Reviewing the Committee's Second Year of Work

The College Committee on Inclusive Excellence (CCIE) is the official College committee that reviews, recommends, and facilitates the implementation of policies, programs, and practices that advance inclusive excellence at Saint Mary's College. The CCIE recently completed its second year of work, which included further articulation of the role of inclusive excellence in fulfilling our mission, participation in the WASC Special Visit last fall, ongoing development of workshops, funding of initiatives, and growth as a committee engaged in strategic planning.

The WASC visit in the fall successfully demonstrated to the visiting team the extent of campus engagement with diversity and inclusion while acknowledging that significant work remains to be done. The CCIE was actively involved in discussions on campus this year about what it means to be a Liberal Arts, Catholic, and Lasallian institution, and was inspired by these conversations. As a result, we re-affirmed the importance of inclusive excellence to the Mission of the College. Please read this summary of the relationship between the CCIE and the Mission of the College.

In response to the Academic Senate's resolution that all faculty at Saint Mary's participate in diversity training workshops, the CCIE participated in and evaluated appropriate workshops for Saint Mary's College. We decided upon the Anti-Defamation League's Campus of Difference (COD) workshops and we began implementation of them this year on a trial basis. To date, 180 staff members and 60 faculty members have participated in the workshops. The President and his cabinet all will have participated in a workshop by the end of this academic year. In consultation with the CCIE, the Provost and the Senate agree that the COD workshops should now be mandatory. As of July 1, 2010 all faculty and staff must participate in a COD workshop once every three years, retroactive for those who participated this year.

CCIE collaboration with students intensified this year, both through regular participation of students on the committee and in consultation with the students who developed the "Call 2 Action" this spring. In response to a need identified by a student member of the CCIE we developed "Resource Guides" for faculty and staff who work with Undergraduate and Graduate students at SMC. These guides help faculty and staff to effectively and quickly advise students about where they can find a variety of resources on campus. The CCIE also continues to fund a variety of inclusive excellence proposals from faculty, staff, and students, and we awarded nearly $30,000 to 15 applicants this year. (Information about applying for CCIE funds) The CCIE reviews proposals twice a year, but proposals for less than $1,000 are considered on a rolling basis.

The CCIE is currently working on an inclusive excellence strategic plan. There are five target areas for which we are developing specific goals, objectives, implementation strategies, and assessment strategies: 1) Academic and Personal Success for Students 2) Safe and Inclusive Community 3) Civil and Effective Communication 4) Transparent and Equitable Decision Making 5) Attract and Retain Diverse Faculty, Staff, and Students. We are working closely with the Academic Blueprint Committee so as to coordinate our efforts. We will continue this work over the summer and present more details about the strategic plan in the fall.

Finally, the CCIE continues to develop as a campus committee. Robert Bulman has completed his term as co-chair and Tomas Gomez will take his place as co-chair alongside Provost Dobkin. The CCIE has also developed a new sub-committee structure to facilitate our work. Sub-committees include the Executive Committee, Training, Development, and Assessment Committee, Program and Budget Committee, Communication and Community Committee, and the Student Life Committee. We are in the process of developing two advisory committees: an Inclusive Excellence Student Advisory Committee, inspired by and whose members include representatives from Our Struggle is Tied with Yours, and an Inclusive Excellence Faculty/Staff Advisory Committee, currently facilitated by Christa Kell. These advisory committees will meet regularly to review the work of the CCIE and to make recommendations on issues relevant to faculty, staff, and students. More information on the membership and structure of the CCIE.