Themes covered by the Beneficence Dialogue
1) Recruitment and retention of a diverse student body
2) Diversity awareness/education initiatives for students
3) Education/training for and support from faculty
4) University response/student body and administration interactions
5) Campus climate
A full progress report detailing the latest accomplishments in the recommended solutions proposed in the Beneficence Dialogue Report will be released by the middle of next week.
Thomas Gibson, associate vice president for student affairs, said the purpose of the plan is to provide a strategy for the action the Council on Diversity and Inclusion will take.
“We’ve determined that [the plans] are solid and they are actually actionable, that we can achieve some gains as a result of the plans,” Gibson said.
Next month will mark one year since the dialogue sessions took place, when more than 100 students participated in group discussions about diversity concerns at Ball State.
A report was sent out in October 2015 summarizing the concerns and recommended solutions to improve diversity and inclusion at Ball State.
The initial drafts of the plans for the solutions were due to the co-chairs of the Council on Diversity and Inclusion on Dec. 16. The co-chairs of the council are Gibson and Beth Messner, an associate professor in communication studies.
“A lot of good thinking went into developing the plans and the plans were developed in a very collaborative nature,” Gibson said.
He said they took their time to involve as many people as they could in the process.
“All of the recommendations may impact an area or a unit on campus, so it is critical that members of the council had conversations with stakeholders across the campus who may be impacted as a result of the recommendations,” Gibson said. “We’ve tried to be as transparent in our communications and our actions as possible.”
The plans are ever-evolving, Gibson said, and may be altered because of changes in internal and external environments.
One thing that won’t affect the plans is President Paul W. Ferguson’s resignation.
“There is support from the Board of Trustees down to cabinet members as well as stakeholders across campus, so there has not been any change with the work that we’ve been charged with doing on the council," Gibson said.
One of the objectives that may be more challenging is the relocation of the Multicultural Center. Gibson said this will likely result in a new building or facility.
Other challenging objectives include those involving adjustments to the curriculum, such as the addition of a diversity course in the core curriculum.
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