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Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Executive Summary

CAS Inclusive Excellence Strategic Goals for 2022-2024

The College of Arts and Sciences at Santa Clara University is committed to increasing diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and social justice for all of our students, faculty and staff. This document is an executive summary of our strategic goals toward this end. Academic departments and offices across the college have prioritized different aspects of the plan and we will share our collective efforts and progress on a regular basis to be accountable to the SCU community and the larger public. We welcome ongoing feedback and collaboration in this work.

  • = strategic goal
    • = key effort toward that goal

Strategic Goal #1 Access & Success

  • Recruit and retain more underrepresented/marginalized faculty across all CAS Departments
    • Revise the Inclusive Excellence Postdoc Program
    • Continue cluster hires in race/social justice
  • Recruit and retain more underrepresented/marginalized staff (at Dept level and Dean’s Office)
    • Participate in compensation review led by President’s Office
  • Review student success data for equity gaps within departments and across the College
    • Build department-level plans to address inequities

Strategic Goal #2 Education & Scholarship

  • Formally propose a center for inclusive teaching and learning
    • Work with Faculty Development and Inclusive Excellence Division
  • Review and update curricula across the College to reflect disciplinary innovations in social justice and diversity of perspectives.
    • Build DEI curriculum review and assessment into the program review process
  • Participate in the revision of the Core Curriculum to reflect disciplinary innovations in social justice and diversity of perspectives.
    • Strengthen current Core diversity requirement
    • Engage in early planning process for revised Core to prioritize student-centered approach and social justice perspectives

Strategic Goal #3 Infrastructure & Accountability

  • Establish baseline data for faculty, staff and student related equity issues
    • Work with assessment office to review data, and share with college leaders
  • Develop mechanisms to track DEI-related contributions at the Department level
    • Institutionalize the regular inclusion of DEI related work in the review of Faculty Activity Reports (FARs). This includes a review of service work for faculty.

Strategic Goal #4 Community Engagement

  • Build student, faculty and staff’s sense of belonging within academic depts
    • Encourage partnerships between CAS and academic depts with other university offices such as (OML, RRC, LEAD, MCC, alumni networks)
    • Link curriculum to events/activities with above offices to enhance community-building
  • Increase faculty and staff scholarly, creative and pedagogical impacts through community partnerships (research, advocacy, policy, creative projects, etc.)
    • Highlight/expand campus funding opportunities available to support this work.
    • Build networking opportunities with off campus leaders into faculty cluster hire programming

Strategic Goal #5 Climate & Intergroup Relations

  • Improve faculty and staff experiences of climate within the Departments and College
    • Gather quantitative and qualitative data capturing faculty and staff experiences of climate in Departments and the College (may use program review and other methods)
  • Improve classroom climate for students by cultivating inclusive learning environments
    • Develop guidance on inclusive language and its impact on students
    • Encourage academic departments to conduct climate surveys through ODI and senior exit surveys