Occidental College

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Occidental College

• Mission Initiatives
• 2005-2006

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Background

• Occidentals Multicultural Mission
• Student Actions, Spring 2005
• 18 Point Plan
• Mission Initiatives

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Mission Initiatives

• Expanded from an 18 point plan that was
  established by the President and Dean in response
  to student actions during Spring 2005, mission
  initiatives currently look more broadly at
  building Occidentals multicultural mission into
  the everyday life and work of the College. The
  goals of the mission initiatives are to

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Mission Initiatives Goals

• Engage all areas of the campus to think about
  their roles in moving the College mission forward
• Improve the quality of interactions and campus
  climate to provide the foundation for work on the
  mission of the College
• Provide settings for developing creative ways to
  move forward with the Colleges mission (in
  academic programs, student affairs,
  administration, etc.)
• Develop institutional strategies to address
  inequities in access at the College
• Assess and analyze how institutional structures
  and processes affect the Colleges mission

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Mission Initiatives Components

• Working Group Consultant Kikanza Nuri Robins
• Advisory Group
• Students

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Kikanza Nuri Robins (Consultant)

• Oxy alumna, 72
• 2005 Baccalaureate speaker
• Hired to help Oxy move toward being a healthier,
  diverse learning community
• Work with staff, administration, students,
  faculty to explore own issues and engage with
  others about concerns, challenges, opportunities
• Provide tools for community members to engage in
  this work
• Assist with communications about this work across
  campus

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Working Group

• Students (Dean Avery)
• Dean Averys student advisory group
• Capacity-building and development for work on
  issues in residence halls and student culture
• Follow-up with the student-generated diversity
  statement

• Staff (Richard Ledwin, HR)
• Facilitation at monthly gatherings about issues
  and concerns
• Responses to issues raised in these gatherings
• Capacity-building and development on diversity
  issues

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Working Group

• Faculty (Dean Frank)
• Depts. to examine own processes and practices,
  how these affect students
• Work to contextualize curriculum and pedagogies
  for diverse learning community, address classroom
  culture
• Development in advising and teaching sessions

• Upper Administration
• Development of cultural proficiencies, leadership
  for diverse learning community
• Responses to issues raised within the community
• Monitor and evaluate work related to diversity
  and multiculturalism regularly

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Advisory Committee

• Diana Akiyama, Director, ORSL Ombudsperson
• Dean Barbara Avery, Dean of Students
• Prof. Beth Braker, Chair, Biology
• Prof. Ron Buckmire, Chair, Mathematics
• Prof. Anthony Chase, DWA, Faculty Council
• Prof. Mary Christianakis, Education
• Prof. Regina Freer, Chair, Politics
• Prof. Eric Newhall, ECLS
• Prof. Movindri Reddy, Chair, DWA
• Prof. Dolores Trevizo, Chair, Sociology
• Prof. Raul Villa, ECLS Director, Center for
  Academic Excellence (CAE)

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Advisory Committee

• Longer-term planning
• Research, assessments, recommendations already
  done at Oxy (e.g., BEAMS retention report,
  Diversity Scorecard reports, etc.)
• Best practices at other institutions

• Recommendations for institutionalizing work on
  diversity and multiculturalism throughout the
  campus
• Areas Faculty hiring, admissions, financial aid,
  retention, curriculum, resources, workloads,
  inventory and assessment

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Students

• ASOC Senate
• Communications
• Connect goals, work of Senate to College Mission
• ASOC General Assembly
• Updates, announcements
• (Dean Averys Student Advisory Group-will be
  working with Kikanza Nuri Robins)
• Mission Initiatives Open meetings/Office Hours
  for Students
• First Friday, Nov. 18, 1230 (location TBA)
• Advisors

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Other Items (from 18 point plan)

• New Department (1)
• Student leadership in courses (4,5)
• Womens Studies in process (6)
• Scientific Scholars Achievement Program (7)
• Course Evaluations (10)
• New faculty (12)
• Ombudsperson (17)

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Challenges

• Engaging everyone on campus in this work
• Resources
• Linking cultural change to institutional/structura
  l transformation
• Ensuring the continuation of this work beyond
  this year