Diversity Goals

Cultivate Diversity: One of Five Strategic Themes

One of the five main themes of CCA's five-year strategic plan is to "cultivate diversity." Each of goals listed below includes three to four collegewide objectives that relate to the theme of cultivating diversity.

1) Increase racial, socioeconomic, and global diversity among students, staff, faculty, and trustees

2) Develop our pedagogy and curriculum to reflect social and cultural diversity

3) Build a campus community that supports and values diversity

The President's Diversity Steering Group (PDSG) is tasked to further refine these goals with specific initiatives. The following is a selection of initiatives that the entire community under the leadership of the PDSG is currently engaged in enacting.

Diversifying CCA's Communities

• Advertise positions in resources specifically aimed at professional communities of color
• Include specific language in job postings that encourages diverse and culturally competent applicants
• Increase visibility through Faculty and Staff of Color Fellowship with institutional resources to support meetings and activities
• Commit additional resources for potential opportunity hires for successful candidates of color
• Explore collaborating with our AICAD partners on a “grow your own” visiting faculty program (i.e. a “post-MFA” fellowship for new faculty of color)
• Increase diversity scholarships for students
• Create partnerships with local feeder schools to improve outreach to potential students of color and foster a successful pipeline through recruitment to retention, success, and graduation
• Foster mentoring/outreach between students and faculty of color; create a faculty mentor to students of color position

Diversifying CCA's Teaching & Curriculum

• Explore ways to include cultural competency and literacy in beginning-level required courses
• Launch and support Engage at CCA program that strengthens CCA’s values of community partnership and social justice
• Organize a diversity curriculum committee of faculty leaders who can oversee the enhancement of diversity in the curriculum and sponsor diversity pedagogy training
• Provide training for faculty on incorporating diversity into their curricula, working with a diverse group of students, and adopting transformative pedagogies
• Conduct a so-called state-of-affairs survey to get a good sense of where/how diversity currently exists in the major curricula
• Provide rewards for faculty (line release, curriculum development grants) to diversify their courses

Supporting Campus Diversity

• Develop a diversity news and resources section on the college website
• Explore hiring a chief diversity officer who will ensure a continued focus on and improvement in diversity in all areas
• Enhance the Center Student Grant program to incentivize students who are working on projects connected to social justice and diversity
• Form ongoing student affinity/identity groups and provide adequate institutional support
• Make diversity a priority outside of targeted diversity programming, while also continue to build specific diversity events and symposia
• Create more comfortable gathering spaces to encourage organic community building
• Create a required cultural competency training for all staff (especially focusing on student services staff, counselors, and advisors) and faculty.
• Ensure all orientations (student, faculty, staff, and trustee) include introductory conversations about community standards and diversity