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DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are an integral part of LSA’s vision, mission, and values. We are committed to making LSA an inclusive, equitable, and collaborative space to learn, teach, work, discover, and thrive together. Weaving DEI into the fabric of what we do and who we are as a community is essential to achieving our goals of producing groundbreaking research, providing a world-class liberal arts education, and making a positive impact on our diverse society.

 

The LSA DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan builds upon prior and ongoing initiatives to increase access to higher education, improve systemic policies to support equity, expand DEI knowledge and implementation, and enhance career development. The plan is also informed by community input sessions and recommendations from task forces and work groups, including: 

  • Anti-Racism Task Force convened in 2020

  • Sexual and Gender-Based Misconduct Prevention Working Group convened in 2020

  • Race & Ethnicity Degree Requirement Work Group convened in 2021

  • Work Group on Admissions convened in 2021

  • LGBTQ+ Working Group convened in 2022

  • Focus groups and surveys of students, faculty, and staff.

     

 

 

 

 

 

The plan outlines objectives LSA aims to address for its faculty, staff, undergraduate students, and graduate students. A selection of highlights is included below; a more comprehensive and detailed list can be found in the LSA DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan.

 

 

 

 

 

 

  • Increasing Access: Developing resources for faculty applicants on writing strong DEI statements. Evaluating ways to enhance faculty dual career support.

  • Improving Retention: Re-launching and expanding the LSA Collegiate Fellows Program to hire 32 extraordinary scholars as postdoctoral fellows/assistant professors or new associate professors, whose research, teaching, and service will contribute to DEI. Evaluate practices around faculty service for equity. Support accessible LSA events and knowledge around digital accessibility.

  • Supporting Success: Professional development portfolio that includes launch committees for new assistant professors, professional development workshops, and coaching for new full professors. Increasing faculty support around inclusive teaching.
  • Increasing Access: Revising the Dean’s Office Preview Weekend. Expanding new graduate recruitment strategies.

  • Improving Retention: Increasing graduate student participation in LSA/SAPAC sexual harassment prevention training. Piloting the Mental Health and Well-Being Student Advocates.

  • Supporting Success: Developing a need-based graduate student laptop support program.
  • Increasing Access: Developing resources to support inclusive and equitable search processes.

  • Improving Retention: Increasing opportunities for staff to develop DEI competencies and providing more robust training and support for Chief Administrators and other staff leaders related to inclusive leadership and managing emerging DEI issues at the unit level.

  • Supporting Success: Facilitating mentoring opportunities for staff, including in particular, those with historically marginalized identities.
  • Increasing Access: Enhancing undergraduate student recruitment and enrollment of community college transfer students, in-state students, and underrepresented student populations broadly defined.

  • Improving Retention: Enhancing inclusive teaching and equity-minded pedagogical practices for instructors. Piloting the Mental Health and Well-Being Student Advocates.

  • Supporting Success: Participating in the Provost’s Student Success Initiative aimed at closing equity gaps in graduation rates and participation. Promoting the LSA Opportunity Hub to address gaps in awareness, for example, among students from historically underserved groups.