The University of Maryland Diversity Year Initiative (DI)

"The Diversity Initiative explores and enhances common values that emphasize interdependence, equality, justice, human rights, and the sanctity of each individual's dignity. The goal is to further a unified vision and recognition of the principles of unity and diversity and of the fact that we all are fellow citizens of an emerging global village."

DI * Grants

Co-implementing a $1,000,000.00 " Diversity Works" grant from the Ford Foundation to the American Association of Colleges and Universities (AAC&U), Wesleyan University, the Diversity Initiative, Academic Information Technology Services (aITs), and University Relations. Projects include:

Developed Diversity Web an electronic resource directory that connects a family of on-line and print resources in October 1997. Diversity Web is organized under the priorities of institutional leadership, recruitment, retention, affirmative action, curriculum transformation, faculty and staff involvement, student experiences, campus community connections, research, etc. Diversity Web progress includes:

Developed templates and training materials for use by 300 institutions in the Ford Foundation Campus Diversity Initiative campuses to enter their campuses' work into Diversity Web Campus Profiles.

 

Developed the Leader's Guide, a summary of the best diversity practices in U.S. higher education. Resources are selected by a national advisory board and updated regularly.

 

Developed and staffed Diversity Workrooms, a forum for ongoing conversations about diversity that is managed in the following way: Affirmative Action is supported by the American Council on Education; Student Experiences and Development by NASPA, and Institutional Leadership and Systemic Change by AAC&U.

 

Disseminated four editions of the Diversity Digest, a quarterly newsletter with a circulation of 10,000.

 

Writing the Diversity Blueprint A Planning Manual, an analysis of processes, strategies, challenges, and results from the University of Maryland and 12 other colleges and universities.

 

Cross-linked the UM Diversity Database, and Provided consultation to reconfiguring server to allow Diversity Connections (DC) to link to the University's server. DC is a summary of campus diversity efforts funded by U.S. Foundations.

 

Developed a public relations/marketing campaign

 

DI * National Recognition

Recognized by the President's Commission on Race as one of the top Diversity Programs in the country.

 

Awarded "Site of the Day" to Diversity Web by the Chronicle of Higher Education

 

Featured Diversity Web in an article in the Chronicle of Higher Education

 

Unveiled the Diversity Web at the Ford Foundation Diversity Conference

 

Set up computer demonstrations to showcase Diversity Web at national conferences by AAC&U and the Ford Foundation.

 

Invitation to unveil the Newsroom at the annual conference of the Educational Writers' Association, a premier organization for journalists

 

Invitation to the Diversity Database to be the only non-Ford Foundation-funded resource website to be on the opening page of Diversity Web.

 

Award, the "Site of the Day" to the Diversity Database by the Chronicle of Higher Education

Rated as "four stars" by Magellan, the highest ranking available

 

Rated by Yahoo as the best diversity database in the United States

DI * International Activities

Facilitated dialogue among South African, Indian, and U.S. diversity scholars and practitioners at Ford Foundation Conference

 

Provided web development consultations to the American Council on Education and Center for Higher Education Transformation in South Africa

 

Presentations to members of the Ford Foundation Campus Diversity Initiative in South Africa and India at Ford Foundation pre-conference workshops

 

DI * Diversity Database

 

Received over 2 million "hits" during the past year

 

Co-funded for Database Editor, along with Academic Information Technology Services, the Administrative Computing Center, the College of Library and Information Services, and University Libraries.

 

Developed an infrastructure which included a committee and faculty content specialists

 

Recruited faculty content specialists from the College of Education, the Asian American Studies Program, the Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff Center for Jewish Studies, and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

 

Developed a team of undergraduates to provide computer and Internet support to faculty content specialists.

 

Developed a Training Handbook for content specialists and a technical support handbook

 

Presented a presentation to the Equity Council for the general campus community.

DI * Workshops

Presented a workshop at AAC&U Annual Meeting on diversity at the University with representatives from the Clark School of Engineering, Administrative Affairs, and Student Affairs. Organized a panel of representatives from campus units.

DI * Diversity Focus Days

Sponsored a Spring and Fall "Diversity Focus Days" (2 weeks each) which featured 48 programs.

DI * Programs

Sponsored a live satellite video conference on Campus Diversity with 10,000 students from over 200 colleges and universities. Part of the -ISM Multimedia Campus Summit

 

Sponsored "Diversity Our Common Concern" an interactive forum for classified staff to share ideas, socialize, and meet representatives from campus ethnic/cultural faculty and staff organizations.

 

Coordinated and sponsored a workplace "shadowing" experience where students, faculty and staff accompany a classified employee to experience a typical work day and increase recognition of the value of our diverse classified population.

 

Sponsored the Third Annual Faculty Diversity Research Forum on "Difference, Power, and Identity in the Workplace."

 

Co-sponsored a diversity orientation series for faculty

 

Provided consultation to the creation of a teaching video about the process of making diversity videos

 

Co-sponsored a course on "Diversity and Community Through Video," including a series of speakers that introduced a group of students to complex diversity issues and the process of video making.

 

Sponsored the Diversity Initiative Showcase which included a town meeting on hot topics, an award ceremony, student essay contest winners, a Matching Grants poster session, a demonstration of the diversity web site, and reception.

 

Continued to advise the United Cultures.

DI * Public Relations/Media Outreach

Implemented a public and media relations campaign which:

distributed 20 internal and external press releases and public service announcements

 

placed 25 diversity-related articles in Outlook

 

placed 4 articles in the Commuter Connection and four Op Ed pieces with the diamondback, Physical Plant, and Dining Services newsletters

 

placed a minimum of 50 diversity-related articles in campus student newsletters

 

printed and disseminated 9,000 copies of the new diversity posters and redesigned focus calendars

 

hosted two Good Morning Commuters Programs

 

conducted 2 focus group interviews with student editors, faculty and administrators to discuss the establishment of the Diversity Public Information Service on the web

 

coordinated with the Campus Career Center in disseminating information about their National Employment Week

DI * Assessment and Evaluation

reported results of the Diversity Initiative One-Minute Evaluations for Fall, 1996 - Spring, 1997 that included a comparison of One Minute Evaluation Results from 1994-1997.

 

conducted a study of faculty who are doing important diversity work at the University of Maryland. Interviews were carried out in the Spring of 1997, results were reported in the Fall of 1997. In collaboration with the Diversity Initiative Faculty Relations Committee, the Evaluation Committee will honor these faculty who participated in the study and share results of the study with the larger campus community during the 1997-98 academic year.

 

during late Spring, 1997, The Diversity Initiative Evaluation Committee solicited mission/vision statements from all academic, administrative, and service departments on campus. The purpose of analyzing these statements will provide the Evaluation Committee and the campus as a whole another indicator of the level of commitment to diversity and multiculturalism across campus. These materials were obtained throughout the summer of 1997. Results will be presented during the Fall of 1997.

 

Diversity Web Assessments were also created for the purpose of obtaining feedback from information providers and users of the site. Results will be obtained and analyzed during the 1997-98 academic year.