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September 25, 2007

University Planning Council

Minutes for September 25, 2007

Present: Melissa Acker, Gwen Ashburn, Elizabeth Bagwell, Lothar Dohse, Archer Gravely, Bill Haggard, Bill Haas, Bill Haggard, Herman Holt, Pat Hunt, Jim Kuhlman, Bruce Larson, Judi Leffe, Bill Massey, Adrienne Oliver, Anne Ponder, Christine Riley, Barbara Svenson, Betsy Wilson, John Wood

Absent: Melissa Burchard, Kathy Whatley

UPC met in the Whitman Room from 12:15-1:45

Chancellor Ponder distributed a revised list of campus diversity recommendations and a draft definition of critical mass for UPC review.

Diversity Recommendations

  1. Establish the organizational case for diversity -- the quality and diversity of community interaction that is essential to our mission.
  2. Understand campus legal obligations before setting diversity goals – General Counsel
  3. Set goals and strategies for achieving them – what does ‘critical mass’ mean for our community?
  4. Eliminate Diversity & Multicultural Affairs position – consider some kind of Intercultural Center that is everyone’s ‘job’ and resource (establish a committee to pursue this option)
  5. Move Affirmative Action responsibilities to Human Resources – Director of Human Resources.
  6. Build internal systems of accountability for reaching diversity goals, especially for departments and supervisors.
  7. Measure actual results against financial investment. Fund more of what’s getting results, less of what is not. Annual FY ROI analysis
  8. Develop a diversity theme for ease of communication – assert our public mission
  9. Develop a diversity communication plan (internal and external) to include celebration of the successes – Public Information & Center for Diversity Education
  10. Offer ongoing staff, supervisor, and faculty diversity sensitivity training – provide funding to Human Resources to do this.

UNC Asheville will have reached a critical mass of diversity when:

  • More classes than not will include substantial variety in the participants’ religion, ideas, political convictions, gender, ability, gender preference, socio-economic status, and ethnicity, even if these differences are not visible or otherwise evident.
  • Students, faculty, or staff members seeking to form a committee will not have to actively seek out individuals of a particular minority category in order to have a diverse group of participants; Identifying individuals with the appropriate expertise, representation, and availability for the committee will provide sufficient diversity.
  • Any random set of photographs taken on campus on any given day will reflect a variety of visible diversity, without the need to ‘stage’ individuals of a particular ethnicity.
  • Students will have ample opportunities, both in class and out of class, to interact with, learn from, and get to know other students, as well as faculty and staff members, of differing cultures, language, ethnicity, religion, political conviction, ideas, abilities, and preferences.
  • Immersion experiences in other cultures will be a common component of a UNC Asheville student’s experience, with encouragement, support, and camaraderie to do so readily.
  • Opportunities for service to the community will strive to include participation with populations and situations that students may not have experienced in their lives so far.

Chancellor Ponder proposed the creation of a Diversity Action Council (DAC) that would include faculty and administrators to help the University move forward on these issues. One of the first tasks of the DAC would be to link diversity goals to UNCA’s mission by responding to fifteen questions articulated by the College Board. UPC discussed the DAC membership, optimal size, need for student input, and relationship to the existing Minority Affairs Commission. Chancellor Ponder reported that she would submit a revised draft of the DAC membership to UPC.

UPC discussed which of the recommendations should be done first and who should take the lead for implementation. The proposed DAC will work on number 1 and the 2nd recommendation is already in progress. The work on the 2nd recommendation will be reviewed by the DAC, SGA, UPC, and others. Chancellor Ponder suggested we would work on the first six recommendations this semester and consider the final four in the Spring.

The next UPC meeting will be held on October 16 from 12:15-1:45 in the Whitman Room.