Dear Southern Community:
Established in spring 2021, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Council (DEIAC) was created to provide institutional leadership and assistance; to engage and hold members of the PLT, deans, department chairs, and other managers accountable to the University’s mission; to create initiatives with measurable outcomes that will dismantle systemic racism and oppressive hierarchies; and to build equitable communities that drive and measure progress across Southern over time.
The DEIAC is excited to present our Strategic Recommendations and Priorities draft document for your review outlined here. This work was guided by four areas of focus:
- Create a centralized strategic plan and process to build capacity for greater equity-mindedness among faculty and staff across campus, through workshops, programs, and practices that foster community collaboration and measure success over time.
- Recruit, hire, and retain additional staff and faculty from underrepresented, marginalized identities, focusing on department culture as well as recruitment and retention activities that are welcoming to and supportive of these new faculty and staff.
- Thread DEI throughout all communication materials to both our internal and external audiences—students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community leaders — to include print materials, web and social media platforms, and visual representations on campus that openly express our message to different communities.
- Create a pathway for students and all members of the SCSU community to report incidents of bias or hate in and out of the classroom, with a protocol for response and action, and including ways to measure success over time.
Please know, your voice matters! We hope you take a moment to fill out the survey below by December 29, 2021, to help DEIAC and the President's Leadership Team (PLT) guide our work as Southern advances to becoming a social justice university in Connecticut.
As always, we thank you for your input and look forward to your continued involvement and support!
With gratitude,
The DEI Advisory Council
Priorities and Recommendations Strategic Plan 2021-2025 Draft
Priorities and Recommendations 2021-2025 - Executive Summary