NCCCS Student Development Diversity/Inclusiveness Survey Results

1. NCCCS Student Development Diversity/Inclusiveness Survey Results Committee Members Daniel Alvarado, Director of Counseling, Vance-Granville Community College Steve Hunt,Director of Multicultural Affairs, Catawba Valley Community College Charletta Sims Evans, Associate Director Student Development Services, NCCCS Thu Washington, Counselor and Coordinator of Diversity and Inclusiveness, Wake Tech Community College

2. The Purpose of the Survey Diversity and inclusiveness initiatives are critical to the success of educating students to function in a multi-cultural and global society. These initiatives also help faculty and staff recognize and value cultural differences. The purpose of this survey is to gain information on the diversity and inclusiveness policies and procedures, programs and services at your college. Your participation will help us identify and guide in the development of services and programs that meet the needs of the community colleges.

3. Defining Diversity and Inclusion • Diversity: • Individual differences (e.g., personality, learning styles, and life experiences) and group/social  differences (e.g., race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexual orientation, country of origin, and ability as well as cultural, political, religious, or other affiliations) that can be engaged in the service of learning. • Taken from American Association of Colleges and Universities http://www.aacu.org/inclusive_excellence/index.cfm

4. Defining Diversity and Inclusion • Inclusion: • The active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity—in people, in the curriculum, in the co-curriculum, and in communities (intellectual, social, cultural, geographical) with which individuals might connect—in ways that increase one’s awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and institutions. • Taken from American Association of Colleges and Universities http://www.aacu.org/inclusive_excellence/index.cfm

5. Diversity/Inclusiveness Survey Results An informal survey was conducted utilizing Survey Monkey in February 2010 The survey was sent to Student Development Administrators 23 out of 58 colleges responded Not all questions were answered A formal discussion will be held this fall at Wake Tech Community College

6. Does your college have a campus-wide committee and/or advisory board to address issues of diversity and inclusiveness?

7. Does your college have a student policy to address issues of diversity and inclusiveness? If yes, please check all that apply.

8. How does your college recognize the cultural contributions of your students? • Diversity Awareness Programs/Events • International Flag Displays • History Month Events • Asian American History Month • Black History Month • Diversity Month • Hispanic Heritage Month • Native American Month • Women’s History

9. How does your college recognize the cultural contributions of your students? MLK, Jr. Celebrations Global Centers Art shows and poetry readings Spring Fling Lunch and Learn Workshops Class presentations Guest speakers None/we don’t

10. Does your college provide specific services for diverse student populations? • Minority Male Mentoring Programs • SafeZone • Disability Services • Courses • ESL • African America History • Women's History • Native American History

11. Does your college provide specific services for diverse student populations? TRIO Office of Multicultural Affairs International Student Services Campus Wide Discussions Gender Resource Centers • Child Care Assistance • Financial Aid • Clubs and Organizations • GLBT • Women's Support • Hispanic Outreach • International • African American

12. Services Not Mentioned in the Survey Continuing Education Early/Middle College First Year Experience First Generation Student Programs GED/Basic Skills Transfer Programs Veteran Affairs

13. Why is diversity and inclusion important? • Minority communities are challenging higher education to be more accountable for meeting their needs, even as institutions shift to more competitive admission criteria. • Student profiles are shifting as we witness a rise in multiracial students and students with multiple identities. • The cultural and language issues of immigrants of color are requiring higher education to rethink outreach and retention efforts. • Take from: http://www.diversityweb.org/digest/vol10no2/barcelo.cfm

14. Why is diversity and inclusion important? • Higher education is recognizing the need to partner with communities and schools to ensure students are college-ready. • Rising tuition is requiring new approaches to financial aid and scholarships for low-income students. • Higher education is struggling with the concept that diversity is not a euphemism for assimilation, but a challenge to transform an educational system that promotes and values individual group differences. • Definitions of diversity are becoming more inclusive of such dimensions as gender, disability, sexuality, and religion.

15. What are the challenges in promoting diversity awareness on your college?

16. How to offer programs and services on a limited budget Use resources in the community Safe Zone Training http://studentaffairs.unc.edu/who_we_are/dos/programs/safezone/index.html Clubs and Organizations Diversity Dialogues Study Circles http://www.ywca.org/site/c.ntJWJ8MLIqE/b.5398625/k.BE56/Home.htm Speakers bureaus Collaborate with faculty

17. How to offer programs and services on a limited budget Collaborate with area universities Create diversity resource guides Create comprehensive campus calendars Create foreign language resource guides

18. Tips to Increase Support for Diversity Initiatives (Steve Hunt) Support from the top (President- Visionary) Report only to the President Make your diversity initiatives part of your 5-year Strategic Plan Make the diversity initiative part of your Institution’s core values Engage your community stakeholders Engage your internal stakeholders (including student population) who are committed to the success of the Institutions diversity initiative

19. Other challenges “Showing the values of diversity awareness education as an opportunity for instructors to bring their students to programs during class time.” “The area that we need to provide the most attention is in developing the culture competence of our faculty and staff. We need specific training to help broaden the understanding of our employees, specifically about African-American and Latino cultures.”

20. Other challenges “Martin and Bertie counties, our primary service areas, are rural agricultural areas. Without an industrial base the College has few students whose ethnicity is not Anglo American or African American. A wider diversity within the College population would greatly enhance our efforts to celebrate diversity and inclusiveness.” “Lack of diversity in the service area.” “Students lead busy lives with lots of commitments. Its hard to get them involved.”

21. Does your college offer diversity or inclusiveness training?

22. Who provides the training? Diversity Committee OD/PD Office MAHEC Staff and faculty members Local presenters/speakers Teaching-Learning Center Global Education Department/Committee

23. Importance of Diversity in Higher Education • It enriches the educational experience. We learn from those whose experiences, beliefs, and perspectives are different from our own, and these lessons can be taught best in a richly diverse intellectual and social environment. • It promotes personal growth - and a healthy society. Diversity challenges stereotyped preconceptions; it encourages critical thinking; and it helps students learn to communicate effectively with people of varied backgrounds.

24. Importance of Diversity in Higher Education • It strengthens communities and the workplace. Education within a diverse setting prepares students to become good citizens in an increasingly complex, pluralistic society; it fosters mutual respect and teamwork; and it helps build communities whose members are judged by the quality of their character and their contributions. • It enhances America's economic competitiveness. Sustaining the nation's prosperity in the 21st century will require us to make effective use of the talents and abilities of all our citizens, in work settings that bring together individuals from diverse backgrounds and cultures. • Taken from American Association of Community Colleges http://www.aacc.nche.edu/Resources/aaccprograms/accessinclusion/Pages/diversityhighered.aspx

25. Would training be beneficial for your college? If yes, please state why….. “Issues are currently only discussed as needed.” “Currently investigating the need for training.” “Minorities represent a large portion of our student population.”

26. Would training be beneficial for your college? If yes, please state why…. “This would be helpful on our campus especially since we have individuals, through, ignorance and apathy, are unaware that their words and action are offensive to others of different faiths, nationalities and sexual orientations, among other differences. Dialogue and engagement with one’s colleagues is the best way to promote understanding and greater ongoing learning and connection with others.”

27. What would be helpful for you to promote diversity/inclusiveness at your college?

28. Why Should Your College Be More Aware • Significantly, diversity initiatives have an impact not only on student attitudes and feelings toward intergroup relations on campus, but also on institutional satisfaction, involvement, and academic growth. • Taken fromDiversity Works: The Emerging Picture of How Students Benefit by Daryl G. Smith, et. al. http://www.diversityweb.org/diversity_innovations/student_development/identity_intellectual_develop/diversity_works.cfm

29. Why Should Your College Be More Aware Mentoring programs, involving both student peers and faculty, consistently result in improved adjustment, retention, and academic success rates for their participants.

30. Why Should Your College Be More Aware Programs which focus on the transition to college are important for the recruitment, retention, and academic success of underrepresented students. The apparent success of honors approaches for at-risk students suggests that the differences between cultural and academic transitions need to be clearly addressed in the design of transitional and special support programs.

31. Why Should Your College Be More Aware Opportunities for interaction between and among student groups are desired by virtually all students and produce clear increases in understanding and decreases in prejudicial attitudes. Such opportunities also positively affect academic success. The conditions under which interactions among individuals are likely to be beneficial include institutional support, equal status, and common goals.

32. Why Should Your College Be More Aware Comprehensive diversity initiatives, beyond their capacity to improve access and retention for underrepresented groups, are related to satisfaction, academic success, and cognitive development for all students. Evidence in the literature suggests that comprehensive institutional change in teaching methods, curriculum, campus climate, and institutional definition provides educational benefits for both minority and majority students.