NEWS

Smart: 'We want to do better' on diversity, inclusion

Claudette Riley
CRILEY@NEWS-LEADER.COM

A study commissioned by Missouri State University shows 45 percent of minority students and employees surveyed believe they have been treated differently because of their racial or ethnic identity.

An even higher percentage of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals on campus also feel like they have been marginalized in some way.

Across the campus of the region's largest university, students and employees who aren't white, straight, Christian or native English speakers say they feel less included.

The result? More turnover among diverse employees, fewer diverse students making it to graduation and reports — though rare — of discrimination, harassment, hostility or retaliation.

While the Campus and Community Climate Study released Thursday shows an overwhelming majority feel a strong sense of belonging on campus and have never experienced poor treatment, top officials acknowledge there is work to be done.

"These findings are the reason why diversity and inclusion continue to be a priority at our university," said President Clif Smart. "...We want to do better. We want all of our students, faculty and our staff to feel equally welcome and included in our university community no matter their color, ethnicity, religion, gender or gender identity, disability status or politics.

"We want to eliminate discrimination, to the extent we can, on any basis except merit."

In the coming weeks, the university will set up a committee that will study the report and recommend specific changes. Updates about the work will be posted on a website. Changes are expected in curriculum, training, recruitment, and campus events and activities.

The 98-page report, nearly two years in the making, provides an in-depth look at the perceptions and experiences of those on the campus as well as their impressions of the Springfield community. It was created by surveying 3,160 individuals, interviewing top leaders and conducting focus and discussion groups with different groups of students and employees.

This is not the university's first diversity study. The most recent, in 2008, accelerated the number of programs, initiatives and changes designed to gain ground on creating a more welcoming, inclusive community that celebrates diversity.

"The results of this study make two things clear. First, we have made progress in the last five years," he said. "Second, we still have lots of work to do."

Smart referenced ongoing debate about a city ordinances that would protect people from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, racial tension in Ferguson and even demonstrations — related to Ferguson — in the Springfield community and on campus.

He said the university must do more to eliminate "micro-aggression" — defined as bullying, derogatory remarks, exclusion from activity or even refusal of services.

Ken Coopwood, vice president for diversity and inclusion, said the study will provide a baseline to see if progress is made.

"We will continue to work to create, enhance and improve a welcoming climate that is supportive of all students," he said. "The climate survey is simply a gap analysis tool that is enabling Missouri State to move forward in the process."

Smart said those who "feel ostracized" are less likely to apply for admission or employment, stay very long on campus, engage in campus life, or graduate on time — and that isn't good for the university or those involved.

"We will continue to focus on diversity in the coming years because it is critical to our students' experience and future success and to create an even more productive, engaged workforce," he said.

The governing board of the university will devote its May meeting to talking about the report and diversity is expected to remain a central theme as the board, with help from the entire campus, formulates its long-range plan in the coming year.

Caleb Doyle, a student who serves on the MSU Board of Governors, said the challenges pointed out in the study "are not surprising." In addition to the survey, groups of students offered specific suggestions.

"As student leaders we are going to be looking at those recommendations to see where we go next and how to do we promote a positive shift," he said.

Juan Meraz, assistant vice president of multicultural services, works with diverse scholars and a Hispanic leadership group. He said it's important to bring different groups of students together and encourage students from different backgrounds to get involved.

"I'm excited as we move forward," he said. "This is going to be a good benchmark."

The demographics of the university have been changing in recent years, with a steady uptick in the number of minority students. The university has also made strides to employ a more diverse workforce and, while the numbers of diverse hires are going up, there is still higher than average turnover among that population of faculty and staff.

"We want to keep our talent," Smart said.

Matt Morrow, president of the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce, said the report is an important milestone in an ongoing community conversation about improving diversity in Springfield. He said the university's effort to recruit, train and retain diversity leaders will add to the employment "pipeline" that will benefit the entire city.

"A healthy, constructive, diverse population on our university campus only strengthens that pipeline," he said.

Top academic and administrative leaders will soon go through additional diversity training and look for ways to make progress.

"Part of this is the leadership of the university taking ownership of this, talking about this, the board of the university setting some kind of long-term statements of what we want the university to be like — to be inclusive," Smart said.

"...That in itself can change the game."

Next steps

•Ask for recommendations on the study and its findings from students, administrators, faculty, staff and community members. A suggestion box will be set up and progress will be updated on a website.

•A campus committee will develop recommendations based on the report. They will be spelled out as part of the campus's long-range planning process, starting in the fall.

•The book "The Other Wes Moore" was selected as required reading for the fall and the author, Wes Moore, will provide the Public Affairs Convocation lecture in October.

•A two-day diversity training will be offered in the fall for university and community leadership. This semester, a diversity training seminar will be held will all of the university's academic deans and department heads.

Upcoming events

A few of Missouri State University events planned in coming weeks related to diversity and inclusion efforts:

•Second annual Women's Leadership Conference, "A Force of Nature Women," will be March 23-34 in the Plaster Student Union. It will include influential women in the areas of business, health, sports and education.

•Third annual Missouri Collaborative Diversity Conference, March 25-27, in the Plaster Student Union. The conference will showcase best practices in diversity research, intervention, cultural competence and pedagogy and help attendees expand professional networks.

•Public Affairs Conference will present Ferguson and Beyond: Race Relations in Modern America at noon April 17 at the Plaster Student Union Theater.

•The Board of Governors meeting will discuss the diversity climate study released Thursday. The meeting is open to the public and will start at 1 p.m. May 14 at Plaster Student Union, Room 313.

The study

Missouri State University contracted with Illinois-based DiversityWorks Inc. for the Campus and Community Climate Study Project, which was started in June 2013. The study cost $140,000. A steering committee was established and the process was coordinated by the Office of the Vice President for Diversity and included the following elements:

•Survey and focus groups for MSU students and employees

•Interviews with MSU administrators, faculty and staff

•Community interviews and discussion groups

University actions

Following "The Voices of Diversity" study in 2008, Missouri State University took the following actions — some in partnership with the City of Springfield, Springfield Public Schools or Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce — to improve diversity and inclusion, including:

•Establish the Greater Springfield Race and Faith Collaborative

•Redefine "diversity" on campus to include all "historically excluded groups."

•Build diversity and cultural awareness activities into the curriculum for the Student Orientation, Advisement and Registration, or SOAR, and introductory-level course.

•Require new undergraduate students, plus faculty and staff, to participate in sexual assault awareness and harassment training.

•Establish annual Statewide Collaborative Diversity Conference and annual Women's Leadership Conference.

•Establish an LGBT Resource Center.

•Focus on recruiting and retaining faculty and staff from black and Hispanic populations. Implement a diversity hiring program and require all professional searches to include a diverse pool. Also, implement a diversity hiring goal and create a group to identify barriers to achieving the goal.

•Establish administrative training and campus events regarding diversity issues. Train and certify facilitators to assist with dialogues on diversity issues.

•Launch Brother 2 Brother chapter in Springfield (with other universities) to increase retention of historically excluded students.

•Establish position of vice president of diversity and inclusion and the division of diversity and inclusion.

•Support the Minorities In Business group, which is located in the Plaster Center.

•Establish the Student Transition Education Program, called STEP, and the Youth Empowerment Conference to host diverse middle and high school students on campus. Establish the Hispanic Initiative for the Monett and Verona school districts.

•Collaborate with chamber to sponsor "Facing Racism" intensive training sessions.

•Initiate the Project DIG — Diversity, Involvement and Growth — in residence life, housing and dining services to provide more interaction between different cultures on campus.

•Establish the Latino Leadership Institute to increase knowledge for Latino students about their history and leadership potential.

•Create the Faculty Diversity Composition Initiative, a loan forgiveness or reimbursement program to attract underrepresented students with an ambition for collegiate instruction.

•Form a diversity consortium with other higher education institutions to coordinate diversity and inclusion efforts.

•Establish a diversity studies minor and disability studies minor.