The University of Maine
Diversity Action Plan  

2003-2005

 May 30, 2003

 Revised 6/12/03

Introduction

This Plan is divided into four parts: diversity within the context of the University’s Strategic Plan, assessment of progress toward goals in the 1999 Diversity Action Plan, the process of developing the 2003-2005 Diversity Action Plan, and the 2003-2005 diversity goals, action steps, and financial commitments.

There are several appendices attached to this document: membership lists for the University/Community Diversity Committee and the Diversity Planning and Implementation Group, and progress reports on diversity efforts submitted to the Chancellor’s Office in 1999, 2000, and 2001.

Diversity Within the Context of The University of Maine Strategic Plan

The term “diversity” encompasses the recognition of an entire spectrum of self- and group-identities. It includes an understanding and appreciation of difference in age, ethnicity, gender, race, culture, nationality, sexual orientation, religion, class, and physical ability. The Diversity Action Plan is designed to move the University of Maine closer toward the goal of a diverse, inclusive campus community. By changing the climate and the composition of the University, and working toward a more inclusive curriculum, we will become a place where, “students explore the notion of self and other...embrace and learn from human differences...and prepare for responsible citizenship in a society that is becoming increasingly diverse daily” (Diversity for the Twenty-First Century, UMS Board of Trustees). The University of Maine Diversity Action Plan recognizes the importance of providing the experience of diversity to all our students, most of whom are from Maine and enter our programs from relatively homogeneous communities and high schools. As recently reaffirmed in a statement from the Association of American Colleges and Universities, “higher education can do its best work when it embraces the diversity of ideas and experiences that characterize the social, cultural, and intellectual worlds.”

In particular, Diversity for the Twenty-First Century, building on the report to the Chancellor from the ALANA/University Diversity Task Force Report (September 1997), asserts the “particularly urgent need for greater inclusion of people of color and ethnic groups in our universities.” This charge remains fundamental to the Diversity Action Plan, although the Plan recognizes and supports a broad definition of diversity and the broader variety of difference encompassed by such a definition. The goals of both University of Maine Diversity Action Plans (the 1999 Plan and this one) recognize the urgency to increase the University’s “ability to serve the racially and ethnically diverse people and communities of Maine” (Diversity for the Twenty-First Century), while understanding that this takes place in the context of appreciating and promoting the widest possible array of difference on our campus.

The University of Maine’s commitment to diversity is stated in official publications, both historic and current. Most recently, President Hoff included a commitment to increase the representation of women and people of color, where they are currently underrepresented, as one of seven action items in his 2002 State of the University speech. The Mission Statement of the University asserts: The University is committed to developing and sustaining a multicultural and pluralistic educational community that encourages the full participation of all of its members.

The University’s commitment to diversity was amplified in BearWorks, the campus master plan published in 1997: Make measurable and significant progress toward diversifying the faculty, staff, administration, and student body, and broadening the curriculum and reflecting increased diversity. The recently published Strategic Plan, 2000-2005 includes numerous references to diversity. The following excerpts highlight the ways in which diversity initiatives are tied directly to several of the Strategic Plan’s key goals.

Key Goal #1: In its unique position of leadership among the state’s academic institutions and its competitiveness with the nation’s land-grant universities, the University of Maine will provide a first-class undergraduate educational experience emphasizing a liberal education and the development of professionals in a vibrant campus community. The University will implement to the degree possible the goals outlined in the University’s current Diversity Action Plan, to provide the learning and social environment essential to preparing graduates who understand and appreciate the differences and who can excel in a global society. Specific goals include: Increasing minority faculty, staff, and student recruitment and retention; transforming and diversifying the University curriculum; ensuring a University climate where all people are treated with respect and dignity.

Key Goal #2: Expand the research capacity of the University of Maine to ensure the state’s full participation in and benefit from a knowledge- and technology-based, global economy while maintaining and enhancing our natural resources, culture, and quality of life. Create innovative interactions among diverse fields of scholarly research to confront emerging social, cultural, and environmental issues. High priority should be given to addressing ethical and gender issues arising from science, technology, and related human activities, with on-campus interaction of scholars from diverse disciplines in the arts and sciences and engineering.

Key Goal #3: Strengthen graduate education as a vital component of the University of Maine’s land-grant mission, fundamental to research, outreach, and invigorating undergraduate education. Train leaders and practitioners to meet the changing needs of the State as the population ages through programs both specific and interdisciplinary such as Social Work, Nursing, Education, Business, Women’s Studies, and the Center on Aging.

Key Goal #5: Focus and expand international and multicultural programs throughout the University of Maine. Promote international and multicultural opportunities for the University community by providing international exchanges; support for university centers and academic programs dedicated to multiculturalism, such as the Wabanaki Center, the Franco-American Centre, and the Franco American and Native American Studies programs; expanded foreign language opportunities including the creation of foreign language-based residence halls; and a university curriculum that emphasizes understanding of international issues through diverse cultural, philosophical, religious, and historical perspectives.

This Diversity Action Plan is designed to carry out the diversity-related goals and operational plans of the University’s Strategic Plan, while continuing to focus on the six broad areas of the 1999 Diversity Action Plan: faculty and staff recruitment; faculty and staff retention; curriculum development and transformation; student recruitment; student retention; and university climate. 

Assessment of Progress Toward Goals in the 1999 Diversity Action Plan

Progress toward the goals delineated in the 1999 Diversity Action Plan has been sporadic. Perhaps most frustrating, several minority faculty and staff have left the University after only one or two years of employment. Informal conversations and anecdotal evidence suggests that feelings of isolation, both on campus and in the wider community, contribute to the decision to leave. 

There has been somewhat more success in recruiting students of color. The Admissions Office now has an Assistant Director focusing on ALANA recruitment. This individual has been doing this work for several years and has successfully cultivated relationships with several urban high schools. In addition, a second staff member has been assigned this year to work with the refugee population in southern Maine.

In addition to the recruitment and retention of students, faculty and staff of color, the 1999 Plan included goals for a more inclusive curriculum. Such efforts are centered primarily in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, which houses the Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies Program, the Native American Studies Program, the Franco American Studies Program, the International Affairs major, and Black Studies courses. The Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies Program offers a large variety of courses at all levels each year. The variety of course offerings in Native American Studies and Franco American Studies continues to expand; a second tenure line position in Native American Studies will be filled this year. Introductory and more advanced course in Black Studies have been well enrolled each semester for several years, but staffing has been difficult as there has not been a tenure line faculty member responsible for these courses. A GLBT concentration of courses taught by faculty members in various programs has expanded in the last year; in the absence of a GLBT course designator, some courses are housed in departments and some in Women’s Studies.  Currently, Student Affairs is surveying courses across campus for GLBT content.

In addition to the development of specific courses in diversity studies, the campus has a twenty-year history of curriculum transformation of existing courses to incorporate diversity with respect to gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, and age. This started in 1981 with an effort to gender balance existing courses, but as Women’s Studies as a field became more diverse, the analysis of the intersection and interaction of all forms of diversity became more common in a number of disciplines. In order to facilitate this curriculum transformation work on campus, the 1999 Diversity Action Plan recommended a Diversity Across the Curriculum program, which was initiated but faltered. 

Under the direction of a new faculty member in the School of Social Work, The University of Maine recently launched The Center on Aging. The Center offers a Senior College, as well as a broad variety of research and outreach programs and services. The University’s federally funded Trio programs include college preparatory and remedial courses and services for disadvantaged and under-prepared students.

Probably the greatest impediment to the implementation of the Diversity Action Plan continues to be a diffusion of responsibility and accountability for diversity efforts. The committee structure now in place has the benefit of involving many individuals, representing all facets of the University, in diversity work. On the other hand, it is not anyone’s job to keep all the diversity efforts moving forward in a collaborative way or even to have the overall picture of those diversity efforts. Therefore, while opportunities for participation in these efforts abound, accountability for progress toward diversity goals is limited. There are very few positive or negative consequences for doing or not doing diversity work. This accountability problem has been addressed in the 2003-2005 Diversity Action Plan through the expanded job description and re-titling of the Equal Opportunity Director and the creation of a new position in the Provost’s Office.

The University of Maine submitted progress reports on diversity efforts in the spring of 1999, 2000, and 2001. Each of the three progress reports is appended to this document. 

The Process of Developing the 2003-2005 Diversity Action Plan

The process of assessing recent diversity efforts and developing the next Diversity Action Plan began in late fall 2001 when the Provost sent letters to all University committees and councils concerned with diversity and to eighteen administrative units. Nearly all of these committees and units responded in the spring of 2002 with written assessments and plans. The Diversity Planning and Implementation Group, a small group of administrators responsible for implementing major components of the Plan, reviewed these documents during the 2002 fall semester and developed a draft Diversity Action Plan for Provost Kennedy and President Hoff. In addition, the University/Community Diversity Committee, a large group that meets twice each year, devoted a meeting to discussing the Plan, thus providing important community input into the process.

The committees and councils that were asked to contribute to this process include:

The University/Community Diversity Committee (approximately 60 University and community representatives, from diverse racial and ethnic groups, different genders and sexual orientations, and different religious/spiritual traditions, who meet once each semester to give broad oversight of and input into diversity efforts)

The Diversity Planning and Implementation Group (twelve University administrators who meet monthly and who advise the Executive Vice President and Provost on diversity matters, including the expenditure of funds for diversity efforts)

The Race and Ethnicity Commission (an advocacy group of faculty, staff, and student representatives advising the Provost on issues related to racial/ethnic diversity)

The President’s Council on Women (a standing committee of the administration, comprised of administrative, faculty, staff and student representatives who meet monthly and who advise the President on gender related issues)

The President’s Council on Disabilities (a standing committee of the administration comprised of administrative, faculty, staff and student representatives who advise the President and the Director of Equal Opportunity on disability related issues)

The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered Allies Council (an advocacy group of faculty, staff and student representatives advising the Vice President of Student Affairs on issues related to sexual orientation)

The administrative units asked to contribute to this process include:
The Wabanaki Center
The Native American Studies Program
The Franco American Studies Program
The Franco-American Centre
The Diversity Across the Curriculum Program
The Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies Program
The Women’s Resource Center
College of Engineering
College of Business, Public Policy and Health
College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
College of Education and Human Development
College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture
Cooperative Extension
Enrollment Management
Student Affairs
Athletics
International Programs
Division of Lifelong Learning
The Graduate School
Office of Equal Opportunity

Most of these units responded. Summaries of those written responses follow.

College of Education and Human Development
The College’s strongest contributions to the Diversity Action Plan are in the areas of curriculum transformation and student recruitment. Examples of efforts to date include: The National Center for Student Aspirations’ work with the National Urban League and the Congress of National Black Churches; administration of the Upward Bound program, which has a high percentage of minority students and summer staff; collaboration with the student exchange program (Operation Breaking Stereotypes) linking Orono High School and Walton High School in Bronx, New York; sponsorship of minority scholars for Shibles and Libra Visiting Scholar appointments; and inclusion of seminars on handling bias incidents for student teachers. The College’s focus for the 2003-2005 Diversity Action Plan will be on recruitment of diverse faculty and students; celebration of Maine’s native cultures, including preparation of student teachers to teach Maine Indian History; and faculty and student exchanges with the University of New Brunswick.

College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture
The College (and the Maine Agricultural and Forest Experiment Station) is committed to making significant progress towards diversifying the faculty, staff, administration, and student body, and broadening the curriculum to reflect increased diversity. The College and the Experiment Station will also focus programming efforts of significance to diverse populations in Maine, such as brown ash regeneration (for basket making); research relating northern New England climate to health concerns such as osteoporosis; anti-oxidant status in the elderly; ethnic background as a variable in food sensory perception; gender and food science education. The College promises to commit to greater program diversity, particularly toward traditionally underrepresented groups. The College suggests additional funding for graduate assistantships that would be very helpful in expanding minority graduate student recruitment. Accessibility remains an issue for the College, as well as specific programs and departments, since Winslow Hall is not ADA accessible. The Dean will continue to support the participation of women chairs and directors in the ESCOP/ACOP Leadership Fellows Program. The College recommends continuation of the University’s Opportunity Hire program and fund and suggests that an administrative position responsible for affirmative action recruitment be re-established. Specific College goals for the 2003-2005 Diversity Action Plan include: development of college and department diversity plans; more aggressive recruitment of minority undergraduate and graduate students; increased diversity-related research; more aggressive recruitment of diverse faculty; monitoring diversity on advisory committees; strengthening participation in civil rights/diversity training for faculty and staff.

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
The College houses the Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies Program, the Native American Studies Program and the Franco American Studies Program, which are separately summarized below. The College has sponsored Black Studies courses each semester for the past few years. For the past two years, the Sociology Department has hosted a DuBois Dissertation Teaching Fellow who has assisted in teaching Black Studies. The College has reorganized an International Affairs major and the number of students participating grew substantially as a result. An important factor in the health of all of these programs has been the Interdisciplinary Studies Committee, established in the bylaws of the College. The Committee includes directors of the programs mentioned above, plus faculty having an interest in Jewish Studies, an associate dean of the college, and the Director of the Honors College. The Committee has become an important place to discuss successful strategies, common concerns, and joint ventures. Examples of the last are cross-listed courses such as American Indian Women and Franco American Women’s Experiences. The College administers the Wabanaki Center and the Franco-American Centre; both are critical to the University’s diversity efforts and serve both internal and external constituencies.

College of Engineering
The College’s grant officer will work closely with faculty to seek federal funding related to recruitment of undergraduate and graduate students, particularly minority students. The College will continue to participate in programs focusing on female secondary and middle school students. The College supports and endorses both the Society for Women Engineers and the American Indian Science and Engineering Society. The College has had preliminary conversations with members of the Native American community concerning a summer program for Native American students in laboratories within the College. Unfortunately the College has lost a number of its new women faculty in the past couple of years. Although there are a number of reasons for the attrition, retention of junior women faculty needs attention.

Cooperative Extension (UMCE)
UMCE named a diversity group that has sponsored several workshops and events for faculty and staff aimed at diversity awareness and outreach. Efforts to recruit minority faculty intensified through expanded advertising and interviewing strategies. These efforts will be further refined over the next two years and will be especially focused in Cumberland, Androscoggin, and York counties where minority group representation is highest in Maine. The UMCE Diversity Group has launched a diversity awareness series and requests funding from the University Diversity Fund to conduct a needs analysis and develop an employee workshop focused on white privilege. UMCE will continue to sponsor and fund new employee training and annual civil rights training for all county and campus units.

Division of Lifelong Learning
The Division seeks University commitment to increased staff development and education for University employees, especially in the area of diversity. Specifically, the Division advocates for a University policy allowing each employee up to two days per year of release time to attend diversity training. The Division offers to work with the University’s Center for Teaching Excellence and other campus units to develop credit and non-credit diversity learning opportunities designed for faculty, staff, students and citizens. Certificate programs focused on social class, gender, ethnicity and white privilege are suggested, as are distance-learning opportunities in these subject areas. The Division requests funds to develop and offer these programs. The Division also commits to offering educational programs for members of Maine’s diverse communities, in collaboration with the University’s other outreach units.

International Programs
There are 425 international students from 75 countries studying at the University of Maine, in addition to 50 visiting scholars, lecturers and researchers. The Office of International Programs (OIP) offers educational programs and events designed to expose and educate American students, faculty and staff to the diversity of culture represented by international students and scholars. OIP sponsors study abroad programs and international exchanges. GLOBAL LINKS is an outreach program, sending international students into K-12 classrooms in this region. OIP requests funding for overseas recruitment and for study abroad scholarships. 

Graduate Programs
The position of Dean of the Graduate School has recently been re-established and should help focus financial and human resources on increasing numbers of graduate students and graduate programs. Financial support for graduate students continues to be a problem in recruitment, particularly of underrepresented students. Another problem is lack of funds for these potential students to visit the University before deciding to enroll here. Retention of underrepresented students (i.e. students of color or women in male dominated fields) requires enhanced faculty mentoring and community support. The Graduate School requests funds for recruitment, which would be focused on those graduate programs where there is faculty support and previous success in recruiting and retaining underrepresented students (Higher Education, Social Work, Spatial Information Science and Engineering, and Food Science and Human Nutrition).

Undergraduate Admissions Office
Beginning with the class enrolling in fall 2001, significant gains were made in the recruitment of ALANA students. The Director of Admissions attributes these gains to the efforts of the Assistant Director and Coordinator for ALANA Recruitment; improved communications to prospective ALANA students; a new non-resident Native American scholarship program for out of state Native students (to complement the waiver program for in state Native students); the awarding of scholarships to more in state students, including students of color; and a successful spring weekend program for accepted ALANA students. A closer working relationship with the Wabanaki Center has resulted in an increase in Native American undergraduate students enrolling in fall 2002. The Office of Admissions requests funding to continue and enhance ALANA recruitment activities and communications. 

Student Affairs
The Deans of Students have recently filled the vacant position of Director of Multicultural Programs.  While the position was vacant the Associate Dean of Students conducted multicultural programs in the ALANA Center.  This relationship proved advantageous in maintaining the momentum of programs and services offered.  Civility training, conducted by Steven Wessler taught over one hundred residential students about cultural sensitivity and cross-cultural communication techniques.  Juan Carlos Garcia, Director of Resident Life at the Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey, trained Resident Assistants and Resident Directors on international and intercultural aspects of student life in the fall of 2002.  Charged with monitoring the success of multicultural efforts and culture climate issues in the residence halls, the Committee on Diversity and Unity in Residence Life addressed concerns relating to cultural climate issues in the residence halls.  Eighteen training and problem solving programs were provided departments across campus.

The Women’s Resource Center
The Center offers networking opportunities for women faculty and students working in fields where they are under-represented, for example in science and engineering. Collaborative efforts in developing grant proposals, identifying innovative partnerships, and promoting outreach activities are emphasized. The Director is a member of a small group advising the Provost on intervention strategies and educational efforts to enhance the retention and success of women faculty.

Franco American Studies
The primary goal of Franco American Studies is to broaden the canon of knowledge of Franco American peoples, culture, and literature. Disciplinary offerings are combined with interdisciplinary core courses to encourage students to investigate the historical, political, social, and cultural forces that have shaped the Franco American community and, by extension, racial and ethnic communities in the United States. Franco American Studies will continue to expand course offerings and organize events for the University and the broader community. The program is developing a grant proposal to the National Endowment for the Humanities for an Exemplary Education Project grant. External funding is being sought to establish a humanities based research center.

Franco-American Centre
Since the Franco-American Centre was founded in 1972, this program has had goals in three areas—community outreach, commerce, and the academic program. The Centre maintains an active network of contacts with Franco organizations and community leaders throughout Maine and the northeast, as well as in Quebec and the Maritimes. The Centre publishes Le Forum, which reaches a broad cross-section of the North American Franco population. The Centre exists to expand and deepen the understanding and appreciation of the Franco American legacy as a tool for self-realization, to promote a climate of multicultural awareness and respect on campus and in the region, and to assist in the generation and dissemination of knowledge about a major Maine resource—the rich cultural and language diversity of its people.

President’s Council on Disabilities
The Council commits to working with students with disabilities to organize a support and advocacy network. Increased visibility of students and employees with disabilities is suggested through appropriate photographs in University publications; use of students with disabilities as orientation leaders, tour guides, and peer leaders; a website for disability services and information that is well linked to other University diversity sites; employee recruiting through disability advocacy groups; a disability component to search committee briefings. Funding is suggested for course development in disability studies and universal design. Expansion of civility training to include disability awareness is recommended, as are the relocation of the graduate school office to an accessible location and a yearly priority list of accessibility projects.

Native American Studies
Native American Studies is an interdisciplinary academic program open to all University students. The program, which offers a minor in Native Studies, includes 18 credits of course work. Three required courses and a topics course in Native Studies are complemented by courses offered through several academic departments in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. The Program is committed to the study of the cultures, values, history and contemporary life of the aboriginal peoples and nations of North American, with an emphasis on the Wabanaki tribes of Maine. In addition to curricular offerings, the Program fosters collaborative efforts with UMaine faculty and with the broader community, both Native and non-Native, as well as culturally appropriate and relevant scholarship pertaining to the Wabanaki tribes of Maine and the Maritimes. The Native American Studies Program seeks funding through the Diversity Action Plan to engage in a strategic planning effort with a facilitator/scholar with expertise in Native Studies program development.

President’s Council on Women
The Council is particularly concerned about the recruitment and retention of women administrators at The University of Maine, and it calls for visible involvement of the institution’s leadership in this work. The Council recommends analysis of retention and promotion data by department and/or job classification and examination of institutional best practices in similar organizations. Among the more specific strategies outlined by the Council: release time for all staff to engage in diversity related educational opportunities; peer advocates/mentors; student advisor training; more formal and organized mentoring for new women faculty (perhaps through the Women’s Resource Center); anonymous exit surveys.

Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies Program
The program grew out of more than twenty years of curriculum transformation work that still continues as a small-grants program. A wealth of Women’s Studies (interdisciplinary and departmental) courses are offered each semester in support of an undergraduate major and minor, an interdisciplinary graduate concentration, and the University’s general education requirements. Based on the model of the Honors College, the interdisciplinary courses are taught by a combination of the Program’s administrative/teaching staff, departmental faculty on released time or overload, and part time faculty hired for their particular expertise. Other program components include a research unit, public programming, and a library and media resource center (shared with the Women’s Resource Center). Because of its roots in curriculum transformation, the program is aware of and committed to its focus on the interrelationship of gender with other forms of diversity.

Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered Allies Council (GLBTAC)
The Council advocates for the development of a GLBT Studies (academic) program and for a GLBT resource center. Continued implementation of the Safe Zone training currently sponsored by the GLBTAC is recommended. 

Office of Equal Opportunity
The Opportunity Hire Fund has been used fairly effectively over the past six years to transition underrepresented faculty and professional staff into regular, University supported positions. As budgets become more constrained, however, the Fund should be used for more permanent changes. A search is currently underway for a tenure line position in Native American Studies, funded through the Opportunity Hire Fund. Permission has been granted to the Sociology Department to begin a search in September 2003 for a tenure line position focusing on Black Studies, also funded through Opportunity Hire. It would be appropriate to consider a similar position in Women’s Studies as the Opportunity Hire fund is replenished. 

The Director of Equal Opportunity is leaving her position at the end of the academic year. The position, to be filled through a national search, will be expanded to include both equal opportunity and diversity, so that the overall coordination of diversity efforts across the institution will be centralized in a senior management position where diversity is a primary job responsibility. 

Department of Athletics
Although the Athletics Department has had much success in recruiting both students and staff of color, retention of these employees has been difficult. Of particular concern is a position created in 1996 to provide support and mentoring to student athletes, especially African American male athletes. Two talented men have held this position; each one left after a few years for better paying jobs. The Department will select a graduate assistant for this position, starting in September 2003. The Gender Equity and Diversity Committee of the Athletic Advisory Board is charged with reviewing department initiatives and progress in both of these areas and is currently assisting the Department in preparations for an NCAA certification visit in 2004.

The 2003-2005 Diversity Goals, Action Steps and Financial Commitments

The University of Maine has developed a two-year Diversity Action Plan (2003-2005) to coincide with the University’s current Strategic Plan (2000-2005). When work begins on a Strategic Plan beyond 2005, discussions should simultaneously begin for a Diversity Plan for the second half of the decade.

Current State budget forecasts make it unrealistic to assume that resources for diversity efforts will increase during the next two years. This Plan is therefore based on a $50,000 per annum central diversity fund. The Executive Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity (this position will be filled by the beginning of FY04) will administer the fund, with input from the Diversity Planning and Implementation Group, and with guidance from the President and Executive Vice President/Provost. This Plan identifies funding priorities for up to $44,000 of the diversity fund during FY04 and FY05. It is expected that the remainder of the fund will be used for programmatic priorities emerging during the two-year period.

Diversity efforts over the next two years will focus around several key goals of the Strategic Plan that relate to diversity:

Provide a first-class undergraduate educational experience, promoting a liberal education in the University’s core mission, by providing a gender-balanced, multicultural and international curriculum; increasing the overall diversity of the students and faculty in terms of race and gender; and culturally broadening curricular and campus experiences.

1.  Financial resources will be targeted during the next two years toward the recruitment of undergraduate students of color. The Office of Undergraduate Admission will be provided  $5,000 annually in FY 04 and FY05 for dedicated recruitment materials (print or web based) and recruitment activities (travel to out-of-state, urban high schools or college fairs and an on-campus ALANA visitation weekend for accepted students). These materials and activities will help increase undergraduate, out-of-state admission and will focus out of state recruitment on areas where there are high concentrations of diverse students.

 Approximately $6,000 per year will be allocated to support the activities of Operation Breaking Stereotypes, a program fostering collaborative efforts between Maine high schools and public high schools in Bronx, New York. This program has already resulted in the application and admission of several talented students of color at The University of Maine.

 The Office of Admission has continued to strengthen ties with the Native American tribal communities and Maine’s refugee communities in Lewiston and Portland. Several Admission staff members have forged partnerships with guidance counselors at Lewiston High School and Portland High School.  This effort is reinforced by the Admission Office’s strong relationship with federally funded TriO programs in Maine, including GEARUP, Educational Talent Search, and Upward Bound.

2. The Diversity Action Plan must support curriculum transformation efforts in a substantive and permanent way. Toward that end, base budget dollars will be transferred from the Opportunity Hire fund over the next two years to support two new tenure eligible assistant professors: one with a focus on Native American Studies and one with a focus on Black Studies. Each of these two faculty members will have a tenure home in an academic department. In addition, the Diversity Fund will allocate $3,000 to the Native American Studies Program in FY04 or FY05 for a strategic planning effort.

The 1999 Diversity Action Plan called for the creation of an Ethnic Studies program, within the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, to include Native American Studies, Black Studies and Franco American Studies. The 2003-2005 Diversity Action Plan suggests an alternative approach. Interdisciplinary programs, such as Native American Studies and Franco American Studies, transcend college boundaries. Faculty members teaching in these programs need tenure “homes” in academic departments, and agreements must be forged between those departments and the program so that there is continuity of course delivery and recognition of appropriate teaching and research focus. 

The Director of Franco American Studies is now a tenure eligible faculty member in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics. The Director of Native American Studies is tenured in the Department of History. A national search has recently begun for another tenure eligible faculty member who will teach Native American Studies and who will have a home in one of the following departments/schools: Anthropology, Art, Education, Social Work, or Sociology. 

As part of the 2003-2005 Diversity Action Plan, a commitment is made to fund a tenure eligible faculty member in Sociology who will teach both introductory and advanced Black Studies courses. This faculty member will collaborate with others in Sociology and in related departments and programs that focus on race and gender studies. The Department of Sociology was chosen for this new tenure line because they have successfully hosted two DuBois Dissertation Fellows; one has taught at the University for two consecutive years.

Several faculty members in different departments and programs are offering courses that focus on GLBT issues. In addition, the Center for Community Inclusion and the College of Education offer Disability Studies courses, and the new Center on Aging in the College of Business, Public Policy and Health gives the University an opportunity to expand curricular offerings in gerontology. Over the next two years, efforts will be made to encourage further development of academic programs such as these that are closely related to the goals of the Diversity Action Plan. Course offerings in Women’s Studies, Native American Studies, Franco American Studies, Black Studies, GLBT Studies, Disability Studies, and Gerontology should be highlighted on the University’s diversity web page and in the new, on-line course catalog.

3. The University’s Women in the Curriculum and Women’s Studies program has achieved remarkable success with few resources. University funds support the administrative/teaching staff (a director and an associate director) as well as an administrative assistant. However, the program’s base budget does not yet fully cover these three positions. Section money in the base budget is also not sufficient to cover the course offerings and, even with that incentive to departments, it has become increasingly difficult to borrow departmental faculty. There needs to be a better plan to insure the staffing of the interdisciplinary courses. This could include departmental status and tenure lines or formal agreements with departments for the loan of specific faculty on a regular basis. The program is scheduled for its first formal review in the next academic year. Based on that review, recommendations will be developed, not only for the Women’s Studies part of the program but also for its curriculum transformation work. The Program will receive $3,000 in FY04 for consultant assistance in developing this strategic plan.

4. The 1999 Diversity Action Plan recommended a separate general education requirement for diversity (separate from the International Perspectives requirement). Little progress has been made on this recommendation. The University should make every effort to see that undergraduates acquire understandings and competencies that will enable them to work and live in a multicultural world. The University of Maine has a special responsibility in this area, as a predominantly white institution in the whitest state in the country. The Executive Vice President and Provost will propose a general education requirement focused more specifically on diversity (multicultural understanding and competency) to the Faculty Senate. Further, he will request that the Senate appoint representatives to work with the Associate Deans and the Directors of Women’s Studies, Native American Studies and Franco American Studies, and faculty members currently teaching Black Studies courses, to identify/develop a cadre of courses that would meet the proposed diversity general education requirement. This ad hoc group will be asked to submit recommendations in time for the Senate to vote on the proposed requirement before the end of the 2003-2004 academic year. 

5. The President will convene a Task Force to study and make recommendations concerning the retention of women in leadership positions at The University of Maine. The Task Force is expected to issue specific recommendations during the 2003-04 academic year. The President will ask the new Executive Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity to convene a Task Force to study and make recommendations concerning the recruitment and retention of minority faculty and staff. That group is expected to issue recommendations by spring 2005.

6. The Executive Vice President/Provost is working with a small group of faculty members and administrators on strategies to improve the retention and success of junior women faculty. There is evidence suggesting that women faculty leave the University before achieving tenure in disproportionate numbers, particularly in disciplines where women are underrepresented. In some cases, departmental climate issues are cited as reasons for leaving. Dr. Virginia Valian, author of Why So Slow, The Advancement of Women, spoke to several groups on campus in April 2003. An external consultant team has been selected to work closely with academic administrators and selected senior faculty members to raise awareness about this problem and to implement change strategies. Meetings will be held during the late spring of 2003, with follow-up during the fall 2003 semester.
 
7. The University of Maine, as the State’s land grant and sea grant university, has a unique outreach mission. Two units, Cooperative Extension (CE) and the Division of Lifelong Learning (DLL), represent a significant part of that outreach mission and both have been particularly dedicated to and involved with diversity initiatives. The CE Diversity Group has begun a diversity awareness series and has requested funding to conduct an all-organizational needs analysis and a workshop focused on privilege. The DLL has requested funding to develop both credit and non-credit diversity learning opportunities designed for faculty, staff, students, and Maine citizens. As part of the 2003-2005 Diversity Action Plan, $10,000 will be awarded to the DLL in FY04 to develop such learning opportunities, working with units that have particular expertise in diversity. Opportunities will be developed with the understanding that CE faculty and staff will be a priority group to participate. In addition, CE will receive $3,000 in FY04 from the Diversity Fund to be used toward an organizational needs analysis. Depending upon the outcome and success of the FY04 efforts, additional funding may be allocated in FY05 toward these efforts.

8. The Executive Vice President/Provost will appoint a small group of faculty members and academic administrators to review the guidelines and selection procedures for the University’s Visiting Libra Professorships. Funds are available for two such Professorships each academic year at $15,000 each. However, in recent years there have been very few proposals from academic departments and programs for these positions. The application process may be too cumbersome, the guidelines too ambiguous, or the stipend too low. It is hoped that this group will provide recommendations on how to improve the use of this excellent program.  

9.  Student Affairs

The Division of Student Affairs plans to initiate and expand a number of programs:

·        The Deans of Students recently hired a new Director of Multicultural Programs, a position critical to expanding programs and services for students of color.

·        The ALANA Center will serve as the centerpiece of the University’s intercultural efforts.  We will provide office space for the minority students, a central artery for socials, meetings, workshops and lectures.  In addition, the Office of the Director of Multicultural Programs is located in the Center.

·        The Multicultural Ambassadors Project, a program created to train student leaders and provide cross-cultural conflict resolution in the residence halls is being expanded.  The group is comprised of Resident Assistants who receive training and direction from the Associate Dean of Students.

·        A Mexican Cultural Exchange Program has been developed and is being expanded to provide an educational and cultural experience for students to appreciate a different culture and history.  Renowned Mexican universities host UMaine students who are introduced to different aspects of culture, university life, Mexican history, and archeological sites.  The UMaine students are hosted free of charge at the homes/residence halls of the Mexican students.  This exposure to Latin Culture has been delivered to some 50 students and we intend to double that number every two years.

·        Another program called Sisters Supporting Sisters serves as a support group for women of color.   Women meet to share and solve problems and concerns.  They also discuss and celebrate culture.  The group meets weekly in the ALANA Center.  We intend to engage all women of color on this campus in the coming year. 

·        A variety of cultural celebrations occur each year.   These are programs designed to assist students of color to engage the University community in celebrating their culture on campus.  These programs consist of the Latino Heritage Month, Black History Month, Asian Heritage Month, and a variety of other culturally based programs.

·        The creation of the Multicultural Players Group is designed to assist students of color with specific concerns, issues and/or problems while attending a predominately-white campus.  The group is comprised of the Associate Dean of Students, the Director of Multicultural Programs, the Director of the Wabanaki Center, an Athletic Department representative, and a member of the Office of International Programs.

·        A new program for the fall semester is Hungry Fridays.  The program will bring together students, faculty and staff from different cultures to discuss the importance of diversity and issues related to diversity n a predominantly white state.

·        After Hours Tutoring is a very successful program where athletics come to the ALANA Center to have directed study groups with graduate students who have an expertise in specific subjects.  Students can use the computers, resource library and study areas.  These sessions are scheduled from 8:00pm to midnight, Monday through Thursdays.

Strengthen graduate education by training leaders and practitioners to meet the changing needs of the State as the population ages through programs specific and interdisciplinary such as Social Work, Nursing, Education, Business, Women’s Studies, and the Center of Aging.

1. The University will encourage enhanced recruitment of diverse graduate students by providing $5000 in FY04 and 05 to the Dean of the Graduate School for targeted recruitment materials and activities. 

2. Four of the five graduate programs listed in the goal statement above (Social Work, Nursing, Education, and Women’s Studies) enroll a majority of female graduate students. The Dean of the Graduate School will convene a task force, including the appropriate collegiate deans and academic directors of these programs, to study and recommend policies and procedures designed to encourage and facilitate the success of women studying in these areas. For example, if many of these women are single heads of household, are there family-friendly policies and procedures, not now in place, that would be helpful?

Focus and expand international and multicultural programs throughout the University by providing international exchanges; support for university centers and programs dedicated to multiculturalism; expanded foreign language opportunities including the creation of foreign language-based residence halls; and a curriculum that emphasizes understanding of international issues through diverse cultural, philosophical, religious, and historical perspectives. 

1. Efforts to recruit international students and support international programs will be aided by the Diversity Fund. Specifically, $8,000 per year for the next two years will be used to support recruitment and programs for international students and $2,000 will be used to encourage UMaine students to study abroad. 

2. Recently, the International Affairs Program and the Division of Lifelong Learning jointly sponsored a worldwide classroom project, linking a class on campus with a class at the American University in Cairo. This type of educational experience generates exactly the type of multicultural and multinational encounter that underlies the goals of both the Strategic Plan and the Diversity Action Plan. The University of Maine Division of Lifelong Learning is committed to working with academic departments and programs to foster similar worldwide and nationwide classrooms through technology partnerships.

3. The Committee on Diversity and Unity in Residence Life is charged with creating a foreign language-based hall or wing in a residence hall by fall 2005. It is expected that they will work closely with the Department of Modern Languages and Classics to identify one or more academic advisors for this program. The Committee is also charged with fostering regular diversity education programs in the residence halls, including Safe Zone and Civility Training.

Additional Initiatives

There are many other diversity initiatives recommended by various units at The University of Maine that will be undertaken during the next two years. Examples include the further development of courses with GLBT content, the development of a GLBT resource center/library, expansion of the civility training program, and increased visibility in University publications of employees and students with physical disabilities. Exit interviews with departing minority faculty and staff, and for female faculty and staff in underrepresented areas, have been recommended for some time. Human Resources, Equal Opportunity and Academic Affairs will divide the responsibility for accomplishing these exit interviews.

Several years ago, The University of Maine used some of the diversity funds for a small grant program. All units on campus were informed of the availability of small diversity grants. Guidelines and a selection process were widely disseminated. If funds are available, this program will be reestablished because it generated both good ideas and a high degree of enthusiasm.

The Gender Equity and Diversity committee of the Athletic Advisory Board conducted a student athlete survey this year to determine attitudes about campus and community climate. The Diversity Planning and Implementation Group would like to replicate the survey to study student attitudes and experiences among the full student body.  

Responsibility and accountability for the implementation of the action steps outlined in this Plan will be enhanced by the expanded role of the new Executive Director of Equal Opportunity and Diversity and the creation of the new position of Associate Vice President for Personnel and Academic Services. The person filling the first position will be expected to oversee diversity efforts University wide, administer the diversity fund, coordinate the work of the University/Community Diversity Committee and the Diversity Planning and Implementation Group, and report directly to the President. The Associate Vice President will coordinate the action steps within the purview of Academic Affairs and will report to the Provost. Within Student Affairs, the Associate Dean of Students and Community Life and the Director of Multicultural Affairs have similar oversight responsibilities. The University of Maine has recently appointed Janet Waldron as Vice President for Administration, having responsibility for Human Resources, Facilities Management, and related administrative services. Ms. Waldron’s experience as a member of Governor King’s cabinet, responsible for the State’s Human Resources and Equal Opportunity functions, means that she is uniquely qualified to augment The University’s efforts in these areas. She will be an active partner in diversity planning and programming in her areas of responsibility.

The challenge over the next two years will be to define diversity efforts more broadly, keeping in mind the definition of diversity as difference, while focusing responsibility and accountability more narrowly. In this way, it will be possible to keep the momentum of change during times of diminished resources.