DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

OVPR Diversity Goals:

Highlight and integrate CSU Principles of Community (PoC) across all divisions of the OVPR.

  • Analysis
    • Gather and review information on individual unit missions and goals through the lens of the Principles of Community
    • Review peer-institution and APLU institution mission/value statements for Vice President for Research units and subunits, for best practices in diversity and inclusion within similar customer-service-based units.
  • Design 
    • Develop and sustain partnerships with University collaborators (OVPR Division Directors, Cultural Centers, VPD, HR, TOD) that think about organizational change and effectiveness.
    • Establish diversity and inclusion/PoC task force to brainstorm ideas with OVPR divisions and provide cohesiveness across units
    • Provide opportunities for OVPR employees to offer suggestions on how the PoC can be incorporated into their every day tasks and activities.
    • Create PoC initiative that seeks to develop guidelines, policies, expectations and incentives around PoC that are customized for each unit in OVPR
  • Implementation
    • Integrate PoC into annual evaluation practices and materials to develop individual goals around PoC.
    • Integrate PoC into hiring practices through revision of job descriptions and interview questions
    • Hold at least one staff meeting in each division that focuses on discussion of PoC and what they mean to each individual unit
    • Discuss efforts around PoC initiative at quarterly all staff meetings
    • Develop division-specific mission/values statements around PoC
    • Rebrand OVPR spot awards to PoC awards to recognize individuals who exemplify the PoC.
  • Evaluation 
    • Track incorporation of PoC reflective statements and outcomes for individual OVPR employees
    • Review all job descriptions and interview processes to assess completeness of PoC integration
    • Track PoC awards across divisions to inform uniformity of integration across operations

Enhance visibility of current and possible research and scholarship activities that will directly support and highlight research/scholarship opportunities, resources, and programs focused on diversity and inclusion.

  • Analysis
    • Review sponsored programs and Digital Measures data to determine individuals, teams,
      and projects focused on diversity and inclusion.
    • Review funding agency program opportunities to collect data on where opportunities
      exist in the diversity/inclusion space
  • Design 
    • Create active database of funding and other programmatic opportunities that focus on diversity and inclusion
    • Utilize OVPR strategic committee PROPEL, which has representation from Research Associate Deans, Office of International Programs, and OURA, to develop strategies for increased inclusion of multicultural elements including diverse workforce and ideas.
    • Through PROPEL, create list of faculty researchers across campus who are working on research/scholarship that touches on diversity and inclusion and/or who are working with populations of underrepresented minorities
    • Utilize the Research Acceleration Office to provide assistance for teams seeking funding through programs focused on diversity and inclusion.
  • Implementation
    • Restructure and re-organize the OVPR website to include emphasis on diversity and inclusion  programs/opportunities/projects on individual pages, but also on a separate webpage that collects information at the intersection of research, diversity, and inclusion, and provides compiled campus resources supporting diversity and inclusion within research/scholarship
    • Develop working definitions/descriptions of how research programs/projects/people intersect with diversity and inclusion and post on website
    • Provide OVPR/RAO-sponsored workshops and training opportunities for researchers that focus directly on funding opportunities that focus on diversity and inclusion, and on
      how to develop meaningful and actionable broader impacts statements for NSF and other federal funding agency proposals
    • Create internal funding opportunity through the Research and Scholarship Success Initiative that could support diversity and inclusion research/scholarship activities
    • Create media (Source stories, Facebook/Twitter/Instagram posts, other media outlets) that highlight and emphasize research/scholarship activities focused on inclusion and diversity
  • Evaluation 
    • Website analytics – evaluating effectiveness of website for raising visibility.
    • Feedback from researchers attending training opportunities
    • Sponsored Programs and Digital Measures analytics on proposal submissions and grants awarded through programs focused on diversity and inclusion

Provide resources, opportunities, targeted events that support efforts to increase involvement of underrepresented students in meaningful research/scholarship experiences across the University.

  • Analysis
    • Collect information from OURA, graduate school, and Institutional Research on diverse student/faculty populations participating in research/scholarship experiences
    • Review interactive reports from Institutional Research to explore relationship between participation in independent research/scholarship projects and either gaps in degree progression and completion among student populations (by gender, minority status, ethnicity, first generation, etc.).
    • Gather and review information on diverse populations’ participation in research/scholarship from multicultural student organizations, campus wide programs, initiatives, and best practices
  • Design 
    • Create opportunities for underrepresented students to directly access high profile researchers/scholars/programs around campus to learn more about how research is performed, the impact of participating in research/scholarship and how they can get engaged.
    • Provide resources on research/data-informed science and best practices to promote underrepresented student participation/success in research programs accessible for all faculty, staff and students.
    • Partner with graduate school and OURA to support programs that create opportunities for underrepresented students to access research/scholarship opportunities/funding.
    • Provide support/resources for programs (e.g. REU, Graduate Center for Diversity and Access, Murals) that recruit and promote participation of underrepresented students in research/scholarship projects
  • Implementation
    • In partnership with multicultural student organizations, OURA, and learning communities, provide round table discussions with research leaders (e.g. the VPR) to discuss research/scholarship from a University-wide perspective.
    • Work with the OURA to improve methodologies for tracking involvement of undergraduate students in research/scholarship activities across campus.
    • Develop section of OVPR diversity and inclusion website specifically focused on resources/data/best practices for student success in research/scholarship programs and activities.
    • Create roadmap/policies/guidelines/criteria for OVPR support for research/scholarship programs that support or promote participation by underrepresented groups.
  • Evaluation 
    • Quantity of events held to promote participation in research/scholarship activities
    • Feedback from students participating in program events.
    • Track retention, degree progression metrics, and employment metrics of underrepresented undergraduate students who participate in research/scholarship activities, compared to those who do not.
    • Track level of support provided by OVPR to  research/scholarship programs supporting underrepresented groups as well as individual outcomes from these programs.
    • Website analytics