these possibilities. In alignment with our 2025 Strategic Framework, Academic Plan, and Civic Action Plan we have: ● ● ● ● ● ●
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Allocated resources for faculty and staff to participate in training on implicit bias, inclusion, equity, cultural competencies, and equitable teaching and learning practices; Completed planning for a campus climate survey to be conducted in spring 2021; Supported the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Council in developing an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan; Committed to increasing the diversity of our workforce to reflect the composition of our student population (it’s currently about half as diverse as our student body); Implemented student success strategies to close equity gaps and improve success rates of our underrepresented students; Partnered with University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Carthage College, Milwaukee Area Technical College, and corporate partner EAB as the first region in the nation to join the Moon Shot for Equity, an initiative to eliminate gaps in graduation rates among White and historically underserved student populations in our region by 2030. The four institutions will participate in equity-minded leadership development, collaborate with national exemplars Georgia State and University of Houston, continue to implement best practices at scale, contribute to student success scholarship, maximize use of EAB’s predictive analytics platform, and learn from one another via regional and national convenings; Created the “Ranger Reach Out” effort to connect the UW-Parkside community to cleanup and rebuilding efforts in the city of Kenosha; Utilized the Al Guskin Center for Community and Business Engagement at UW-Parkside as a point of contact for business and community partners seeking support from the university and coordinating community-based learning projects; and Offered a Community Conversation Series on Rebuilding Kenosha by faculty member, Dr. Jonathan Shailor, and students in the Certificate Program in Conflict Analysis and Resolution. These facilitated conversations with community members, permitted participants to learn more about others’ experiences, understand others’ needs, discover how to best serve one another, identify the issues that we can work on together, and take actions that strengthen our community.
September 2, 2020 – Fall 2020 Begins Amidst the worsening pandemic, we kicked off the fall semester and launched the Ranger (our school mascot) Restart Plan. After the May 2020 Commencement, the Provost appointed six planning teams as part of the university’s Ranger Restart Plan. The teams worked over the summer and were supported by a master’s student who provided additional research assistance. They studied the latest information and best practices on how institutions were responding to the pandemic. The six teams, comprising a total of 69 faculty, staff, and students, focused on 1) In –person Instruction -- how to safely return to face-to-face classes; 2) Remote Instruction -- how to maintain the quality of online instruction; 3) Student Services, Activities, and Residence Life -- how to provide high quality student engagement while meeting pandemic protocols; 4) Research Continuity -- maintaining on-campus and remote research; 5) High Impact Practice Experiences -- maintenance of and return to participation in HIPs; and 6) Creative and Artistic Practice -- how to deliver our instruction and performances in the arts. The campus reopened in late August, students moved back into the residence halls by appointment over the Labor Day weekend, faculty finalized their course syllabi for virtual and hybrid learning, staff 44
