A strategic plan delineates the path to a community in which everyone experiences a strong sense of belonging and professional and personal growth. Implementing a strategic diversity, equity, and inclusion plan invites the university community to engage fully and meaningfully in the preparation of the students so they can “meet the highest test of democratic citizenship.”
In 2005, the university appointed a Diversity Planning Task Force to develop a specific diversity strategic plan. This plan began its implementation in 2006. In 2016, the university implemented a new plan, Threshold 2022: Cultivating a Culture of Inclusive Excellence (Threshold 2022), which has served as the blueprint for the institutional diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives until now.
This revised strategic plan, authored by members of the Diversity Advisory Council (DAC), led by the Vice President for Institutional Equity & Diversity, reimagines how we prioritize and implement our institutional goals of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB).
The Belonging: Choosing Equity and Engaging Inclusive Excellence plan asks us to reimagine and realign the sites of DEIB work on campus to create synergy, transparency, communication, and accountability. The plan leads us to reconsider how we might strengthen and support existing DEIB infrastructure, so that matters of equity are deliberately considered and integrated across various kinds of university work including teaching, advising, hiring, managing, and learning.
The plan also provides a clear blueprint outlining not only goals, objectives, and strategies, but includes key performance indicators that can help us assess our progress as well as a list of resources and timeline needed to accomplish the goals and objectives. The plan clearly illustrates that the work described here is the responsibility of all divisions, units, and departments, and it requires the commitment and diligent work of stakeholders across the university to advance these goals.