The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion plan for the College of General Studies applies to the Washington County and Waukesha campuses, and includes the First-Year Bridge Program at the Milwaukee campus.
The overarching goals of this plan derive from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s “framework” of Student Success, Diverse Talent, Climate and Culture and Community Impact. In its work on the plan, the College of General Studies relied upon faculty and staff representatives on its Diversity Council and sought student input, particularly from participants in the Diversity and Pre-College Center and clubs including OLLA (Outstanding Latin Leaders of America), AAU (African American Union), Desi and Asian and Pacific Islanders Club.
The information below lists the College of General Studies’ goals connected to the framework and actionable objectives in order to meet those goals.
College of General Studies – DEI Contacts
College Diversity Council
Simon Bronner
College of General Studies Dean
Campus Climate Committee
UWM at Waukesha
Tim Thering
Professor, Committee Chair
Diversity and Pre-College Center
UWM at Waukesha
David Jackson
Coordinator of Multicultural Services
Multicultural Services
UWM at Washington County
Kole Torres
Student Life and Multicultural Services Coordinator
Student Success
College goal: provide student support that is accessible and culturally sensitive.
Actionable Objectives
- Enhance student experience by adding and revitalizing diversity on the campuses.
- Prepare campuses resources guides in different languages that are spoken by diverse groups on campuses (e.g., Hmong, Spanish, Chinese).
- Provide training and guide academic support staff on use of an appreciative advising model to counsel students and create a welcoming space by recognizing diverse backgrounds as strengths.
- Enhance equitable access to students by providing advising and academic support resources in alternative media, including virtual outlets.
- Provide training opportunities and incentivize use by faculty and staff of universal design for learning that eliminates unnecessary hurdles in the learning process.
Diverse Talent
College goal: develop innovative strategies to recruit, develop and retain a workforce that represents diversity of the region.
Actionable Objectives
- Provide training opportunities for search committee members on best practices for avoiding bias and creating an inclusive process.
- Increase percentage of faculty-staff members from underrepresented minorities.
- Designate duties to existing personnel and/or a separate position for multicultural services, social networking and developing social capital.
Climate & Culture
College goal: build and maintain an inclusive, diverse and equitable environment through curricular and extra-curricular programming.
Actionable Objectives
- Review curriculum regularly for appropriate range of DEI (Cultural Diversity) courses, particularly for UW-System guidelines for courses on heritage of historically underrepresented U.S. racial/ethnic groups (e.g., African American, Latino, Asian American, American Indian).
- Provide training opportunities for faculty and staff in cultural diversity, equity and inclusion practices.
- Create an action plan to increase participation of faculty/staff/students at diversity events.
- Create more partnerships of College of General Studies and UWM entities devoted to DEI.
- Create a multicultural environment by adding visual/material representation of diverse cultures (e.g., murals, exhibits, videos, displays).
- Facilitate collaboration among units devoted to diversity in the College of General Studies on programming for observance of heritage months of historically underrepresented ethnic/racial groups.
- Provide training opportunities and programming in identifying, preventing and confronting socially based hate/prejudice and acts of intolerance.
Community Impact
College goal: build relationships and collaborate on efforts to improve cultural awareness and appreciation within the community.
Actionable Objectives
- Establish a liaison of the college with community organizations working with DEI (Communications and Marketing, Cultural Diversity Centers).
- Increase programming for community campus events related to DEI.
- Establish expert list of faculty and staff working with DEI as part of faculty outreach in the community; create a contact/speaker list.
- Expand youth programming focused on under-represented students.
