Diversity efforts to focus on ‘inclusive excellence’

The idea that the inclusiveness and excellence of an institution are fundamental and linked to one another form the bedrock of UW–Madison’s approach to diversity following Plan 2008.

“This concept is simple, but vital to the future of our university,” says Damon Williams, vice provost for diversity and climate. “To be a great university, our diversity efforts cannot float, unanchored from the broader discussion of teaching, learning, scholarship, fundraising, community engagement and any other topic of relevance to institutional excellence.”

A campus forum, to be held from 7:45 a.m.–4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 8, at Memorial Union, will address these issues, with the theme “Seeding Inclusive Excellence.”

Going forward, UW–Madison must build on the legacy of Plan 2008 and renew its commitment with a revised and shared covenant of what it means to be a diverse, inclusive and excellent university in the new millennium, Williams adds.

“The UW Board of Regents, and indeed our chancellor, have challenged us to create a campuswide movement that makes issues of diversity a part of everything that we do,” he says. “To create a movement that is activated in a way that is linear, organic and viral.

“Inclusive excellence centers on developing an approach that can bubble up, trickle down and flow across every school, college and department — touching the lives of every student, faculty, staff member and strategic partner connected to UW–Madison. If inclusive excellence is a challenge that is embraced only by campus diversity champions, then we might as well keep doing business as usual.”

Although the exact actions that will unfold during the next year are evolving, Williams says that the conversation must focus on several key questions:

• What are the lessons that we learned about activating diversity change initiatives, from Plan 2008, the Madison Plan, Design for Diversity and other campuswide diversity implementation efforts during the last 20 years? How can we build on these lessons in a more powerful way as we move forward with inclusive cxcellence?
• What does inclusive excellence mean for UW–Madison?
• What are the critical action steps that the campus need to take to increase access and equity for diverse groups, with a particular emphasis on historically underrepresented minorities and women?
• What will it take for the university to create a multicultural and inclusive campus climate that embraces the unique identities and contributions of the entire university community?
• How can UW–Madison push even harder to advance a scholarly research agenda that advances knowledge in areas of diversity from a domestic and international perspective?
• How can the university prepare all of its students to thrive personally and professionally in a world that is diverse, global and interconnected, both locally and internationally?
• How can inclusive excellence efforts result in changes that are deep, permanent and intertwined with the identity as a world-class research university, deeply committed to the ideals of service and community?

“No one person or group of people knows how to ‘do inclusive excellence,’” Williams says. “It can only happen through a shared conversation of the campus community, winnowing, sifting and rethinking the journey of Plan 2008 — and most importantly, how we move forward from here.”

“The beauty of our launching the inclusive excellence planning year now is that the inclusive excellence conversation will happen in lock-step with the chancellor’s vision that diversity must be infused into all that we do: our new campus strategic framework, the work being advanced around essential learning outcomes, lessons from our recent reaccreditation process, the new Go Big Read program, conversations about tenure and promotion, the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates and so many change initiatives that are just beginning.”

The goal is to create a process that will result in a plan, but also change that defines diversity in a way that embraces issues of physical ability, social and positional class, age, learning style, nationality and sexual orientation, as well as gender and incomplete work on race and ethnicity.

This year’s diversity forum is structured differently from previous ones, in that it includes a number of national scholars and thought leaders who are on the cutting edge of issues of diversity and organizational change. They include:

• Yolanda Moses, a professor of anthropology and special assistant to the president for diversity and excellence at the University of California-Riverside and a nationally recognized expert on cultural diversity, having served as the past chair of the board of the American Association of Colleges and Universities, the organization that launched the inclusive excellence conversation nationally.
• Jeffrey Milem, associate dean and professor in the University of Arizona’s School of Education. He is the current president of the Association for the Study of Higher Education and is one of the original authors of the inclusive excellence monograph that specifically focused on the educational implications of diversity experiences.
• Cathy Trueba, director of the McBurney Disability Resource Center. She has presented nationally on best practices in postsecondary disability services and has provided program evaluation and reviews to public and private colleges nationwide.
• Kaleem Caire, an alumnus who brings an understanding of how issues of access and equity affect UW–Madison.
• Christopher Metzler, associate dean of human resources for the Masters of Professional Studies at Georgetown University and national voice on issues of strategic diversity management globally.
• Gilles Bousquet, dean of the Division of International Studies, where he has long been an advocate and facilitator of international cooperation in business, science and technology as well as the arts and humanities.
• Eric Dey, professor of education at the University of Virginia, where he directs the postsecondary research program at the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning. He is conducting an external review of the Pre-College Enrichment Opportunity Program for Learning Excellence.

The event is free of charge and open to everyone, but registration is required by Friday, Sept. 25, to attend the free lunch. Register online.

Additional information and supporting documents on inclusive excellence will be posted at http://www.diversity.wisc.edu.