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Diversity Council

Diversity Institute

June 4-6, 2003

The 2003 Diversity Institute was a three-day event designed to engage students, faculty, and staff in diversity planning. The Institute took its theme from goal 2 of the IPFW Strategic Plan: Creating an exceptional campus environment for a diverse community of learners.” The Institute goals were for participants to

  • acquire skills for creating a more inclusive learning environment
  • participate in interactive theatre and other experiential learning activities
  • learn what other universities have done to foster diversity and equity
  • gain understanding of IPFW’s diversity goals
  • have the opportunity to develop a proposal for a diversity initiative

The keynote speaker was Edgar F. Beckham, Senior Fellow at the American Association of Colleges and Universities, former officer of the Ford Foundation, faculty at Wesleyan University, and consultant to numerous universities on the subject of institutional transformation. Interactive Theatre experiences were led by Katherine Burke, director of “Interplay.” The event was funded by Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs Susan B. Hannah, the Diversity Council, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Edna Neal, Vice Chancellor for Financial Affairs Walter Branson, and Chancellor Michael A. Wartell.

Proposals for initiatives to enhance the classroom, curriculum, services to students and co-curricular activities could be submitted by any students, staff or faculty members who participated in the entire three-day Institute. Funding could be requested for:

  1. Training to enable students, staff, or faculty to better address diversity goals in their spheres of influence
  2. Professional development activities such as:
    • a departmental study group
    • a staff, student, or faculty learning community
    • a faculty/staff collaboration on behalf of diversity goals
    • a student/faculty or student/staff collaboration on behalf of diversity goals
    • a faculty/student research project in support of a diversity initiative
  3. A project to transform a program, curriculum, or recurring event (such as SOAR) to better address diversity goals.

In all, approximately 100 students and 65 faculty and staff attended the Institute. Of the 21 proposals received, 12 were funded. Ten of the 12 proposals were for course or curriculum transformation (see Curriculum Transformation Initiatives).