Step 1: Take Stock of Your Unit
Take some time to think broadly about your unit. Consider the value of your unit. How does it contribute to the university mission?
Step 2: Set the Stage
Draft a plan to get started. Consider who from your unit/department to include in the planning (everyone, professional staff, student employees, etc.). Review all of the steps for developing a plan and put together a timeline. Also, consider how you will set the stage to prepare your team to reflect on how to advance diversity, equity and inclusion within the unit. Then, bring together your team.
Here are a few approaches to get started:
- Workshop on diversity, equity and inclusion
- Explore data
- Disaggregate your data by race, gender and other identities to identify gaps in usage or outcomes.
- Office of Assessment and Institutional Research Department Resources (link: https://uwm.edu/institutional-research/data-toolkits-resources/departmentprogram-resources)
- National Survey of Student Engagement
- Universities of Wisconsin Dashboard
- IPEDS Data Feedback (link: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/datacenter/Expt/Selaspx)
- Consider the experiences of your constituents to personalize your understanding of the challenges. For example, the cost of education for students and employee workloads.
Step 3: Identify your focus
As a team, review and revisit your canvas model. As you consider diversity, equity and inclusion, is there a need to restate your value propositions? Are you achieving your goals? Have you identified gaps and inequities on which your team would like to focus?
Step 4: Consider Ways to Advance Equity
Review the inventory that best represents your unit (you may select more than one) and skim over it. Complete the sections that pertain to your focus areas. If your unit has not identified areas to focus on, you may choose to complete the entire inventory.
- Inclusive Environment Inventory-Student Focused (PDF)
- Inclusive Environments for Faculty and staff-fillable form (PDF)
- Inclusive Environments for Non-Student Facing Units-fillable form (PDF)
Step 5: Select Actions or Initiatives to Implement
After completing an inventory, engage in a discussion with your team on what stood out to them. Ask team members to place their top 3-4 items in “Feasibility and Impact Quadrants” (upload document). Discuss your selections and identify common themes. Through discussion, help your group come to consensus on 3-4 actions/initiatives to implement.
Step 6: Create Implementation Plans
Complete the Implementation Plan Template (upload document) for each action/initiative to help your team plot out a course of action.
Step 7: Implementation
Begin your work to implement the initiatives. Dedicate time for team members to regularly share progress and evaluate how it is going. As needed, modify your plans.
Step 8: Report out
Reporting your progress enhances transparency and accountability, serves as a motivator when goals are met and recognized, and fosters collaboration and shared learning with others who may consider similar initiatives. Report out often, even before you begin the implementation. Consider sharing information via a unit newsletter, unit website, divisional communications such as the Provost’s weekly update, and external audiences with the assistance of University Relations.
Of course, share your progress with the Division of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. We are happy to consult, strategize when faced with challenges, and celebrate your successes.