Access to EDI Curriculum, Programming, and/or Trainings), OEDI completed a review of all programs and training offered to ensure alignment with current best practices in the field. The results of the review prompted OEDI to focus on implementing the Brown Bag Lunch and Learn Series (part of the Dale Carnegie Training), and to provide customized departmental trainings and meetings with department across the University. Additionally,
- OEDI launched a search for the new program coordinator, resulting in the appointment of Dr. Melis Kural in the position. Dr. Kural joined the Brockport community in March of 2022.
- Under the leadership of OEDI, a campus wide committee planned and implemented the 20 th Annual Diversity Conference: SHIFT! Brockport Together. This week-long conference took place March 28-April 1, 2022, culminating with a keynote address by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, and author of The 1619 Project, Nikole Hannah-Jones. The conference also highlighted local and nationally recognized authors, artists, and TV personalities, including Lynette Adams, Norma and Andrea Holland, Danielle Ponder, and Lee Mun Wah. Finally, faculty, staff and students presented various initiatives and research aligned with EDI, and Global Education and Engagement hosted their annual International Week as part of the conference.
- Human Resources continued to roll out the BIZLibrary online training platform. Faculty and staff at Brockport and REOC completed over 100 BIZLibrary trainings.
To support Goal Four (Build and Maintain an Inclusive and Positive Campus Climate),
- The President’s Campus Climate Committee continued their work in identifying a survey instrument, to be administered by a third-party vendor. The Committee contracted with HEDS Consortium to conduct a climate survey from November 1-22, 2022.
- OEDI reconvened the Student Advisory Board (SAB) made up of 10 members at the end of the fall 2021 semester. SAB met regularly during the semester and identified concerns related to accessibility across Brockport. They made recommendations for how to address these concerns with key administrators at Brockport. The members also engaged in recruitment efforts for SAB members for the 2022-2023 academic year. The 2022-2023 SAB will be made up of 11 members from diverse backgrounds, majors, and class years.
- OEDI partnered with the Joey Jackson Intercultural Center to co-sponsor several events throughout the academic year. Programs included Attica Anniversary, Book Tastings, and the Golden Eagle Experience. In addition, OEDI worked with the University’s two Affinity Groups, the Faculty and Staff of Color Interest Group (FSOCIG) and the International Faculty and Staff Association (IFSA). Our affinity groups hosted the annual Multicultural Mixer to support a sense of belonging for students, faculty, and staff and/or participated in SUNY professional development offerings. Finally, OEDI collaborated with the Department of African and African American Studies to co-sponsor the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture.
In addition to these goal-specific efforts, OEDI established systems/processes necessary for the day-to-day operation of the office. Such efforts included updating and aligning allocated budget for better accounting and stewardship of the department’s financial resources.
A committee was convened to develop a new 5-year EDI Strategic Plan. The committee began work on new plan by reviewing of the previous plan, the 2022-2027 Building a Better Brockport strategic plan, and existing data to help assess campus climate. The work is ongoing.
[1] PRODiG stands for “Promoting Recruitment, Opportunity, Diversity, Inclusion and Growth” and is a SUNY-wide project.
Divisional EDI Efforts
President’s cabinet added specific EDI measures to their Leadership Guiding Principles and ensured that EDI was included in all performance programs. President’s cabinet continued to pursue active monthly EDI training and communal reads and had an EDI retreat. When SUNY disseminated its 25 point plan, the University immediately mapped the plan to our own initiatives and published the results:
Full review of the SUNY DEI Plan
The Divisions of Finance and Administration, University Communications, Advancement, Enrollment Management and Student Affairs and Academic Affairs continued to engage in efforts to create an equitable, diverse, and inclusive environment. During the 2021-2022 academic year, guided by the goals from the current EDI Strategic Plan, these areas hosted over 130 programs and events, provided, or attended over 140 trainings and workshops, implemented 84 initiatives, convened over 30 EDI related committees, and made over 40 curricular changes and/or conducted EDI related research.
The following is a brief list of programs, training, and initiatives each division offered or participated in during the 2022 calendar year:
In addition to these efforts, participants in the Dale Carnegie Institute’s Diversity and Inclusion Program (Spring 2021) engaged in efforts to implement the projects they developed during the training. These efforts include the development of the Employee Success Center and implementing the Brown Bag Lunch and Learn Series. Cabinet members also participated in Cabinet Conversations: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, led by the CDO. Further, during the January Cabinet Retreat, cabinet members engaged in a half-day workshop, Practical Tools for EDI with Dr. Liza Talusan.
As the new EDI strategic plan is developed, specific goals will be measured and assessed. The University’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion is unwavering and progress continues to be made on all fronts.