EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Affirmative Action Program for Manchester Community College. Submitted to CHRO: March 30, 2013

Transcription

1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Affirmative Action Program for Manchester Community College Submitted to CHRO: March 30, 2013 For the Reporting Period: December 1, 2011 November 30, 2012 Current Status: Conditional Approval MANCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PLAN Summary of Objectives To affirm the commitment to Affirmative Action by Manchester Community College s President and community To provide fair employment practices including those related to advertising, hiring, training, evaluation, and retention To undertake with conviction and effort, positive steps to overcome the present effects of past practices, policies, or barriers to equal employment opportunity To achieve the full participation of protected groups which include: Hispanic, Blacks, American Indians, Alaskan Natives, Asian, Native Hawaiians or Other Pacific Islanders, or other protected race and sex groups found to be underutilized in the workforce or adversely impacted by system policies or practices To make good faith efforts to achieve goals and timetables set forth in the Affirmative Action Plan To provide a detailed result-oriented set of procedures, prepared and approved in accordance with the Affirmative Action Regulations for State Agencies, that blueprint our strategy to combat discrimination and achieve action

2 MANCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE Manchester Community College is a state-supported, non-residential, co-educational college offering a variety of community educational services in addition to career and transfer programs. The Board of Regents for Higher Education governs the 17 Connecticut State Colleges & Universities (ConnSCU), including the Connecticut Community Colleges. The College is open to anyone regardless of age, race, religious creed, sex, color, national origin, ancestry, political beliefs, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or learning or physical disability. Manchester Community College opened in September 1963 as a municipally-operated college under the authority of the Manchester Board of Education. It was accredited by the State Department of Education in April 1965 and in May was authorized to confer degrees. In the fall of that year, it joined the State Regional Community College System. The College was elected to membership, with full accreditation, in the New England Association of Schools and Colleges in December 1971, and completed a self-study for its ten-year reaccreditation in As a comprehensive community college, the goal of Manchester Community College is to provide a full range of general studies, liberal arts, occupational training, technical training, and transfer curricula. The College also strives to be an integral part of the region it serves by offering an array of educational, cultural, recreational, and civic services to meet the needs and interests of the community. MANCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PLAN Overview and Introduction According to the American Association of Affirmative Action (AAAA), the purpose of affirmative action is to give our nation a way to address, finally, the systemic exclusion of individuals of talent on the basis of their gender or race from opportunities to develop, perform, achieve and contribute. Affirmative action is an effort to develop a systematic approach to open the doors of education, employment, and business development opportunities to qualified individuals who happen to be members of groups that have experienced long-standing and persistent discrimination. Manchester Community College is grounded in a sound Affirmative Action foundation. To that end, the president is fully committed to the intellectual and moral leadership to carry out this philosophy as well as to advance social justice and equity by exercising Affirmative Action to remove all discriminatory barriers to equal employment opportunity, upward mobility, and retention initiatives. The college, through its Plan of Affirmative Action will continue to make good faith efforts and undertake positive action to overcome the present effects of past practices, policies or barriers to equal employment opportunity and to achieve the full and fair participation of Blacks, Hispanics, Whites, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and American Indians/Alaskan Aleuts found to be underutilized in the workforce. The college, through its Plan

3 of Affirmative Action, with conviction and effort, will also continue to undertake positive action for the full and fair participation of the above groups and any other protected group found to be adversely impacted by college policies or practices. Equal opportunity is defined as employment of individuals without consideration of race, color, religious creed, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, genetic information (Section 46a-60(a)(11) of the Connecticut General Statutes), national origin, ancestry, mental retardation, past or present history of mental disability, physical disability (including but not limited to blindness, learning disability), veteran status, or criminal record, unless the provisions of section 46a-60(b), 46a-80(b) or 86a-81(b) exclude persons in one or more of the above protected groups. Equal employment opportunity is the purpose and goal of Affirmative Action. Manchester Community College's Affirmative Action Plan incorporates and lists federal and state constitutional provisions, law regulations, guidelines and executive orders prohibiting or outlawing discrimination, identifying classes of persons protected based on race, color, religious creed, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, present or past history of mental disability, genetic information, mental retardation, physical disability, including but not limited to blindness, learning disability, veteran status, and criminal record, except for bona fide occupational qualifications. Finally, Manchester Community College, as both a community and an organization, agrees that it is in our best interest to create a more inclusive society that provides genuine equality of opportunity. Affirmative action programs, properly designed and implemented, strengthen the community, promote its well being, and maximize the benefits of our great diversity. It is the intention of Manchester Community College to be in compliance with all statutes guiding the program of affirmative action; it is also the intention to develop and implement programs and processes that are in keeping with the spirit and philosophy upon which these statutes were developed. This Affirmative Action Plan was submitted to the Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities on March 30, 2013 and covers the reporting period December 1, 2011 through November 30, As explained in detail the Goals Analysis (46a-68-48) section, during this Plan Period, the following goals were achieved: Hiring Goals (Unclassified & Classified): 55 % Promotion Goals: 47% Program Goals: 85% Contract Compliance Goals: 100% ** **Additionally, as outlined in Section 3, Contract Compliance goal achievement has been exceeded.

4 March 1, 2012 MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: Deans & Other Administrators Gena Glickman President To Whom It May Concern: I want to take this opportunity to re-emphasize the continuing importance of affirmative action in all aspects of the programs and activities of Manchester Community College. I urge all persons to support the principles of affirmative action and to keep them in mind at all times. As always, you are encouraged to review the College s Affirmative Action Plan, which is on file in the library, Human Resources Office, and with Debbie Colucci. Your comments and/or concerns should be addressed to Debbie Colucci, Deborah Wilson or me. MANCHESTER COMMUNITY COLLEGE AFFIRMATIVE ACTION PLAN Summary The following pages provide an overview and summary of the information contained in five of the eighteen required sections of the annual Affirmative Action Plan. A full version of MCC s Affirmative Action Program is available for review in the MCC Library as well as the Human Resources and Affirmative Action Suite. The sections highlighted in this document include: Policy statement Workforce Analysis Hiring and Promotion Goals and Timetables Program Goals and Timetables Innovative Programs

5 (1) Policy Statement: Section 46a The Policy Statement is a document that establishes our commitment to affirmative action and equal employment opportunity; it confirms that affirmative action and equal employment opportunity are immediate and necessary objectives of Manchester Community College. The policy statement also identifies MCC contact personnel and appointing authority. This section contains the Equal Opportunity Policy Statement that was tentatively updated on June 29, 2012 and signed by the previous Board President by the President of Manchester Community College; a list of federal and state anti-discrimination statutes are also included. The statement can be found at: It is also posted permanently on campus bulletin boards and is included in a policy statement and memorandum from the President that is mailed to all Manchester Community College employees. Questions or comments about the Equal Opportunity Policy Statement should be directed to: Debbie Colucci, Affirmative Action Officer Affirmative Action & Staff Development Coordinator (Title IX and Section 504/ADA Coordinator) Room L-134c Telephone: dcolucci@mcc.commnet.edu (6) Workforce Analysis 46a According to the statute, the race/sex composition for every full-time employee is to be documented on form 38A for the total workforce and each labor market occupational category. MCC reports in eight occupational categories; the race and gender composition for each full-time and part-time employee of Manchester Community College, including percentages, is summarized as follows: Full-time College Workforce by occupational category as of 11/30/12: OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORY Grand Total Total Male Total Female White Non-White Executive /Administrative / Mgmt Faculty Professional Non-Faculty Secretarial / Clerical / Admin. Asst Technical - Paraprofessional Skilled Craft Service Maintenance Protective Services TOTALS Total Percentages: 43.6% 56.4% 70.7% 29.3%

6 Part-time College Workforce by occupational category as of 11/30/12: OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORY Grand Total Total Male Total Female White Non-White Faculty Professional Non-Faculty Secretarial / Clerical / Admin. Asst TOTALS Total Percentages: 47.5% 52.5% 81.6% 18.4% (9) Hiring & Promotion Goals and Timetables 46a The overall workforce is compared to various data for national and local availability in each occupational category to determine when a race/sex group is under-utilized and goals are set to correct such under-utilization. Goals were established as outlined in the statutes and the calculations of the goals are shown in detail in the utilization analysis tables in chapter 8 of the full report. Manchester Community College s goals for hiring and promotion are summarized as follows: Current Hiring and Promotion Goals based upon Reporting Period of December 2011 November 2012: Hispanic Female Other Female Black Female White Male White Female Black Male Hispanic Male Other Male

7 The calculations used in setting these goals are determined by comparing our current workforce with those individuals (by category) available in the appropriate labor market(s). Based upon these calculations, the largest number of hiring goals for Manchester Community College is for males, particularly white males (WM). However, in addition to these hiring goals, the college remains committed to a diverse workforce through our beliefs in: the philosophy, theory, and principles of affirmative action and equal opportunity fair and objective search processes advertising employment notices in a variety of ways, including publications that target historically underrepresented groups including historically under-represented groups and goal candidates in the interview pool Following the submission of this Plan, these goals, particularly the hiring goals, will be applied in upcoming employment searches. Detailed explanations of these goals, the role of affirmative action, and copies of the relevant utilization tables will continue to be provided to each search committee. We are also sharing an overview of our current workforce with search committees to provide a big-picture view of diversity at MCC. Additional details on the search process at Manchester Community College can be found in the Internal Program Evaluation (15) of the full report. (12) Program Goals 46a Based upon the analysis conducted in Identification of Problem Areas (section 11), as well as information gained through the overall Affirmative Action evaluation process, Manchester Community College establishes program goals to address any impediments or barriers to the full and fair participation of protected classes. With the submission of the following pages, Manchester Community College is in compliance with program goals and timetables. Manchester Community College continues to strive for the development and growth of its students, staff and faculty. Based in part on past goals to review recruitment budgets, the advertising formula and hiring procedures; the need for a position dedicated solely to affirmative action / the development and growth of MCC staff and faculty was established. The position of Affirmative Action & Staff Development Coordinator was filled in June In the fall of 2010 the role of Affirmative Action Officer (EEO) transitioned from the Director of Human Resources to the Affirmative Action and Staff Development Coordinator. In the fall of 2011, as a result of the previously mentioned Civil Rights Review, the Affirmative Action and Staff Development Coordinator assumed responsibilities for Title IX and Section 504/ADA Compliance. As of this current reporting period, the Affirmative Action and Staff Development Coordinator: Supports MCC's commitment to provide a quality education and a quality work environment through equal employment opportunity and maintaining an environment free from discrimination. Works collaboratively to implement policies and procedures associated with state and federal laws: o Civil Rights Act of 1964 o American with Disabilities Act and amendments o Title IX gender discrimination and sexual harassment o Recruitment, retention and promotion of a diverse workforce o Develop training workshops for faculty and staff related to these areas

8 Provides training for faculty and staff related to the above areas Investigates and recommend resolution of discrimination complaints The on-going growth of this position has led to the development of five program goals related to recruitment and retention. 1. The first program goal established for this plan period is directly related to the information presented in the preceding Adverse Impact tests. This data indicates that an emphasis needs to be placed on attracting diverse applicants to the hiring process. Therefore, during this plan period, recruitment strategies will be reviewed and evaluated and recommendations made for ways in which search committees, in consultation with the Human Resources and Affirmative Action offices, can cast a broader net. This review, and subsequent recommendations, will include specific strategies for determining appropriate position advertising. 2. The second program goal established for this plan period is a follow-up to both the previous goal as well as the achievement of a prior goal. Compiling information for the large number of searches reported in the current Affirmative Action Plan revealed a continued need to look for more effective ways to manage the entire process. In terms of the overall search process at MCC, there is a need to evaluate and revise segments of the overall search process including: a. search committee selection and training, b. increasing (candidate) supplemental information form c. return, points of contact with Affirmative Action and data management / information sharing. 3. The third program goal established for this plan period is a starting point for the two previous goals. Change can be difficult if there is not buy-in from those involved. During this next plan period, we will: a. Create an Executive Summary of the entire Affirmative Action Plan. b. Develop a presentation for Deans and Managers. 4. The fourth program goal is a follow-up to the Civil Rights Review; the Affirmative Action and Staff Development Coordinator serves in the role of AAO/EEO, Title IX and Section 504/ADA Compliance. Moving forward, MCC will insure full and fair participation through the development of two task forces (Title IX and ADA) to review policies against current and future changes in the law. These groups will continue to educate the campus community in the areas of gender equity and access/accommodation, especially as it relates to national standards in higher education. 5. The final program goal established for this plan period is related to overall campus climate. Manchester Community College is committed to the professional development and retention of all employees. To that end, we will continue to look at the climate in the following ways: a. Employee Recognition initiatives including future participation in Top Workplace recognition processes. In 2012, MCC was named a Top Workplace locally and nationally which has an important impact on climate. b. Revise New Employee Orientation.

9 c. Continue to grow the Leadership Institute; at the heart of this Leadership Institute is its commitment to cultivating a campus culture of professional growth and leadership for our community. d. Find ways to connect the Affirmative Action Plan to the campus community. In the coming year(s), we will explore ways to making the Affirmative Action Plan our Diversity Plan and connect it to the overall Strategic Plan in a way that every employee understands its importance to the overall workplace and community. (17) Innovative Programs 46a As the statute outlines in section 46a-68-49, each agency is encouraged to develop innovative programs to create opportunities not otherwise available in the achievement of full participation of all community members; most especially protected group members. Manchester Community College is in compliance with regulations regarding innovative programs. The college community provides a wide variety of programming that encourages the appreciation of diversity through educational and professional experiences. Manchester Community College utilizes noncompetitive positions, including leadership and professional development opportunities for faculty and staff at all levels; including classified staff through college governance committees, training, and continuing education. Information related to tuition waiver is included at the end of this section. In addition to the initiatives of the Affirmative Action staff, several committees on campus exist to provide positive, result oriented programs that further the principles of affirmative action. These primarily include the Minority Caucus and Campus Diversity Committee. In the past few years, the college recently created and filled a part-time position dedicated to diversity programming through Minority Student Programs; this office continues to provide a variety of programs for the college community. Additionally, the number of active student groups on campus continues to grow; they provide programming for the college community that promotes the principles of respect, inclusion and acceptance. Manchester Community College has a number of events & initiatives that promote the principles of inclusion and acceptance; such as: MCC web site. Diversity and Inclusion is a prominent title on the home page and links visitors to offices, departments, and information. The link ( includes the following statement: MCC is a community that welcomes, encourages, and supports individuals who desire to contribute to and benefit from the institution s missions of teaching, performance and community service. In a pluralistic culture, that community includes faculty, students and staff who represent important differences. Members of our community represent differences in ethnicities, religious beliefs, values and points of view; they may be physically different, have different intellectual interests or have different abilities.

10 In addition to the above web site, the original list of the major Jewish, Islamic, Christian, Hindu, and Orthodox Christian holidays for each academic year was revised and all members of the community were invited to utilize the on-line Calendar of Observances. This is updated annually and can be viewed at It is intended to be a tool to increase awareness and understanding regarding religious obligations as well as ethnic and cultural festivities that may affect our students and colleagues. It can be used as a resource when planning classroom activities and/or when scheduling festivities and events. It is our belief that the increasingly pluralistic population of the United States creates diverse communities, student bodies and employees; we have an obligation in this area. It is our individual and collective responsibility to enhance mutual understanding and respect among the various religious, ethnic and cultural groups. Brother-2-Brother and Sister-2-Sister are programs initially developed through the Minority Caucus; it continues to grow and is currently a function of the Division of Student Affairs. Both programs invite African American and Latino students enrolled at MCC, to meet with mentors employed at the college throughout the year to discuss their experience at the college and recommended academic success strategies. Research evidence supports the notion that colleges implementing retention programs of this type often experience increased retention and academic success rates among members of the targeted population. As in the previous year, during this plan-period, the program increased in size, added more staff, expanded the summer program component, and developed an on-going training process to orient both mentors and mentees to the college and the program. The Campus Diversity Committee continues to redefine itself and its role at MCC. The group believes that the committee should focus on doing things and let the community know who the committee is through what they see. For that reason, the committee continues to use the mission/vision statement: MCC Diversity Committee: Fostering a culture of awareness and inclusion. The Safe Zone program continues to have a presence on campus. Safe Zone is a nationwide-program that aims to provide safe spaces on campus for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and questioning students and staff; while at the same time helping the community to understand how heterosexism, like all forms of discrimination, hurts us all. Manchester Community College developed and implemented a Respectful Workplace Initiative. The initial workshop (Equally Welcome, Equally Valued, Equally Heard) was conducted and over 200 employees participated. At Manchester Community College, we value diversity, inclusion, and success! To have a program included in upcoming submissions of MCC s Affirmative Action Plan, please send the details to Debbie Colucci prior to March 1 st.