Diversity Projects Underway
Filed under Diversity
Posted by , March 23, 2005
View all posts for March 2005
The Diversity Council (TDC) has awarded $249,640 – with an additional $199,000 in matching funds – to 12 schools, departments, and units at Simmons to fund the implementation of their diversity action plan initiatives. TDC received a total of 54 proposals from throughout the College to support diversity projects at Simmons.
“There has been a burst of creative energy around our initiative, with many great ideas bubbling up from departments throughout the College,” said President Dan Cheever.
Following is a summary of the projects that received funding, all of which must be complete by June 30, 2005.
Advancement: a total of $13,500 to support students’ attendance at the April 2005 Black Alumni symposium, and to design a survey to understand Simmons affinity groups.
Administration & Planning: $4,500 to provide an ESL program to contract employees.
CAS: a total of $45,000 to increase recruitment of students of color, to establish an emergency fund for student textbooks, and for travel subsidies for ALANA students visiting the college.
Dean’s Council: $15,000 to develop the course “Perspectives on Diversity in a Global Society” for seniors and grad students involving faculty from each school.
GSLIS: a total of $22,600 to conduct a study (with the SOM) of women of color entrepreneurs, to develop the course “Library Services for Diverse Users,” and to recruit diverse paraprofessionals to become archivists.
Human Resources: $3,315 to develop a diversity recruitment toolkit for faculty and staff.
Marketing: a total of $28,500 to increase advertising outlets that include ALANA populations, for membership in the Latino Professional Network, and to optimize the search engine for all schools on targeted multicultural sites.
SHS: $7,800 for a half-day conference on the consequences of deficits in diversity in health care.
SOM: a total of $37,700 to study the challenges facing women of color entrepreneurs, and to support the second women of color Town Hall event
SSW: a total of $10,625 to strengthen the link between the “Racism and Oppression” course and other courses, to assess student learning in diversity courses, to hire teaching fellows of color, and to recruit students at historically Black colleges and universities
Student Life: a total of $51,350 to revise educational materials for the Counseling Center, Health Center and the Health Education program to reflect ethnic, sexual, and gender diversity; to pilot an orientation program to increase incoming students’ comprehension of diversity; for leadership training that includes diversity issues for all student organizations; to develop expertise on cultural competency for direct service providers; to train RAs and RDs about cultural attitudes toward counseling, and to recruit athletes of color
Even the TDC is receiving funding. A total of $12,750 will be used for a Controversy and Conversation Fund for campus events on diversity, and to conduct an inventory of Simmons’s existing diversity efforts.
