October 2018 ASA Leadership Conference Equity by Design Josefina Landrieu, Ph.D. (Minnesota State) Jay Williams, Ph.D. (Minneapolis College)
Academic and Student Affairs Strategic Vision To be a national higher education leader in transforming systems and practices to improve student outcomes, eliminate educational disparities, and meet workforce needs. 2
Access to a high-quality education in an inclusive environment is the right of all individuals and imperative for the continued advancement of a strong democracy and workforce. Higher education institutions have an obligation to work towards equity, which is grounded in the principle of fairness and refers to ensuring that each student receives what they need to be successful through the intentional design of the college experience. 3
70% Degree Completion 4 CUE.USC.EDU - @CENTER4URBANED CENTER FOR URBAN EDUCATION
How do you translate a commitment to equity and inclusive excellence into campus practice? 5
Fig. 20. Population Age 25 to 44 with a Certificate or Higher Credential, Minnesota 2008-2012 by Basic Race and Ethnicity Categories. Percentage gap/# of degrees -49/6800-7/5300-35/28,600-20/4300-9/93,700-46/37,100-12/175,800 6 USC, Center for Urban Education
**Key IDEA** A favorable policy environment alone cannot create equitable outcomes. Navigating from best practices to also include best practitioners. To assist campuses in making sense of their equity & inclusion goals and outcomes in equity-minded ways that influence change. 7
Intentionality by Design A favorable policy environment alone cannot create equitable outcomes. Clarity in GOALS and LANGUAGE A vision and practice Intersections of diversity, inclusion AND equity Excellence in learning, teaching, student development, institutional operations, and engagement with communities. 8
RE-WRITING THE RULES Inclusion for the 21 st century student body & workforce. Organizations (Minnesota State) operate as networks D&I can reinforce organizational performance Managing diverse and inclusive teams More effective, innovative, engaged, and creative Beyond training Structural changes, transparent, data-informed solutions, and anti-bias strategies. Academic (pedagogy and curriculum) 9
WHAT S DRIVING THE CHANGE? Global political environment. D&I is an important component of work/educational experience. Research demonstrates the impact and value of diverse and inclusive teams. Equity practices (i.e.: gender pay equity) have received public attention. Career trajectory changes (generational differences). 10
EQUITY-MINDED PRACTITIONERS What does equity look like to you? What does equity in higher education [your role/area of work] look like to you? 11
EQUITY-MINDED PRACTITIONERS Being equity-minded thus involves being conscious of the ways that higher education through its practices, policies, expectations, and unspoken rules places responsibility for student success on the very groups that have experienced marginalization, rather than on individuals and institutions whose responsibility it is to remedy that marginalization. Witham, Malcom-Piqueux, Dowd, and Bensimon (2007) 12
13 COMMON LANGUAGE
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16 CUE.USC.EDU - @CENTER4URBANED CENTER FOR URBAN EDUCATION
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CRITICAL DIMENSION EQUITY ACCOUNTABILITY DIMENSION Proportional representation of historically marginalized groups in outcomes (e.g., hiring, retention, promotion) and participation in enriching experiences 18
Recognition that institutional racism (and sexism) is an entrenched characteristic of colleges and universities that has to be dismantled with strategies that are color conscious, informed by critical race theory and systemic. CRITICAL DIMENSION EQUITY ACCOUNTABILITY DIMENSION 19 CUE.USC.EDU - @CENTER4URBANED CENTER FOR URBAN EDUCATION
WHAT IS EQUITY? CUE defines Equity as parity in outcomes. More specifically, the proportional representation of historically marginalized groups in outcomes 56% White 32% Latino = Equity 56% White 32% Latino Entering students Student Success 20
EQUITY STRATEGY PRINCIPLES Principle 1: Clarity in language, goals, and measures is vital to effective equitable practices. Principle 2: Equity-mindedness as the guiding paradigm for language and action. Principle 3: Equitable practice and policies are designed to accommodate differences in the contexts of recruitment, hiring, and retention. Principle 4: Enacting equity requires a continual process of learning, disaggregating data, and questioning assumptions about relevance and effectiveness. Principle 5: Equity must be enacted as a pervasive institution- and system-wide principle 21
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WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE EQUITY-MINDED? Page 12 23
RE-WRITING THE SCRIPT... Positivist Approach Data on its own possesses qualities needed to impart meaning and initiate change. Vs. Critical Approach Data requires contextualization and sense-making to impart meaning and initiate change. White student are more likely to apply and be retained at my campus/department. What is about my department/campus that better support white student recruitment and retention? 24
CAMPUS EXAMPLE: MINNEAPOLIS COLLEGE Implemented Equity by Design institute activities Capacity building among team members Campus partners and stakeholders 25
CAMPUS EXAMPLE: MINNEAPOLIS COLLEGE Process of inquiry: asking the right questions Data analysis of: Financial holds Course caps overrides Faculty and staff diversity (representation) Course success* Findings Disproportionate impact for students of color 26
CAMPUS EXAMPLE: MINNEAPOLIS COLLEGE 47% 38% 30% 26% 12% 15% 1% 5% 3% 3% 0% 0% 2% 6% 5% 0% Am Ind/Alask Asian Black Hawaii/Pac Hispanic Two or More Unknown White *Headcount from FY2018 % Headcount* % Holds Chart 1: Share of Headcount and Holds by Ethnicity 27
OPPORTUNITY GAP IN REAL NUMBERS 28
DATA (PROCEDURES VS. OUTCOMES) 40% Chart 5: Share of Course Cap Overrides vs. Enrollment 38% 35% 30% 30% 30% 27% 25% 22% 20% 15% 12% 12% 10% 5% 0% 6% 5% 5% 5% 3% 1% 1% Am Ind/Alask Asian Black Hispanic Two or more Unknown White Share of FY18 Enrollment Share of Course Cap Overrides 29
COURSE SUCCESS: MINNEAPOLIS COLLEGE Course success* # of students needed to bridge the gap by course Where does the gap exist? 20-21 courses across the entire institution 30
TRAITS OF AN INCLUSIVE EQUITY-MINDED LEADER Commitment Courage Cognizance of bias Curiosity Cultural competence Collaboration (Leadership assessment and leadership development) 31
WHY EQUITY? PERCEPTIONS REALITIES ASPIRATIONS - - - - - - - - - - - - 32
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EQUITABLE AND INCLUSIVE PRACTICES Apply equity-lens to data and trends Ask pertinent questions about groups who may be experiencing disparate impacts. Seek input from and learn about those who are not in the majority with a view towards how difference must be accounted for in decision making. 34
EQUITY BY DESIGN Equity in outcomes requires new institutional: Structures (Aligning strategic priorities) Cultures (Building a campus culture of equitymindness) Practices (Assessing Equity HIPs) Routines (Institutionalizing equity-minded practices) 35
EXAMPLE #1 Adopt language that focuses on the actions of the educational institution, not the students. * The Pathways to Academic Success Program is designed to make academic requirements and sequences more clear and accessible, and to remove barriers that delay students progress, particularly for under-represented students, towards earning a credential or transferring 36
EXAMPLE #1 Remove language that reflects assumptions about students views of their own identities or blames students. * The Pathways to Academic Success Program is designed to help at-risk students make good choices about courses in order to make timely progress toward earning a credential or transferring. 37
EXAMPLE #2 First Year Experience Program A large community college develops a first year experience program organized around cohorts of students, including cohorts of first generation, immigrant, males of color, and parent-students. Academic and social supports are built into students schedules depending on the times when they are most likely to be on campus, including adjacent to evening course times.» 38
EQUITY AND INCLUSION VISION Employee engagement & retention. Culturally relevant curriculum and pedagogy. Equity in hiring (beyond compliance). Observational protocol (our spaces). Equity-lens to policy review IDI and Bias awareness for all leaders. People Places Policies 39
DATA INQUIRY CLOSE TO PRATICE Department (70% in 2025) Course & Instructor ( 40 Photo credit: https://cla.umn.edu/ais/about/why-american-indian-studies
THANK YOU 30 East 7th Street St. Paul, MN 55101 651-201-1800 888-667-2848 41 MINNESOTA STATE IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND EDUCATOR