Diversity Committee
A standing committee of faculty members works to promote diversity and inclusivity within the School of Education community. They advise and make recommendations to the Executive Committee and the Dean regarding matters related to issues of diversity.
Committee Members
Peggie Constantino
Ryan McGill
Spencer Niles
Committee Bylaws
The Diversity Committee shall consist of three faculty representatives, one graduate student representative, and one undergraduate student representative. The Dean of the School of Education shall serve ex officio. The three faculty representatives shall be comprised of one representative from each department. Faculty representatives shall serve three-year terms with one term expiring annually. Student representatives shall be appointed by the Graduate Education Association and the Student Education Association and shall serve one-year (renewable) terms. The faculty member who is the senior member of the Committee shall serve as chair.
For the purposes of this committee, diversity connotes distinctiveness, uniqueness, and interconnection among and between human beings. It denotes racial, ethnic, cultural, and linguistic heritage, national origin, socioeconomic status, age, gender, sexual orientation, philosophical, religious, and spiritual beliefs, as well as physical, social, and intellectual attributes and abilities.
The Committee shall: a) review data on student admissions, recruitment, retention, and financial aid awards to assess the degree to which the SOE is effectively addressing diversity in these actions; b) assess the perceptions of students from traditionally under-represented backgrounds regarding the SOE climate and attitude toward diverse students; c) assess the perceptions held by students toward diversity issues; d) assess the opportunities for all students in the SOE to interact with K-12 students, colleagues, and faculty who are from diverse groups; e) assess academic programs to ensure that graduates of the SOE will develop cultural competence; f) support faculty development in the area of preparing educators who will work with diverse learners and collaborate with diverse constituents; g) promote diversity in the recruitment and retention of faculty and staff, including part-time and clinical faculty; h) advise and make recommendations to the Executive Committee and the Dean regarding concerns raised by faculty or students regarding addressing issues of diversity within the SOE; and i) report annually to the faculty on the status of each of these responsibilities.
