Penn State Intercom......May 10, 2001

Broad diversity
plan put into place

By Annemarie Mountz
Public Information

University administrators and members of the student Black Caucus came together to endorse a broad diversity plan for the institution on May 2.

The agreement includes the key provisions of a plan the University announced April 26, but adds details about the new Africana Studies Research Center and changed some wording in the duties of the vice provost for educational equity.

"With these changes, students in the Black Caucus and their supporters felt that document was something they could endorse," said President Graham B. Spanier.

A number of Penn State students have received racist and threatening letters over the past two years, including racist e-mail that was traced to a computer lab in Philadelphia. These incidents, now under investigation by the FBI and other law enforcement agencies, have led to calls by students for more attention to such threats.

The University, and its alumni association, are offering a $25,000 reward for information that leads to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible for the threats.

The complete diversity plan can be found on the Web at http://www.psu.edu/ur/2001/diversityplan.html. Highlights include:

* the establishment of an Africana Studies Research Center, effective with the 2001-02 academic year, at a base funding level consistent with other research centers at the University. Specific research projects and proposals will be determined by participating faculty and students will be involved in these projects. The center will involve faculty from across the University and will be administratively affiliated with the College of the Liberal Arts.

* bringing the number of full-time, tenured and tenure-track faculty in the African-African American Studies Department to 10 by fall 2003.

* providing the African-African American Studies Department autonomous space and staff.

* support for the creation of five scholarships at $5,000 each ($25,000 total per year). Scholarships will be awarded to students who are dual majors in AAAS and another major. Priority will be given to students with dual majors in AAAS and education. All recipients will be required to serve disadvantaged areas of the Commonwealth for a period of three years after graduation.

* a recommendation from the University administration to the Faculty Senate that the current diversity requirement be strengthened by focusing more clearly on diversity issues of greater relevance. The administration has a commitment from the new chair of the Faculty Senate to put this matter officially before the Senate's Curricular Affairs Committee during fall semester 2001, and immediately initiate discussions about changes.

* reaffirmation of the University's existing plans to require each budgetary unit to submit a progress report on the Framework to Foster Diversity at Penn State: 1998-2003 by Dec. 15. This report, which is separate from the strategic plan, commits the units to creating and implementing a specific plan to foster diversity, and is a public document.

* use of the University's Academic Leadership Forum to address topics designed to educate deans, department/division heads and others to racial and multicultural issues. Deans and department heads, in consultation with the Office of Educational Equity, will be responsible for diversity education programs in their units.

* restructuring of the vice provost for educational equity position.

* an enhanced mandate for the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity to review and advise on diversity programs. The commission, which consists of faculty, staff and students, meets with and makes recommendations to the president during the year.

For updates, check the Web at http://www.psu.edu/.

Annemarie Mountz can be reached at AMountz@psu.edu.

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