CDSJ Initiative - UMass Amherst Provost's Office

Provost's Office > Academic Affairs Community, Diversity and Social Justice Initiative

Report of the Academic Affairs Community, Diversity and Social Justice
Committee for Academic Year 2004-05

During Academic Year 2004-2005, the Academic Affairs Community, Diversity, and Social Justice (CDSJ) Initiative moved into its planning phase. With the major assessment phase completed across Academic Affairs and within each unit, the goal of the year was to constitute planning teams within each school, college, and administrative unit and for them to prepare an Action Plan based on the assessment data.

Teams were constituted within most all academic areas, most of them including faculty, staff, and student members. Further, action plans have been developed and submitted to the Provost by 10 of 13 areas within Academic Affairs. It is our understanding that if an Action Plan has not yet been completed; efforts are being made to move in that direction in most of the other units, as well. We attribute the success of the planning phase to a number of factors: the Provost's leadership in establishing a planning calendar with explicit due dates, work by the AA CDSJ Coordinating Committee to assist the school/college teams in interpreting assessment data and beginning the planning effort, the January 2005 AA CDSJ Retreat, and the April 2005 Deans and Chairs Conference. The Retreat, attended by over 80 faculty, staff, and deans was instrumental in guiding many of the schools and colleges into framing their local initiatives and linking with the University-wide CDSJ initiative. It also added significantly to team-building. The April 2005 Deans and Chairs Conference served an equally important function of bringing department chairs into the planning process.

To date, we are aware of CDSJ Action Plans, or a variation, that have been submitted to you by ten schools, colleges, and administrative units:

College of Engineering
College of Humanities and Fine Arts
College of Social and Behavioral Sciences
College of Natural Resources and the Environment
College of Natural Science and Mathematics
School of Management
University Libraries
Commonwealth College
Graduate School
Provost's Area

As would be expected, the Action Plans of individual units (schools / colleges) are tailored to the specific assessment data and missions of each school or college and therefore vary from school to school. Still, some common themes appear in the areas that are addressed. Specifically, five or more schools/colleges present action plans related to the following areas (both broadly and with specific attention to diversity and social justice):

Community Building :

CDSJ Teams
Overall climate
Communication

Recruitment and Retention

Faculty Recruitment
Undergraduate Recruitment
Graduate Recruitment
Staff Retention
Undergraduate Retention

Teaching and Learning Development

Teaching and Learning Faculty/Instructor and Curriculum Development

Professional Staff Development and Advancement

Management and Personnel

Supervisor Development
State Jobs Classifications Structures.

While some of these areas are addressed in the Chancellor's Action Plan (e.g., faculty recruitment, teaching and learning development), others are not (e.g., community building within schools and colleges, staff issues, and ongoing structures for continuing CDSJ work at the school/college level). We have appended a list of specific action items included in various Action Plans in order to give a sense of the range of actions being proposed at the school / college level.

In the upcoming academic year, the AACDSJ Committee expects to focus immediately on clarifying the relation of this effort to the Chancellor's On Improving Campus Diversity: Action Plan and what the specific role of CDSJ Teams should be in furthering University CDSJ goals. Addressing these questions is crucial in order to make the most of all of our limited time and resources as we move from planning to implementation. Under the assumption that a campus wide leadership role remains for the CDSJ initiative, the AACDSJ Committee will work with the Provost and deans to clarify how we can support and extend these goals and directly support the unit-level initiatives across Academic Affairs. In the immediate future, the AACDSJ team will submit a proposed list of action items and a tentative calendar for the 2005 2006 academic year.

Report submitted by the Academic Affairs Community, Diversity, and Social Justice Coordinating Committee.

		Academic Affairs Community, Diversity and Social Justice
		Provost's Office > Academic Affairs Community, Diversity and Social Justice Initiative Report of the Academic Affairs Community, Diversity and Social Justice Committee for Academic Year 2004-05 During Academic Year 2004-2005, the Academic Affairs Community, Diversity, and Social Justice (CDSJ) Initiative moved into its planning phase. With the major assessment phase completed across Academic Affairs and within each unit, the goal of the year was to constitute planning teams within each school, college, and administrative unit and for them to prepare an Action Plan based on the assessment data. Teams were constituted within most all academic areas, most of them including faculty, staff, and student members. Further, action plans have been developed and submitted to the Provost by 10 of 13 areas within Academic Affairs. It is our understanding that if an Action Plan has not yet been completed; efforts are being made to move in that direction in most of the other units, as well. We attribute the success of the planning phase to a number of factors: the Provost's leadership in establishing a planning calendar with explicit due dates, work by the AA CDSJ Coordinating Committee to assist the school/college teams in interpreting assessment data and beginning the planning effort, the January 2005 AA CDSJ Retreat, and the April 2005 Deans and Chairs Conference. The Retreat, attended by over 80 faculty, staff, and deans was instrumental in guiding many of the schools and colleges into framing their local initiatives and linking with the University-wide CDSJ initiative. It also added significantly to team-building. The April 2005 Deans and Chairs Conference served an equally important function of bringing department chairs into the planning process. To date, we are aware of CDSJ Action Plans, or a variation, that have been submitted to you by ten schools, colleges, and administrative units: College of Engineering College of Humanities and Fine Arts College of Social and Behavioral Sciences College of Natural Resources and the Environment College of Natural Science and Mathematics School of Management University Libraries Commonwealth College Graduate School Provost's Area As would be expected, the Action Plans of individual units (schools / colleges) are tailored to the specific assessment data and missions of each school or college and therefore vary from school to school. Still, some common themes appear in the areas that are addressed. Specifically, five or more schools/colleges present action plans related to the following areas (both broadly and with specific attention to diversity and social justice): Community Building : CDSJ Teams Overall climate Communication Recruitment and Retention Faculty Recruitment Undergraduate Recruitment Graduate Recruitment Staff Retention Undergraduate Retention Teaching and Learning Development Teaching and Learning Faculty/Instructor and Curriculum Development Professional Staff Development and Advancement Management and Personnel Supervisor Development State Jobs Classifications Structures. While some of these areas are addressed in the Chancellor's Action Plan (e.g., faculty recruitment, teaching and learning development), others are not (e.g., community building within schools and colleges, staff issues, and ongoing structures for continuing CDSJ work at the school/college level). We have appended a list of specific action items included in various Action Plans in order to give a sense of the range of actions being proposed at the school / college level. In the upcoming academic year, the AACDSJ Committee expects to focus immediately on clarifying the relation of this effort to the Chancellor's On Improving Campus Diversity: Action Plan and what the specific role of CDSJ Teams should be in furthering University CDSJ goals. Addressing these questions is crucial in order to make the most of all of our limited time and resources as we move from planning to implementation. Under the assumption that a campus wide leadership role remains for the CDSJ initiative, the AACDSJ Committee will work with the Provost and deans to clarify how we can support and extend these goals and directly support the unit-level initiatives across Academic Affairs. In the immediate future, the AACDSJ team will submit a proposed list of action items and a tentative calendar for the 2005 2006 academic year. Report submitted by the Academic Affairs Community, Diversity, and Social Justice Coordinating Committee.
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