Action Plan

Strategic Planning

As one of the five priorities outlined in the Strategic Plan for the University at Albany, the University is committed to upholding an environment rich in diversity and inclusion where all members of our community are treated with dignity and respect.

We recognize that this is a journey but believe that in working together, we can actively engage to identify actionable items addressing issues of campus climate. The following report shares the progress being made in this regard.

 

University Diversity and Inclusion Plan

UAlbany’s diversity — in our people and our ideas — drives excellence in everything that we do.

Goal 1: Recruit and retain faculty, professional staff and graduate students who reflect the multidimensional diversity of our undergraduate student body.

Goal 2: Foster an inclusive campus climate through ongoing learning opportunities that celebrate individual differences, encourage an open and free exchange of ideas, and provide opportunities to engage in constructive dialogue.

Goal 3: Cultivate an inclusive learning environment by incorporating diversity into curricular and co-curricular activities that use innovative pedagogy and discipline-specific applications.
 

Click the links above to jump to a detailed explanation of each goal. Click the printer icon in the top left corner of this page to easily print this page or save it as a PDF.

 

Goal 1: Recruit and retain faculty, professional staff and graduate students who reflect the multidimensional diversity of our undergraduate student body.

Objective A: By 2024, increase the number of underrepresented minorities (URM) and women in STEM faculty from 10% (2019) to 12% (2024).

Task Number Task Action Steps Outcome Indicators
1A.1

Increase the number of URM and women in STEM faculty via targeted hiring.

  • Develop proactive recruitment initiatives through pipeline building and active outreach. (In progress)

  • Consider hiring URM and women in STEM faculty through a UAlbany targeted hiring program, depending on available resources. (In progress)

  • Hiring through SUNY's PRODiG Program will be a priority. (In progress)

  • Offer competitive salaries and start-up packages. (In progress)

  • Annual tracking of the number of tenure-track and tenured faculty members by gender and ethnic/racial diversity.

  • Annual review of starting salaries and start-up packages for all new hires to ensure equity.

  • New hires from 7% to 14%.

1A.2

Monitor and, where indicated, improve the success of URM and women in STEM faculty in the term renewal and tenure and promotion process.

  • Conduct promotion equity studies in three-year intervals to examine gender identity, ethnicity, race and sexual orientation as variables of interest in the tenure process and in time to promotion to full professor. (Forthcoming)

  • Develop and implement mentoring program. (In progress)

  • Number of faculty from underrepresented groups who were successful vs. unsuccessful in the term renewal process.  

  • Number of faculty from underrepresented groups who were successful vs. unsuccessful in the tenure and promotion process.

  • Percentage of URM and women in STEM faculty participating in mentoring programs.

1A.3

Recognize faculty for implementing diversity and inclusion work.

  • List diversity efforts as a separate category in the Faculty Activity Reports (FAR). (In Progress)

  • Give faculty credit for diversity and inclusion efforts as listed in the Faculty Activity Report (FAR).

1A.4

Ensure the equitable treatment of URM and women in STEM faculty in compensation and in the tenure and promotion process.

  • Conduct salary equity studies in three-year intervals to examine gender identity, ethnicity, race and sexual orientation as variables of interest. (Forthcoming)

  

1A.5

Retain URM and Women in STEM faculty.

  • Create centralized exit review process for faculty leaving the University. (In progress)

  • Conduct a retention study to identify and address barriers to retaining members of underrepresented groups. (Forthcoming)

  

 

Objective B: By 2024, increase the number of underrepresented minorities (URM) graduate students from 15% (2019) to 20% (2024), while maintaining the diversity of undergraduate students at or above current levels.

Task Number Task Action Steps Outcome Indicators
1B.1

Develop pipelines to recruit qualified graduate students from underrepresented backgrounds, with particular emphasis on the STEM fields.

  • Establish relationships between UAlbany and HBCU’s, HSIS’s and LGBTQ+ organizations via active outreach, such as campus visits and invitations for faculty to give research seminars. (In progress)

  • Delegate UAlbany faculty to attend annual meetings of student-oriented minority societies (e.g., SACNAS, NSBC, NSHP) to establish personal contacts with prospective students and actively interest them in UAlbany programs. (In progress)

  • Develop a visitation program for prospective graduate students. (In progress)

  • Conduct internal recruitment of qualified undergraduate students and provide them with intensive mentoring and tutoring to prepare them for graduate studies, including in STEM fields. (In progress)

  • Number of graduate students by gender and ethnicity/race.

  • Recruitment efforts per department or academic unit.

  • Number of students visiting campus and percent enrolling in UAlbany.

  • Number of student minority fellowships (e.g. Carson Carr, federal fellowships).

  • Number of partnerships created.

  • Number of campus visitation programs established.

1B.2

Develop strategies to enhance retention of ethnically and racially diverse graduate students.

  • Monitor and conduct a thorough review of graduate student retention and identify reasons for discontinuing the graduate mentoring program. (Forthcoming)

  • Develop and implement mentoring programs based on best practices. (Forthcoming)

  • Seek external federal funding to promote research, training and outreach activities, specifically in recruiting and graduating more graduate students (i.e., NIMHD S21 Endowment funding). (Forthcoming)

  • Track annual graduate student retention data across disciplines.

  • Mentoring programs in place.

  • Funding secured to promote listed activities.

 

Objective C: Increase the number of underrepresented minorities (URM) professionals from 15% (2019) to 20% (2024).

Task Number Task Action Steps Outcome Indicators
1C.1

Increase the number of URM professionals.

  • Develop a formal onboarding program that includes mentorship. (In progress)

  • Create a centralized exit review process for professionals leaving the University. (In progress)

  • Percentage of professionals from underrepresented groups hired.

  • Percentage of staff from underrepresented groups participating in mentoring programs.

  • 19% of new hires must be URM in order to reach goal. 

 

 

Goal1

Goal 2: Foster an inclusive campus climate through ongoing learning opportunities that celebrate individual differences, encourage an open and free exchange of ideas, and provide opportunities to engage in constructive dialogue.

Objective: By 2024, faculty and staff of color and their mainstream counterpart will close the gap by 10% from baseline and improve perceptions of racial tensions at UAlbany. According to Fall 2019 Campus Climate Survey, more Black faculty (57%) and Black staff (20%) perceive that UAlbany has a lot of racial tension than white faculty (16%) and white staff (9%).

Task Number Task Action Steps Outcome Indicators
2.1

Provide on-going educational and learning opportunities for administrators, faculty, staff and students to support a diverse and inclusive community.

  • Establish a Diversity and Inclusion Academy. (In progress)

  • Conduct climate survey. (In progress)

  • Implement a Train the Trainer initiative to deliver educational programming on awareness, implicit bias, culture, privilege, deficit thinking, micro-aggressions, stereotype threats and sexuality/gender. (In progress)

  • Develop online educational program to advance equitable search, tenure and promotion processes and outcomes. (In progress)

  • Expand opportunities to have diversity related dialogue. (Forthcoming)

  • Rate of satisfaction with campus climate, as reported by faculty, staff and students.

  • Number of faculty, administrators, staff and students who completed educational programs.

  • Number of departments and academic units that have generated diversity plans.

2.2

Implement mechanisms and processes to advance an inclusive campus environment.

  • Develop a Work-life Integration Office. (Forthcoming)

  • Provide technical assistance, in the form of expertise and resources, to support programs and activities that increase diversity and inclusion awareness. (In progress)

  • Develop College Climate Committees. (In progress)

  • Work-Life Integration Office established.

  • College Climate Committees established.

2.3

Create an awards program that recognizes and showcases outstanding department-level diversity efforts, programs and initiatives.

  • Create a Diversity and Inclusion Award Committee. (In Progress)

  • Establish award protocols, criteria, etc. (In Progress)

  • Launch award program. (In Progress)

  • Award Committee established

  • Award program created.

  • Number of awards provided per year.

2.4

Deepen understanding of the extent and nature of racial tension for faculty and staff.

  • Conduct focus group sessions. (Forthcoming)

  • Analysis of race relations on campus for faculty and staff.

 

 

Goal2

Goal 3: Cultivate an inclusive learning environment by incorporating diversity into curricular and co-curricular activities that use innovative pedagogy and discipline-specific applications.

Task Number Task Action Steps Outcome Indicators
3.1

Encourage and provide training to faculty to incorporate diversity and inclusion across the curriculum.

  • Cultivate dialogue regarding diversity and inclusion in the classroom. (In progress)   

  • Provide resources to support pedagogy of diversity and inclusion in the classroom. (In progress)

  • Provide workshops — via ITLAL, experienced and qualified faculty, and external speakers with support from ODI — to assist faculty with integrating diversity and inclusion topics and activities in the classroom. (In progress)

  • Create committee to review the impact of SUNY mandated changes to the General Education Program on diversity-related learning objectives. (In progress)

  • Provide instructors with guidelines to create an inclusive classroom environment that supports LGBTQ+ students. Guidelines would include the use of preferred names, safeguarding sensitive discussions and protecting the privacy of LGBTQ+ individuals. Integrate these guidelines into all future ITLAL workshops. (Forthcoming)

  • Percentage of students who agree that the curriculum and/or learning environment provided them with increased knowledge and skills in the subject matter.

  • Rate of satisfaction with curriculum and/or learning environment, as reported by students.

  • Number of General Education courses taught per academic year that meet established diversity criteria.

3.2

Encourage diversity and inclusion considerations in all campus educational programs.

  • Encourage education providers and student organizations to integrate diversity modules into programming. (Forthcoming)

  • Encourage research on diversity and inclusion. (Forthcoming)

  • Percentage of faculty- or student-led programs that include diversity-related modules.

  • Percentage of faculty and students who express satisfaction with diversity-related programs.

  • Number of people funded to conduct diversity and inclusion related research.

  • Number of funded earmarked programs.

 

Goal3