EQUITY DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION PLAN 2018 - 2022
Table of Contents Land Acknowledgment..............................................................................................3 The State University of New York..............................................................................4 Our Mission and Values.............................................................................................4 Statement on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.........................................................4 ECC Excels...................................................................................................................5 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Goals .....................................................................6 Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council..................................................................7 Campus Diversity and Inclusiveness......................................................................10 Summative Statement...............................................................................................11
Land Acknowledgement
The land on which this institution was built is the original homelands of the Haudenosaunee and by honoring the sovereignty of the Six Nations Confederacy– the Mohawk nation, the Oneida nation, the Onondaga nation, the Cayuga nation, the Seneca nation, and the Tuscarora nation. Their lands are situated through most of the state of NY and Canada as well. This immense privilege carries with it the responsibility of acknowledgment and reconciliation. As an institution of higher learning, SUNY Erie recognizes our land with this expression of thankfulness and gratitude to those on whose territory we reside, and as a way of showing reverence to the Indigenous people who have been living and working on the land from time immemorial.
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SUNY ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EQUITY AND DIVERSITY PLAN 2018-2021
The State University of New York
Erie Community College is part of the State University of New York (SUNY), the nation’s largest comprehensive public system of higher education. Since its founding in 1948, SUNY has evolved to meet the changing needs of New York’s students, communities and workforce. SUNY is committed to serving as the state’s largest strongest economic and quality-of-life driver and providing quality education at an affordable price to New Yorkers and students from across the nation and around the world through its unwavering imperatives: to learn, to search, to serve. Erie Community College affirms SUNY’s commitment to broad access by providing an excellent education, valuing the benefits of shared experiences, viewpoints, and ideas in a climate of civility and mutual respect and celebrate the rich diversity that exists among us. Through our EXCELS – Strategic Plan we will seek to create synergies with the themes of our SUNY Chancellor and the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion as we put Erie Community College’s comprehensive goals into action.
Our Mission
Recognizing the strength of diversity, our mission is to foster an environment which respects, embraces and promotes cultural competence, civil discourse and active engagement in developing an inclusive and vibrant community of scholars who act as transformational agents of change and will become responsible citizens of the world.
Our Values
• Service - We are user-centered, helping, caring, patient, approachable, confidential, respectful, tolerant, and honest. • Education - We value lifelong learning, professional development, striving to improve, willingness to change, free access to information, free speech and impartiality. • Professional Responsibility— We are dedicated and active in the college community, work within our means, are financially responsible, and are team players. • Individual Strengths - In our interaction with users and each other we seek to inspire.
Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
SUNY Erie is committed to supporting and sustaining a diverse and inclusive educational environment that helps students realize their full potential. Diversity, equity and inclusion are not merely goals but values which are embedded throughout the institution in multiple areas including (but not limited to): recruitment, learning, teaching, and student development, and instructional excellence, engagement with the local and global community, outreach and advocacy. SUNY Erie recognizes that proactive steps are necessary to ensure equality of outcomes. We will continue to cultivate a dynamic and culturally competent faculty, staff and student community who work daily to honor our institutional commitment of respecting and valuing diversity. Our priority is to promote and celebrate diversity while valuing and sharing the strength of our differences in a safe, positive and nurturing environment. We celebrate the innate and unique value of each and every member of our community. We commit to supporting students, faculty and staff in developing their understanding, awareness and recognition of the power of diversity, equity and inclusion. We pledge to continually evaluate our systems, policies, curricular frameworks, faculty and staff development, student engagement, resources and communications using an equity lens.
SUNY ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EQUITY AND DIVERSITY PLAN 2018-2021
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Title IX
The State University of New York and Erie Community College are committed to providing options, support and assistance to victims/survivors of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and/or stalking to ensure that they can continue to participate in College and campus programs, activities, and employment. All victims/survivors of such conduct have specific rights, regardless of race, color, national origin, religion, creed, age, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, familial status, pregnancy, predisposing genetic characteristics, military status, domestic violence victim status, or criminal conviction. Erie’s Title IX Coordinator and Civil Rights Compliance Officer works closely with the Office of Human Resources, Dean of Students, and College Safety & Security to assist students and employees who wish to report any act of discrimination or harassment, including sex-based discrimination or harassment, and to provide information about reporting options and potential outcomes. Policies and procedures applicable to reports of discrimination or harassment are available on the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion page.
ECC EXCELS Strategic Plan Access
Providing Erie County with high-quality educational services in multiple modalities and locations while being fully representative of all segments of the diverse population of the county.
Completion The fulfillment of students’ considered goals as they advance through the institution. For some students, completion means getting a degree. For others it means acquiring a specific skill. The college’s responsibility is a joint one, however, as students must engage with us in the shared pursuit of the fulfillment of those goals.
Engagement The interaction with our region, communities, and neighbors both inside and outside ECC’s walls. ECC’s relationship to its community and surrounding neighborhoods is essential to our identity. As we seek to serve the people of Erie County, we must find ways to engage our workforce and industry partners while also engaging in philanthropy, service learning, internships, and building a collegial working environment.
Operations
The effectiveness and efficiency of our physical plant, finances, and technology. ECC seeks to be an effective and an efficient institution with responsible finances, updated facilities, and a culture of continuous improvement.
Success The capacity of our students to achieve their post-ECC goals, whether these goals be in the area of continuing education, direct entry into the workforce, successful skills training, or personal growth. Access Completion
Success
Operations
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ECC Excels
SUNY ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EQUITY AND DIVERSITY PLAN 2018-2021
Engagement
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Goals 2018 - 2022 Recognizing the impact of diversity, our mission is to foster an environment which respects, embraces and promotes cultural competence, civil discourse and active engagement in developing an inclusive and vibrant community of scholars who act as transformational agents of change and who will become responsible citizens of the world. We are committed to fostering a campus culture of respect, equity and inclusion and believe it is the responsibility of every member of our campus. Thus, the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Plan sets forth campus-wide goals and strategies to help us build community and integrate EDI best practices into our work. The plan has been established as a five-year plan to align with the College’s strategic plan, ECC Excels 2015 and The Racial Equity Impact Analysis (REIA) Training and Action Plan. (see appendices)
Goal 1: Employee Development Engage in professional learning to build an inclusive campus community: • Establish partnerships with organizations that have demonstrated success partnering with colleges to develop diverse candidate pools. • Apply annually for SUNY’s Promoting Recruiting Opportunity, Diversity, Inclusion and Growth (PRODiG) initiative to increase faculty of color and Women in STEM fields. • Evaluate and establish practices that support the success and retention of diverse faculty and staff utilizing the Racial Equity Impact Analysis Tool (REIA) throughout the college. • Regularly review job descriptions to ensure that they are free from bias. • Improve the search committee process to be more inclusive by creating an online search committee training. • Add one REIA coach to every search committee. • Develop retention strategies that include mentoring and resources to aid in new employees, faculty and staff transition and acclimation to the greater campus community through a revised onboarding program, new employee orientation and annual cultural competency training. The Association of American Colleges and Universities: “On many campuses, the breadth and depth of efforts needed to make excellence inclusive are bypassed by a narrow focus on the compositional diversity of the student body. Although this aspect is critical, inclusive excellence is more than simply “improving the numbers” and “getting more students of color on campus”. Colleges and Universities must move away from this kind of narrow organization outcome to embrace comprehensive performance measurements linked to goals, objectives, strategies, indicators, and evidence (Williams, Berger, McClendon, 2005, p. 19)”.
Goal 2: Climate and Culture Regularly assess the climate and make improvements where necessary in creating a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion where all members of the community can grow, learn and thrive. • Conduct campus climate studies to identify challenges facing all campus populations and address those challenges appropriately. • Expand opportunities to involve SUNY Erie in community-based projects that are inclusive for faculty, staff and students. • Recruit graduate students from underrepresented groups as interns and adjunct faculty so that SUNY Erie might identify early potential faculty and employees who could increase diversity. • Evaluate the language used by the institution to ensure that it is both inclusive and accepted by the underrepresented student population it defines. • Engage alumni in current activities, recruitment and fundraising initiatives to help support an inclusive campus climate. • Create partnerships with high schools whose students are interested in teaching in higher education. • Annually review campus policies and procedures with an EDI focus to ensure we are following best practices. • Create opportunities for faculty, staff and executive leadership to actively participate in EDI efforts. • Provide incentives for faculty and staff who develop diverse and inclusive curricula and/ or living and learning communities. • Ensure college facilities meet necessary expectations to accommodate the needs of all students and employees
SUNY ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EQUITY AND DIVERSITY PLAN 2018-2021
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Goal 3: Curriculum Ensure campus commitment to EDI through relevant content. • Review current degree programs and courses to create EDI focus areas that align with SUNY System’s General Education Policy and that are consistent with SUNY’s Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) efforts to be more inclusive and diverse. • Revise curriculum to demonstrate an awareness of values, ethics, and diverse perspectives appropriate to their academic program/discipline.
Goal 4: Student Success By promoting academic achievement and personal growth, we will prepare SUNY Erie students to succeed in their careers and all aspects of their lives as engaged citizens. • Increase the retention and completion rates of all students while paying close attention to students from underrepresented populations. • Assess the identification methods of underrepresented student populations for accuracy and effectiveness and adjust accordingly.
• Increase promotion of academic support services to at-risk underrepresented students. • Develop/implement and build upon current programs and activities that will help close any achievement gaps that exist for minority and low-income students. Each goal will be applied utilizing the Racial Equity Impact Analysis (REIA) Tool. (The Power of a Racial Equity Impact Analysis, Race Matters of JustPartners, Inc. www. racemattersinstitute.org). Wherein five questions should always be asked: 1. Are all racial/ethnic groups who are affected by the policy/practice/decision at the table? 2. How will the proposed policy/practice decision affect each group? 3. How will the proposed policy/practice/ decision be perceived by each group? 4. Does the policy/practice/decision worsen or ignore existing disparities? 5. Based on the above responses, what revisions are needed in the policy/ practice/decision under discussion?
Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council
In 2009, SUNY Erie Community College established the Equity and Diversity Advisory Board to facilitate dialogue among key members of the college and the local community to discuss issues related to diversity and inclusion. In October 2018, SUNY Erie Community College renamed and repurposed the board to be called the Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Council.
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Members
Tracy Archie, Chief Diversity Officer Marlene Arno, Institutional Research, Assessment, Accreditation and Planning (IRAAP) Kristy Bigouette, Asst. Project Coordinator, Enrollment Management Marilou Blair, Director of Student Success Jacqueline Bossman, Instructor, Humanities Tracey Cleveland, Vice President, Human Resources, Equity and Diversity Kimberli Cruell, Counselor, Student Support Center, College Senate Secretary Larry Donalson, Counselor, Admissions Office Hon. Lenora Foote-Beavers, Buffalo City Court Judge (community member) Petrina Hill-Cheatom, Dean of Students, City Campus Cheryl John, Coordinator of Native American SUNY Western Consortium (community member) Sheila Martin, Professor, English Francesca Mesiah, Sr. Marketing Associate Community Relations Kaleida Health (community member) Marianne Partee, Professor, Social Sciences Jason Perri, Dean of Students, South Campus Nathan Wallace, Director, Applied Learning & Global Engagement Marvin Wilson, Director, Opportunity Programs and Services
Ex-Officio Members
Bill Reuter, Interim President Adiam Tsegai, Interim Provost & Executive Vice President Fabio Escobar, Vice Provost, Institutional Research Assessment, Accreditation and Planning Subcommittees - Diversity Academy, REIA Coaches, Anti-Racism Task Force
SUNY ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EQUITY AND DIVERSITY PLAN 2018-2021
Institutional Data Report Student Demographic Distribution ATTENDANCE STATUS
STUDENT GENDER
38% Parttime 62% Fulltime
49% Male
51% Female
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT AGE
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT RESIDENCE
100
100
70%
70%
30%
0
0% 24 and under
25 and over
Age unknown
0
24 and under
3%
1%
Out-ofstate
Foreign countries
0% unknown
Student Percentages RACE/ETHNICITY
FALL 2018
FALL 2019
FALL 2020
American Indian or Alaska Native
0.78% 0.60% 0.55%
Asian
6.28% 6.74% 5.15%
Black or African American
19.51% 18.81% 15.70%
Hispanic/Latino
5.53% 5.90% 6.06%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 0.12%
0.13%
0.05%
Non-resident alien
0.91% 1.21% 1.67%
Two or more race
2.92% 3.26% 3.73%
Unknown
5.58% 6.12% 7.28%
White
58.36% 57.23% 59.80% SUNY ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EQUITY AND DIVERSITY PLAN 2018-2021
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Employee Data The College employs 268 full-time faculty members, 630 part-time faculty members and adjuncts. Faculty demographics are shown in the following chart.
Faculty Diversity Minority and Underrepresented Minority Rates - Instructional Staff 0.0%
2.0%
4.0%
6.0%
8.0%
10.0%
10.4%
Fall 2011
8.0% 10.2%
Fall 2012
8.0% 10.2%
Fall 2013
8.6% 10.1%
Fall 2014
8.3% 10.2%
Fall 2015
8.3% 11.7%
Fall 2016
9.4% 12.4%
Fall 2017
10.1% 10.9%
Fall 2018 All Minorities
12.0% 14.0%
8.8% Underrepresented Minorities
All Minorities = American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Two or More Races (Not Hispanic or Latino). Underrepresented = Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, American Indian or Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and Two or More Races. 8
SUNY ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EQUITY AND DIVERSITY PLAN 2018-2021
Diversity of All Employees COMBINED RACE/ETHNICITY
JAN-20
JAN-21
American Indian or Alaska Native
0.55%
0.55%
Asian
1.65% 1.93%
Black or African American
7.50%
6.76%
Hispanic or Latino (United States of America)
2.04%
1.72%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
0.00%
0.04%
Two or More Races (Not Hispanic or Latino)
39.00%
29.00%
White
71.43% 60.14%
Unknown
16.44% 28.56%
Current Campus Diversity and Inclusiveness Living up to our name at SUNY Erie as a “community” college, we extend our theme to “start here, go anywhere”. We are an institution which affords students several educational opportunities as reflected in our admissions policies and placement processes. We adhere to SUNY’s statutory requirements for diversity: and affirm the College’s commitment to providing cross-cultural experiences and to prepare students for a global environment. Evidence of this commitment can be found throughout the College: SUNY Erie has made a conscious decision to embrace veterans and has been designated a military-friendly school. The College has also designated “veteran’s spaces” for our students. SUNY Erie has committed to be inclusive to our LGBTQIA students by designating “safe spaces” for them to meet and study. Admissions Office: • Student recruitment in New York City • Partnered with Northlands Workforce Training Center. • Annually conduct community based Open Houses, called “Pathways to Prosperity.” • Buffalo Public Schools has three admissions counselors and one recruiter assigned to them, to ensure their schools have accessibility to the college. • Two Advanced Studies courses (African American history and African American Literature) being offered in the Buffalo Public Schools during the 2021-2022 academic year. Nine courses in 8 different schools with all high school seniors. College Safety & Security: Members of SUNY Erie Campus Police serve on the EDI Council subcommittee, Anti-Racism Taskforce. SUNY ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EQUITY AND DIVERSITY PLAN 2018-2021
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Current Campus Diversity and Inclusiveness Human Resources: Implemented the Racial Equity Impact Analysis Training (REIA) Tool offered by Race Matters Institute Inc. to all employees. Institutional Research, Assessment, Accredidation and Planning (IRAAP): The IRAAP office has embedded REIA in the Unit Review process for all departments. Student Affairs – Opportunity Programs & Services:
• Say Yes - Say Yes Buffalo works to strengthen the Western New York economy by investing in the education of Buffalo’s future workforce. At SUNY Erie, the Say Yes students are academically tracked to ensure the students are academically successful and on task to complete their degree and are prepared to move onto a four-year school or begin their career. • Men of Merit - Providing SUNY Erie men with opportunities to maximize academic success and become respected men of vision in their college and community through mentorship and leadership development. • EOP - The State University of New York Educational Opportunity Program (SUNY-EOP) assists students by providing access to higher education and support services for traditionally underrepresented students. • Middle Early College High School - The Middle Early College High School Program’s (MECHS) mission is to educate under-served urban high school students who have the potential to benefit from a rigorous academic curriculum offered within a supportive, nurturing environment. The MECHS provides a 5-year college campus education opportunity to urban youth grades 9-13, resulting in the attainment of a NYS Regents High School diploma and a SUNY Erie Associates degree. • MOMs - This program has been created in partnership with the Western New York Women’s Foundation (WNYWF) to support single mothers whose goal is to achieve success through hard work and perseverance by moving forward from education to employment. • Independence Bound - This program provides vocational readiness services to Erie County’s Foster Care Youth, ages 16-23, who express a genuine interest in pursuing a post-secondary education or developing work skills. Student Access Center - Annually hosts World Culture Day
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SUNY ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EQUITY AND DIVERSITY PLAN 2018-2021
Conferences/Education/Programming • • • • • • •
Racial Equity Impact Analysis Tool (REIA) – REIA Coaches Training & REIA Action Plan Diversity Academy SUNY Erie Reads Project Anti-Racism Task Force Retention and Success of Students of Color in Higher Education Conference 2020 Applied Learning & Global Engagement Accessibility Training
Summative Statement The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Plan for SUNY Erie Community College is a living, breathing document that solidifies the college’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. Our plan is centered around our SUNY C.A.R.E.S. Values Blueprint (Compassion, Accountability, Racial Equity, Excellence and Students First) and our expectation is that all units of the campus will play an active role in ensuring that our goals are met and exceeded. Through this plan, SUNY Erie Community College will continue its work to create a more vibrant academic community, rich in all aspects of diversity. The college looks forward to the future and is excited as we help to shape the higher education landscape in the great state of New York.
Appendices State University of New York (SUNY) Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion (ODEI) Making Excellence Inclusive. (n.d.) Association of American Colleges and Universities. Retrieved from https://www.aacu.org/making-excellence-inclusive The Power of a Racial Equity Impact Analysis The Power of a Racial Equity Impact Analysis, Race Matters Institute of JustPartners, Inc., www.racemattersinstitute.org, ©2016. SUNY ERIE COMMUNITY COLLEGE EQUITY AND DIVERSITY PLAN 2018-2021
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EQUITY DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION PLAN 2018 - 2022
CITY CAMPUS 121 Ellicott Street Buffalo, NY 14203 716-851-1001
NORTH CAMPUS 6205 Main Street Williamsville, NY 14221 716-851-1002
SOUTH CAMPUS 4041 Southwestern Boulevard Orchard Park, NY 14127 716-851-1003
