Student Success Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Student Success is committed to developing and supporting initiatives that serve students who have been historically underrepresented in higher education. Our strategies include tools for exploring and achieving success as a student, programs that connect students to support networks in the broader UMass community, platforms for students to make meaning of their personal narratives, and the reduction of barriers that propagate inequity in education. We also prioritize collaboration with other teams, outreach and communication across campus, and bridge-building within campus priorities. Guided by the UMass Amherst Diversity Mission Statement, we strive to create and sustain initiatives that cultivate a campus culture of access, safety, respect, and celebration for all members of the campus community.
Throughout Academic Years 2023-2025, our unit is committed to achieving the following goals:
- Prioritize campus initiatives that support students' basic needs. These include:
- Serving on a Basic Needs Working group with key campus partners.
- Centering basic needs in Smart About Money presentations, coaching, and media.
- Creating webpages focused on student access to basic needs resources.
- Develop additional, robust training and development activities for Smart About Money that focus on student belonging and inclusion.
- Host an annual guest speaker focused on equity and inclusion for the Success@UMass series.
- Collaborate with campus offices, staff, and faculty to better support, communicate with, and provide opportunities for those working closely with RAP programs for students from historically marginalized groups.
- Develop a lesson plan in partnership with campus offices for instructors to address bias events on campus and connect students to critical campus resources.
- Provide resources and one professional development per semester on inclusion and equity for new student classroom instruction.
- Increase the use of data to inform strategic support plans for marginalized students.
- Increase the number of Student Success staff members who attend professional development opportunities on topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion and share what they learn with others in our unit.
