A Plan for Diversity -- March 1999 || Bucknell University

In the fall of 1995, the President formed a task force to study diversity at Bucknell and to make recommendations on how the University could become more diverse in the future. The task force studied the issue and submitted its final report early in the spring semester of 1998. The report contains 81 separate recommendations touching on nearly every aspect and part of the University. Copies of the report of the task force are available from the Office of the President.

One of the central themes of the report is that diversity is an institutional issue. Defining and achieving the forms of diversity most appropriate to Bucknell must involve every part of the University in comprehensive and coordinated commitments and initiatives. The report also asserts that the University has studied this matter sufficiently, and that it is now time for concrete actions and accomplishment. In keeping with these themes, and in recognition of the need to focus institutional attention and energy on the most critical areas and initiatives, a plan for institutional diversity, composed of numerous administrative directives and initiatives yet strategically selective in its choice of things to do, will be implemented over the next several years. The purpose of this document is to describe that plan and to set it in motion.

As the report of the task force makes clear, the importance of enhancing diversity at Bucknell, as well as the nature of the diversity we seek, stems simultaneously from the University's mission, its institutional history, and its competitive context.

American higher education in general, and Bucknell's history in particular, have always been closely associated with the notion of opportunity. Our contemporary concern for diversity arises in part, therefore, from a strong sense of professional and institutional commitment to the extension of educational opportunities to students from a broad array of personal and social backgrounds and settings.

As an educational institution seeking to prepare students for active and productive membership in the world, the University is obliged to provide rich and compelling opportunities for students to learn about the cultural diversity and complexity of American life and the broader world of which it is a part. In the words of the report of the task force, "diversity is integral to the academic strength, vitality, and relevance of a Bucknell education." A portion of our formal obligation, in this regard, is realized in the way we shape the curriculum and the expectations we have for students' participation in that curriculum. Our obligation must also be realized in efforts to make the institution, and hence the learning environment, more fully representative of the multicultural and international character of life in contemporary American society.

Owing both to its location and to its relatively homogeneous character throughout much of its history, this representative aspect of diversity has been especially difficult for Bucknell to achieve in the areas where it matters most: in the composition of the student body; the instructional, administrative and support staffs; and the governing board. For that reason, it is even more important for the University to move quickly and resolutely toward enhancing this aspect of its collective life.

Even if our educational responsibilities did not require such an effort, our competitive circumstances would. Market research over the past several years has indicated quite convincingly that an important number of the students we most desire to attract do not apply or seriously consider offers of admission to Bucknell because of its perceived homogeneity. This perception is reinforced in college guides, which often comment on the absence of diversity at Bucknell. In a related way, a number of important corporate recruiters have noted their concern that Bucknell does not present them sufficient opportunities to recruit students of color, which has become an important part of their professional charge and hence their choices about where to spend their time recruiting. So in several very important ways, the University's competitive self-interest will require our making significant progress on this front.

But what kind of diversity is important to Bucknell? Is the diversity we seek the same as that sought by any institution of higher education? Or does the combination of our history and present circumstances demand a more distinctive path?

We know that the kind of diversity we seek must include members of groups that have not been strongly represented here in the past— persons of color, most prominently; students of varied (including non-Christian) religious backgrounds; and individuals from outside the mid-Atlantic region of the United States, including persons of international origin, to name a few. But we must also be mindful of the sorts of postgraduate challenges that await our students, and think specifically about the forms of diversity with which they will have to cope in the world they will soon join. Finally, we should be attentive to those areas where Bucknell has been successful in the past, making sure that our definition of diversity includes the ways in which the University has in fact been diverse historically. This would include, for instance, the important fact that for many years Bucknell has been successful in recruiting students of modest financial backgrounds, as well as first generation college students. We must also acknowledge the fact that the University recruits faculty and staff from extraordinarily different professional and socioeconomic backgrounds and social experience, which is and ought to be a part of our collective understanding and identity.

The task force supplied a good preliminary working definition of diversity, which in slightly modified form is now set forth as a standing institutional definition, to be used in major publications alongside articulations of mission and other important institutional values:

As an institution of higher learning, Bucknell is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse campus community, enriched by the presence and participation of men and women of different races, nationalities, ethnicities, socioeconomic circumstances, ages, sexual orientations, and religious backgrounds. This commitment goes beyond the mere toleration of differences by seeking to eliminate attitudes and actions that have separated, excluded or marginalized people in the past, and by facilitating true understanding and recognition. These aspirations inform, in a deep and abiding way, the mission of the University, its curriculum, its social life, and its general climate. Diversity at Bucknell, therefore, is a fundamental commitment, consistent with the goals of an institution of higher learning.

We can realize the promise of this definition of diversity in our daily practices and relationships only by embodying it in concrete initiatives that affect and guide these practices. The following plan, drawn in part from the recommendations of the task force, and in part from the reflection and discussion it has generated, is composed essentially of such initiatives, which build on existing programs and structure, or in some cases identify altogether new directions.

For the sake of focus and clarity, the initiatives composing this plan are grouped by key sectors and areas of the University's academic and administrative organization.

In keeping with one of the principal areas of discussion and recommendation of the task force, several initiatives having to do with institutional coordination and accountability will now be undertaken:

The primary staffing responsibility for the Committee on Campus Diversity will reside with the Associate Dean of Students. (The job description for the Associate Dean is attached as Appendix A.) The Associate Dean will meet at least once each semester with the President to report on the committee's work and concerns. The committee will be guided in its work by the definition of diversity noted above, by the initiatives contained in this administrative plan, and by its own analysis of institutional progress against stated goals.

The President will convey the annual report on diversity from the Committee on Campus Diversity to the Bucknell community.
In support of the committee's efforts and of this plan, the Office of the President will provide budgetary resources to the Committee for Campus Diversity to use as a discretionary fund supporting diversity initiatives on the campus, including the augmentation of existing departmental budgets, support for speakers and campus events, and other activities. The committee should not think of itself as primarily a programming board, thereby losing sight of its critical monitoring and coordinating function as outlined above, but it still can play an important role in the programmatic arena.
In support of the efforts of the committee and of this plan for diversity, the Director of Institutional Research and the Affirmative Action Officer are charged with designing and maintaining a uniform reporting system that includes key measures of diversity and ensures that relevant data are gathered and maintained in an accurate, uniform and continuous way. Reports will be shared with the committee and other key offices and committees.

The Academic Program

The academic program is the central expression of the University's educational mission. Accordingly, this plan includes several initiatives regarding various elements of that program.

The Common Learning Agenda (CLA)

The recently completed review of the Common Learning Agenda identified the “ Perspectives on Human Diversity” requirement of the CLA as needing attention and strengthening. Several steps resulting from that review have been or will be taken:

A committee with representation from the Curriculum Committee, the Race/Gender Resource Center, and curricular areas dealing with diversity proposed strengthening the diversity requirement by having departments and instructors describe how each course designated as meeting the requirement would be focused on the issues of diversity. The Curriculum Committee implemented this recommendation, which has resulted in a shorter list of more appropriate courses.
The University successfully applied to the Hewlett Foundation for funds supporting efforts to strengthen the “Perspectives on Human Diversity” requirement of the CLA. In September 1998, the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs initiated a multi-year program to encourage and provide financial support for the development of new courses satisfying the requirement. A memorandum explaining this initiative was mailed to the campus community in September and is attached as Appendix B.
The Committee on Instruction will be asked to review the current scheduling and use of the first meetings of all Foundation Seminars, and to recommend how these meetings might be utilized more effectively to introduce first-year students to college life generally and to the challenges and opportunities of diversity in particular.

International Education

International education is one of the cornerstones of Bucknell's strategic academic plan, Foundations for the Future, and is one of the principal means of exposing students to other cultures and the meaning of cultural difference. In light of these facts, several reinforcing measures in the general area of international education now seem appropriate:

An Internationalization Task Force was recently formed to discuss ways of adding international scope and dimension to the Bucknell curriculum. The creation of a regular position for a “Visiting International Professor” is one of the ideas currently being explored by the task force.
The Hewlett-supported initiative mentioned above will facilitate the creation of several new “international diversity” courses that will be incorporated into the Common Learning Agenda.
Additional staff resources (.5 FTE) were recently added to the Office of International Studies, in conjunction with the decision to charge Bucknell tuition for all students studying abroad. The Vice President for Academic Affairs will continue to monitor staffing needs in this area and propose staff additions as appropriate and necessary.

The Race/Gender Resource Center

Bucknell's success in moving toward a more inclusive and diverse community and in preparing students well for the future depends to some significant degree on our capacity to develop a curriculum that is inclusive and relevant to the issues of diversity. One of the important curriculum-related resources at Bucknell is the Race/Gender Resource Center, whose primary purpose is to stimulate faculty interest in developing curricula, courses, course materials and pedagogy supportive of the aims of diversity.

In 1997-98, the staffing of the Center was augmented by the addition of a permanent Co-Director who has a joint faculty/administrative appointment. Counting both Co-Directors, the total professional staffing devoted to the administrative affairs of the Center is now .66 FTE.
The charge of the Race/Gender Resource Center will include advising those responsible for workshops and training sessions for new and continuing faculty, in light of the aims of this plan and the recommendations of the task force regarding training for faculty.

Area Studies

The University will continue to seek ways of enhancing programs that expose students to the complex international and multicultural aspects of contemporary life in the national and global context. Bucknell's programs and offerings in foreign languages, African Studies, African-American Studies, Caribbean Studies, International Relations, Latin American Studies, East Asian Studies, and Women's Studies will continue to offer significant opportunities to students to broaden their perspectives on issues of diversity and multiculturalism.

Academic Support

The Offices of the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, the Dean of the College of Engineering and the Dean of Students will reexamine the means by which academic support resources—the Writing Center, tutoring opportunities, departmental help sessions, etc.—are advertised to students, and will make improvements as appropriate.
The Writing Center will reevaluate policies governing access to tutors to make certain that students in need of these resources are not in any way constrained from utilizing them.
The University is carefully examining the need for additional personnel in the Writing Center, and will consider any identified need a high priority in future staffing decisions.
The position description for the Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences has been redefined to include responsibility for assessing campus climate for students from diverse backgrounds.

Examination and Class Scheduling

It is the policy of the University to accommodate student interest in observing religious holidays and times of worship. New faculty will be informed of this policy in the course of faculty orientation. Further, the Vice President for Academic Affairs will periodically remind continuing faculty of this policy, and of their obligation to make special arrangements for students wishing to observe religious practices or holidays during scheduled class or examination periods. The University will also identify additional means of informing students of this policy.

Student Recruitment and Retention

The University's substantial ambitions for diversity will require redoubling efforts to recruit and retain a diverse student body. These efforts, affecting the entire institution, will be the direct responsibility of personnel in the areas of Admission, Financial Aid, and Student Affairs, though they also are an indirect responsibility of many others in the Bucknell community. It is especially hoped that faculty will be willing and able to contribute to recruitment efforts, given the extra credibility and influential role they enjoy among prospective students.

Admission

By September 2002, the University aspires to have at least 15 percent of its student body composed of members of racial minority groups (African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian and Asian-American, and Native American), ideally by maintaining or increasing the representation of each group. Achieving this objective is the responsibility of the entire University, but has special implications for the Office of Admission.

The Office of Admission will continue to devote one professional staff member—an Associate Director of Admission—exclusively to the recruitment of students of color. Additional staff resources for this area will be considered in the context of the continuous evaluation of the admission organization and its staffing needs.
The Office of Admission will continue to devote one professional staff member—an Associate Director—to the recruitment of students from areas that promise to bring to Bucknell greater geographical diversity, including greater national and international diversity.
The newly appointed Jewish Chaplain will be assigned one-quarter time to the Office of Admission and to the recruitment of Jewish students to Bucknell.
The Office of Admission and the Associate Director of Admission will expand the scope and effectiveness of programs designed to recruit students of color (e.g., high school visits) and to cause qualified prospects to visit campus. Included especially is the “Students of Color Weekend,” which continues to grow programmatically and to draw larger and larger numbers.
The Office of Admission will study the feasibility and potential impact of developing partnerships with specific secondary schools with large populations of minority students.
The Office of Admission will study the feasibility and potential impact of offering special awards to high school students—for example, for leadership or academic achievement—which awards may be especially appealing to minority students.
The Office of Admission, in the periodic review and revision of its printed and electronic marketing materials and media, will be attentive to the interests and needs of prospective minority students. These efforts will be aided by recent market survey research targeting prospective minority students in a careful and deliberate way.
Training for campus tour guides will be revised to include careful instruction in the strategic importance of diversity to Bucknell, and in the sorts of questions and sensitivities that are likely to arise among tour participants interested in diversity and related issues.
The Vice President of Enrollment Management and Student Affairs and the Vice President for Academic Affairs will together ensure that more of the students enrolled in the summer component of the STEP program proceed to attend Bucknell. Modest recent success in fundraising for financial aid in support of community college transfer students will be helpful to these efforts.

Financial Aid

Bucknell's financial aid program and policies will be decisive in efforts to diversify the student body:

The number of preferential financial aid awards available to recruit students from diverse backgrounds will be increased beyond the elevated levels already identified in the strategic financial plan. Beginning in 1999-00, a total of 40 such packages—20 more than first imagined in the strategic planning process—will be available each year to assist in the recruitment of minority students from the United States, and seven will be available to international students. In addition, regular, need-based financial aid awards will continue to support the recruitment and retention of students of color.
The preferential financial aid awards for middle income students resulting from the strategic financial plan will be maintained indefinitely.
As part of its annual reporting obligations, the Financial Aid Office will develop and maintain consistent financial data and profiles permitting the University to assess regularly the socioeconomic diversity of the student body and any trends that may become evident over time.
The University will continue its policy allowing students to keep 100 percent of their outside scholarships as scholarships, thereby reducing their loan and work levels. At the same time, the Office of Financial Aid will review its print and electronic materials to ensure that students have adequate access to information regarding sources of outside assistance. The growing prevalence of Web-based information of this kind will continue to be utilized.

Student and Academic Affairs

In light of retention data gathered by the Director of Institutional Research in the course of the work of the task force, the Associate Dean of Students, in close collaboration with the Dean's Offices of the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering, will be assigned the task of designing and implementing a retention plan for groups graduating at lower than average rates, and for groups that may be at risk of graduating at lower rates in coming years. The development of this plan will necessarily include careful consultation with those responsible for the academic support services discussed earlier in this plan.
The Dean's Offices of the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering will continue to conduct exit interviews with students who leave the University prior to graduation, and they will share relevant information with the Associate Dean of Students.

Student Life and Services

Bucknell will not succeed in recruiting or retaining a diverse student body without ensuring that all aspects of student life at Bucknell are supportive of this aspiration and consistent with its requirements. Accordingly, certain specific steps in a number of areas of student life and services are now appropriate:

Residential Life

The University will vigorously promote and take every opportunity to expand “special interest” student housing, including the conversion of residences belonging to “de-chartered” Greek organizations. In 1999-00, the Galloway House will be added to the special interest housing stock.
The University will continue to encourage expressions of interest from all groups attracted to “special interest” housing opportunities, including especially groups with common academic interests, such as Women's Studies.
The “mixed-class” housing program will be examined with a view to appropriate revisions and expansions in coming years.
Living and learning opportunities in a common environment will be extended to additional foundation seminars.
The University will continue support for the “host family” program for international students, as well as “study abroad halls” for pre-departure and returning students.

First-Year Orientation

The Office of the Dean of Students will strengthen the diversity component of the first-year orientation program, so that the University's commitment to diversity and the sorts of opportunities and expectations that commitment entails are clearly conveyed.

Bucknell Student Government

This plan and the report of the task force will be shared with the Bucknell Student Government. The administration will ask the BSG to consider and respond to each of the recommendations of the task force relevant to it and, more generally, to design and promulgate its own plan for diversity.

Social Life and Organizations

Copies of this plan and the report of the task force will be shared with the Interfraternity Council and the Panhellenic Council. Those organizations will be asked to respond to the documents and to prepare their own plans for diversity.
As part of the continuing effort to expand the array of social opportunities available to Bucknell students, and in keeping with the recommendation of the task force, the basement of Swartz Hall will be renovated in the summer of 1999 to create social space primarily supporting alcohol-free evening events. The Campus Activities Program, reinforced with additional operating budget resources, will continue vigorously pursuing the expansion of social opportunities and events throughout the academic year and across the campus.
The Director of Cultural Events will ensure that each season's programming meets the aspirations of the University for exposing students to artistic expression and intellectual perspective representing diverse cultures.

Religious Life and Diversity

The University Chaplain will review the programs sponsored or supported by the Chaplaincy to ensure that the expression and support of religious and spiritual diversity at Bucknell are among the highest priorities of the program. Relevant BSG-sponsored programs will be monitored as well.
The University Chaplain will establish a "Multi-Faith Council" modeled after the program at Wellesley College. The Council will enhance the dialogue among the religious groups at Bucknell and advance the cause of interfaith understanding.
The Office of the Chaplain will ensure that the annual schedule of religious holidays for religious groups represented on the campus is broadly publicized and shared with all administrative and academic offices.
In the fall of 1998, the University appointed a full-time Jewish Chaplain and Hillel Director. In addition to organizing and energizing Jewish religious life and activity on the campus, the Chaplain will be assigned part-time (.25 FTE) to assist in the recruiting of Jewish students to Bucknell.
The Bucknell Campaign will continue seeking to raise an endowment of at least $4 million to establish a Fund for Jewish Life and Learning. The purpose of the fund is to support the position and activities of the Jewish Chaplain, programming in this area and, eventually, a chair in Jewish Studies at Bucknell. In the meantime, funds have been donated in support of a visiting distinguished scholar in Jewish Studies, beginning in the spring semester of 1999 and continuing for at least one additional year.
The Jewish Chaplain will assess the adequacy of Martin House as a facility supporting Jewish and Hillel activities, and will make recommendations for improvements as appropriate.

Athletics

In light of Bucknell's strong athletics profile and traditions, the University's athletics programs and staff have important, perhaps unique opportunities to contribute to the enhancement of diversity at Bucknell. In light of that importance, several specific steps in this area seem appropriate:

The Director of Athletics and Recreation will distribute and discuss this plan and the report of the task force with all members of the Department of Athletics and Recreation during the spring semester of 1999, and copies will be given to all new coaches in the future.
In consultation with the Associate Director of Personnel Services, and in a fashion similar to recent efforts relating to Title IX compliance, the Director of Athletics will initiate a program of workshops and speakers addressing the challenges of working and coaching in a racially and ethnically diverse environment. All coaches and administrative staff members of the department will be involved in this program.

Personnel Policies and Practices

Alongside the recruitment and retention of students, the University's capacity to recruit and retain a diverse faculty and administrative and support staff is the most important factor in the broader ambition to diversify the institution. Over the last several decades, Bucknell has made important strides in this arena. Further progress will be aided by a number of measures in the following specific areas:

Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Policies, Practices, and Staffing

The University reaffirms the importance of its affirmative action and equal opportunity policies and practices. It is imperative that every search conducted at the University conforms to institutional Equal Opportunity Guidelines, especially those requiring the development of diverse pools of candidates and observance of nondiscriminatory procedures. Moreover, the Affirmative Action Officer will ensure that the University's Affirmative Action Policy is followed in those departments and searches where the special provisions of that policy are warranted.
The President will see that awareness of the University's affirmative action and equal opportunity policies and practices is increased campus-wide. The existence of a mechanism for intervention whenever such policies are being abridged will be made clear as well.
Through the joint efforts of the Affirmative Action Officer, the Director of Institutional Research, and the Director of Personnel Services, the Annual Report of the Affirmative Action Officer to the President will be revised and reconfigured in ways that permit historical trend analysis and comparison. The report will be shared with the Committee for Campus Diversity, which will discuss its contents and share its observations, commentary and concerns with the President.

Governing Board

The Board of Trustees, particularly in the efforts of its Nominating Committee, will be fully supported in its recent prioritizing of the identification of diverse candidates for membership.

Faculty and Administrative and Support Staff Orientation and Training

The Dean's Offices of the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering will seek the advice of the Co-Directors of the Race/Gender Resource Center on the best means of explaining to new faculty the importance of diversity at the University and related challenges and opportunities in the classroom.
In collaboration with the Dean's Offices of the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering, and in keeping with their current responsibilities, the Co-Directors of the Race/Gender Resource Center will design voluntary workshops for continuing faculty that explore issues of pedagogy, classroom dynamics and student/faculty relations in an increasingly diverse institutional setting.
The Director of Personnel Services will make appropriate revisions to the orientation program for new administrative/professional and support staff to ensure that all new employees are fully aware of the importance of the diversity initiative at Bucknell and are prepared for the challenges of working in an increasingly diverse institutional environment. In consultation with the Committee on Campus Diversity, Personnel Services will explore the desirability of facilitating informal conversations for newly arrived members of minority groups with continuing members of the faculty and staff who might be able and willing to share useful advice about the University and the region.
As part of the normal process of professional development and training, the Associate Director of Personnel Services, in close collaboration with department directors and managers, will plan workshops in “front-line” administrative service and support areas to ensure that employees in these areas are prepared for the challenges of working in an increasingly diverse institutional setting.

Benefits Programs

The University will continue to urge all its health care providers to extend benefits to non-traditional domestic partners.

External Relations

While most of the initiatives in this plan concern the campus community, the University has numerous opportunities to advance the cause of institutional diversity among its various off-campus constituencies and in the surrounding region. Taking advantage of these opportunities will require carefully concerted efforts in a number of different areas:

Alumni Programs

During the next 12 to 18 months, the new Director of Alumni, Parent and Volunteer Programs will review the organization and practices of all volunteer and alumni programs to ensure that the University's goals for diversity are being appropriately represented and pursued in those contexts.
The Director of Alumni, Parent and Volunteer Programs will determine and implement the best means of organizing minority alumni constituencies in ways that advance the interests of the University and the engagement of alumni in the University's diversity initiative.
The Director of Alumni, Parent and Volunteer Programs will ensure that the broadening and effective functioning of the Alumnae Network is a priority in the coming years. This network is now being formed; its first meeting is taking place in New York City in March 1999.
The President of the Alumni Association will be apprised of the contents of this plan, and copies of the plan and the report of the task force will be shared with the Alumni Board.
All research efforts by the Office of Alumni, Parent and Volunteer Programs will be designed in such a way as to enhance the University's understanding of the perceptions and interests of minority groups among Bucknell's alumni constituency. Relevant information and data will be shared across the University.

Designated Gifts

By recently implemented policy, University departments will routinely be notified of annual gifts designated for their programs, and they will be encouraged to use such gifts to support their programs in a timely fashion. It is believed that alumni and other friends with interests in diversity issues will provide important programmatic support because of the prospect of budget enhancement issuing from this policy.

Community Relations

Bucknell can and should serve as a catalyst for positive change in the surrounding community. The University will continue working with local and regional governmental and private entities to make the Lewisburg area more accepting of diverse populations. The recent nomination of a Bucknell representative to the Union County Citizens' Committee on Diversity is a good example of such cooperation.

Conclusion

Like any institution, Bucknell achieves its purpose through the specific efforts of many people working in different and ultimately concerted ways. By way of conclusion to this description of efforts on behalf of diversity, it is worth stating again the general aims that bind those efforts together.

In nearly every sense, Bucknell's institutional strength and stature have grown considerably in recent years. We should take special satisfaction in the many ways in which the educational program of the University has grown and flourished, and how our reputation has grown and flourished as a result.

But we must be equally clear and articulate about the conditions of future success, which flow at once from our mission and the specific circumstances and demands of the world around us. In this regard, our history and the shape of the future tell us a single thing: for Bucknell to continue to flourish and to realize its mission in a responsible and responsive way, we must continue to make progress on the several challenging fronts described in this plan—recruiting to the University a diverse student body, faculty and staff; fostering, in the midst of greater diversity, a community of tolerance, understanding, and engagement; and knowing, in a deep and consequential way, the remarkable range of cultural difference and complexity that defines our national and international lives and circumstances.

These are significant challenges, worthy of our best efforts, integral to our aspirations and expectations.