DEI Council

Short-Term Goals (1-2 years)

• Identify and implement school-level change efforts pertaining to DEI
  • Mandatory inclusion of DEI at school retreat (ongoing)
  • Provide trainings and learning opportunities for faculty and staff (ongoing)
  • Provide opportunities for students to engage with DEI outside of the classroom (ongoing)
  • Conduct annual DEI celebration (ongoing)
• Identify and implement methods to promote community and collegiality
  • Collaborate with the Liaison to Native Communities (ongoing)
  • Participate in the annual Back to School celebration (ongoing)
• Set expectations for our climate/culture around DEI
  • Engage with DEI as a central focus in committee and business meetings, as well as other activities (ongoing)
  • Promote land acknowledgement at meetings/events (ongoing)
  • Evaluate DEI efforts and DEI climate in the School (2019-2020 and as needed)
• Promote use of Critical Social Work in all our activities in the SSW
  • Encourage use of inclusive and diverse readings and speakers in classes and events (ongoing)
  • Disseminate inclusive reading list (2019-2020; updated as needed)
  • Assist program directors, faculty, and instructors with including DEI content in their classes/curriculum (ongoing)
  • Participate in the Curriculum Innovation Committee to provide a DEI lens (2019-2021)
  • Support the annual DEI art collective as part of SW 555 (ongoing)

Long-Term Goals (3+ years)

• Ongoing engagement with DEI as a central focus in all meetings, activities, and events
• Promote and affirm SSW climate expectations pertaining to DEI
• Ongoing evaluation of DEI efforts and climate in the SSW
• Promote student leadership within DEI at the SSW
• Hire an AD for DEI in the SSW

Faculty

• Short-Term Goals (1-2 years)
  • Review Excellence in Diversity Hiring Handbook and consult with Search Committee to set hiring guidelines/processes (one time; repeat as needed)
  • Promote policy and procedural changes to promotion and tenure review, annual review, and other areas affecting faculty (one time; repeat as needed)
  • Conduct interviews with former faculty to identify areas of improvement, specifically related to faculty of color (one time)
• Long-Term Goals (3+ years)
  • Assist Dean and Search Committee with recruitment of AD for DEI (one time)
  • Assist search committee with utilizing Excellence in Diversity Hiring Handbook to recruit senior faculty of color who have a focus on DEI (repeat as needed)

Staff

• Short-Term Goals (1-2 years)
  • Identify needs of adjunct staff (one time; repeat as needed)
  • Identify ways in which to recruit and retain adjunct staff with diverse identities and perspectives (one time; repeat as needed)
  • Recruit and retain research staff with diverse identities and perspectives (one time; repeat as needed)
  • Identify how to use the Excellence in Diversity Hiring for staff positions (one time; repeat as needed)
  • Facilitate peer-to-peer mentoring for staff (ongoing)
  • Identify and promote professional development opportunities related to DEI  (Ongoing)
• Long-Term Goals (3+ years)
  • Provide professional development training related to DEI for adjunct staff (ongoing)
  • Provide DEI training and resources for all staff (ongoing)

Students

• Short-Term Goals (1-2 years)
  • Provide funding, resources, and mentoring pertaining to DEI for students
  • Continue DEI Scholar/Fellow Program (ongoing)
  • Evaluate and improve DEI Scholar/Fellow Program (one time; repeat as needed)
  • Support RISE mentoring program for students of color (ongoing)
  • Support development of student-led groups based on marginalized identities (e.g. (dis)ability, LGBTQ+) (ongoing)
  • Implement a DEI in Field panel (ongoing)
  • Promote and support the Multicultural Scholars Program (ongoing)
  • Identify ways in which to support marginalized students in completing their program/being successful (ongoing)
  • Celebrate the diversity of our student body
  • Purchase graduation stoles for ethnically/racially marginalized students (ongoing)
• Long-Term Goals (3+ years)
  • Fund additional scholarships pertaining to DEI
  • Facilitate greater mentoring between faculty and students sharing marginalized identities
  • Promote student leadership pertaining to DEI

Short-Term Goals (1-2 years)

• Increase visibility of DEI and the SSW on campus and in the community
  • Conduct a campaign across campus pertaining to social work and DEI (ongoing)
  • Develop a DEI in the KUSSW social media presence (ongoing)
  • Revise the SSW website to include greater DEI content and information (one time and as needed)
• Enhance collaborations on DEI work in the community and on campus
  • Provide campus/community-wide efforts to promote collaboration around DEI (e.g. sidewalk chalk day) (ongoing)
  • DEI Coordinator and members of the DEI Council will participate in campus and community committees, boards, and other action-oriented groups pertaining to DEI (ongoing)
  • Meet with potential campus and community partners to facilitate greater collaboration and engagement (ongoing)
  • Collaborate with the KU Office of Diversity and Equity (ongoing)
• Enact a greater emphasis on social justice and equity
  • Engage in and organize social actions and statements pertaining to social justice issues in our community and beyond (ongoing)

Long-Term Goals (3+ Years)

• Support community organizations in improving their efforts at being inclusive and equitable (ongoing)
• Implement a symposium or conference pertaining to social justice in social work (ongoing)
• Disseminate DEI work and evaluation findings via conference presentations and academic publications (ongoing)
• Participate in CSWE diversity councils (ongoing)
• Coordinator and DEI Council members presence at social justice and DEI-related conferences (ongoing)