The changing national and regional demographics present unique challenges to higher education. As the student population becomes increasingly diverse, colleges and universities are expected to create and maintain a healthy, effective learning environment among students, many of whom have had few opportunities to develop familiarity with other cultures. More so than ever before, it is clear that technical competence alone is insufficient for today’s graduate. Michigan Tech must prepare its students to live and work in a diverse society. Sound cultural knowledge and understanding, and the appreciation for cultural differences are also of significant importance. In order to graduate students who will create the future, the University must complete its transformation to a multicultural institution.

The importance of implementing the Diversity Framework is clear. For example, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) is committed to promoting diversity. Goal #5 of ABET’s mission is to: Expand diversity of participation in ABET. One of ABET’s objectives in achieving this goal is to: Increase the numbers of those historically underrepresented in ABET to reflect the full spectrum of participants in the engineering community. Similarly, our corporate partners identify diversity as a measure of our viability for the future.

Experiencing diversity is an important component of a quality education for all of our students. Furthermore, to achieve excellence in research and service, it is imperative to foster a greater diversity of perspectives and backgrounds among students, faculty, and staff.

The University’s Strategic Plan provides the vision to implement the Diversity Framework initiatives. The Michigan Tech Action Agenda for 2010 vision is to become a nationally prominent and internationally recognized technological university which bridges technology and business and will meet the needs of a global and technologically rich society through excellence in undergraduate and graduate education, scholarship, and research. One of the steps outlined in achieving the Vision is to ensure that students appreciate the diversity of humanity…. In addition, Goal 3 of the MTU Strategic Plan states that we must identify the best size and blend for our educational programs, which have a diverse student body, faculty and staff. The Michigan Tech Diversity Framework ensures alignment of diversity initiatives with the vision and goals set forth in the University’s Strategic Plan. It is imperative that we aggressively act on the Framework plan and assure the resources necessary to achieve it.

There has been only a small, steady increase in the numbers of minority students (African American, Hispanic/Latino, Native American) enrolled at Michigan Tech over the past 15 years. (However, a concurrent drop in total engineering enrollment has led to a modest increase in the percent of underrepresented students.) Fall 2002 minority enrollment remained at ~4 percent of the total student population. The percent of female students rose from lows of 18% in the 1980’s to 22% currently. In the past decade, the percent of female students has been maintained at 22-24%, but has not increased significantly. The low numbers of African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics as faculty and staff is even more telling. The numbers and percentages of both minority and female students and faculty/staff are less than satisfactory throughout the University. There is clearly room for improvement. The University currently supports Youth Programs and an outreach office to help increase the pool of potential students and retain underrepresented students after they enroll. Additional efforts must be implemented to successfully increase the recruitment and retention of underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff, and administration.

The action plan presented in this document is designed to build upon our strengths in ways that improve outcomes. We seek improvement not only in areas for which traditional measures of progress are readily available, but also in less quantifiable dimensions of a diverse environment such as the quality of the climate in which all members of the University community work or pursue their educational goals. This will necessitate increasing the responsibilities of all units and building broader ownership in the process of a multicultural transformation.

The initial development of this document began in 1998 when the College of Engineering (COE) and the Department of Educational Opportunity (EO) hosted a series of diversity workshops provided by the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. (NACME). The workshops were funded through a grant from the Michigan King-Chavez-Parks Initiative. One direct consequence of these workshops was the establishment of a Diversity Planning Committee charged with identifying specific strategies to enhance diversity within the COE. Michigan Tech began its strategic planning process in the fall of 1999, and the COE Diversity Planning Committee became the unit responsible for identifying strategies that can be incorporated into individual department plans, and serve as a framework for a University-wide plan. In January 2003, the COE plan was modified and expanded to fit the needs of the entire University. This document addresses challenges that are common to many units within the Michigan Tech community, those for which the efforts of individual units are often insufficient to resolve. It presents recommendations that require University-wide actions, as well as individual commitment.

To accomplish these goals requires centralized coordination because the creation of a truly diverse and multicultural University will require a collective understanding that the whole is greater than simply the sum of the many parts. Effectively addressing the Diversity Framework’s Action Plan requires the commitment of the entire University community.

The first challenge is the development and University-wide acceptance of an inclusive understanding of diversity. Traditionally, diversity initiatives at many colleges and universities have been shaped by experiences with legal mandates prohibiting discrimination and policies promoting equal opportunity. As a consequence, the groups most often identified when the term "diversity" is used are racial/ethnic minorities and women. Although strengthened efforts are directed toward addressing inequities experienced by these groups, the proposed strategies are by no means limited to these groups. The strategies address necessary efforts to integrate all underrepresented groups more fully into the life and fabric of the University. Included in these sometimes less visible or vocal groups are those subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), persons protected against discrimination based on sexual orientation, and veterans and returning adult students.

Furthermore, diversity initiatives must encompass strategies targeted at both domestic and international groups. Success in one arena does not allow units to forego aggressive action in the other. There is a misconception that it is possible to trade off success in recruiting underrepresented international students and faculty against limited success (or even inactivity) in recruiting domestic students and faculty who are underrepresented in most disciplines on our campus.

An environment characterized by equal access and respect for all groups and individuals irrespective of cultural, gender, or other differences must be fostered. Importantly, the environment should be one where the multiplicity of characteristics possessed by persons are not simply tolerated but valued. Diversity goal 1 supports Strategic Plan Goals 1, 3, 4, and 7.

University Goal 1: LEARNING — Provide an outstanding and relevant learning environment, consistent with a national university of choice.

University Goal 3: SIZE AND COMPOSITION — Achieve the best size and blend for our educational programs, which includes a diverse student body, faculty, and staff.

University Goal 4: ENRICHMENT — Be the residential campus that provides a sense of diverse community and student experiences that develop the whole person.

A welcoming campus climate requires that the University clearly articulate its commitment to and expectations for all admitted students. Issues related to diversity need to be identified, and then addressed, with a variety of strategies and by all campus units. Institutionalized systems of assessment and accountability will help the University measure progress and fine-tune processes.

A climate that invites and values the unique perspectives of each individual, in and outside the classroom, and that celebrates diversity, benefits the entire campus community. This goal is clearly consistent with efforts to support the success of all of our students, faculty, and staff. It relates directly to Strategic Plan Goal 1, 3, 4, and 7 and indirectly to Goal 5.

University Goal 3: SIZE AND COMPOSITION — Achieve the best size and blend for our educational programs, which includes a diverse student body, faculty, and staff.

University Goal 4: ENRICHMENT — Be the residential campus that provides a sense of diverse community and student experiences that develop the whole person.

University Goal 5: ADMINISTRATION — Provide an optimized administrative framework with sound physical, technological, and financial resources that ware consistent with a national university of choice.

University Goal 7: IMAGE — Build our reputation beyond the borders of Michigan and the Midwest such that Michigan Tech becomes a national university of choice.
 

A diverse workforce is the human resource requirement associated with successful continuous quality improvement initiatives. A diverse workforce is one in which the contributions of each member -- faculty, staff, or administrator-- are respected and valued as an institution’s most important asset. Such a workforce is able to synthesize a variety of perspectives and processes for the successful completion of projects.

A crucial factor in the recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce is the development of managers and supervisors within the staff and faculty who have the skills to recruit, manage, and mentor diverse populations. Managing diversity within the workplace means creating an environment where each faculty and staff member is empowered to contribute to the work of the unit, being sensitive and alert to the interactions among and between faculty and staff, and articulating clear expectations about behaviors in the workplace. Effective mentoring in a multicultural setting involves offering opportunities for faculty and staff to learn about diverse people and cultures. It means understanding different learning styles and approaches to problem solving. Most importantly, however, mentoring in a diverse workplace requires a provision for appropriate feedback to those being supervised about the contribution of their work and behavior.

Future success in recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce depends significantly on the University’s success in implementing "family friendly" and inclusive policies and programs. For example, recent commitments to expanded childcare programs provide a much-needed service and send a positive message to the community. Efforts such as these need to be enhanced or introduced.

Diversity goal 3 supports Strategic Plan Goals 1, 3, 4, and 7.

University Goal 1: LEARNING — Provide an outstanding and relevant learning environment, consistent with a national university of choice.

University Goal 3: SIZE AND COMPOSITION — Achieve the best size and blend for our educational programs, which includes a diverse student body, faculty, and staff.

University Goal 4: ENRICHMENT — Be the residential campus that provides a sense of diverse community and student experiences that develop the whole person.

To enroll a diverse student population, the University must draw on the full range of talent in our state, nation, and world. Michigan Tech’s strong pre-college program infrastructure provides a unique opportunity to help improve student academic preparation while significantly increasing the number of students who make extended visits to campus. In addition, the University’s commitment to improving student retention and leadership skills will help attract and keep a diverse student body. These current programs that support recruitment, and the academic, personal, and professional growth of students must be maintained, enhanced, and promoted. New strategies must also be implemented that focus on the recruitment of a more diverse student body. The Diversity Framework goal 4 supports the aggressive Strategic Plan Goals 2, 3, 4, and 7, and is indirectly related to Goal 1.

University Goal 1: LEARNING — Provide an outstanding and relevant learning environment, consistent with a national university of choice.

University Goal 2: SCHOLARSHIP — Expand our scholarship and research activities, sustaining successful existing programs while pursuing new endeavors in carefully targeted areas.

University Goal 3: SIZE AND COMPOSITION — Achieve the best size and blend for our educational programs, which includes a diverse student body, faculty, and staff.

University Goal 4: ENRICHMENT — Be the residential campus that provides a sense of diverse community and student experiences that develop the whole person..

A diverse University leadership and a well-managed and coordinated organizational structure are vital to support the recruitment and retention of a diverse University community. Women and minorities must be a contributing force in all aspects of decision-making and leadership, at all levels of the University. The current Presidential Commissions and the Special Assistant to the Provost for Institutional Diversity position provide important means of communicating the ideas and concerns of female and minority students, faculty, and staff, and other underrepresented groups. In addition, ways to assure that this information is incorporated at all levels of planning need to be developed. Discussions and planning at every level within the University must include a consistent, clear diversity perspective. The Diversity Framework goal 5 supports the Strategic Plan Goals 5 and 7.

University Goal 5: ADMINISTRATION </