Progress Report: Fall 2024 – A Community Plan for Inclusion, Diversity & Equity

This report details measurable progress toward the five goals outlined in Carleton’s Community Plan for Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity during the 2023–24 academic year.

Capacity • Representation • Resources • Engagement • Measurable Improvement

Goal 1: Capacity

Build the institutional capacity, resources, and dedicated leadership required to engage in the work of inclusion, diversity, and equity broadly, including implementing and sustaining the IDE Strategic Plan.

Progress:

President Alison Byerly made several structural changes to further bolster the resources within the Division of Inclusion, Equity, and Community, including shifting Title IX, Accessibility Resources, and the Indigenous Community Liaison to report to the Vice President for Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity.
Cabinet supported the continued allocation of resources to add the position of Associate Director for IEC.
The Division of IEC made several critical hires: an assistant to the vice president, and new Muslim and Christian chaplains. The division is committed to being representative of the community it serves—through diversity in race, gender, religion, and first-generation status. A diverse group of student chaplain’s associates further supports this mission.
The Community, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (CEDI) leadership board served in an advisory role to the VP for IEC, and developed a new structure consisting of the VP, a faculty co-chair, two student representatives, and representatives from SAC, Forum, and faculty. Beyond the core group, depending on the particulars of CEDI’s charge for a given academic year, selected representatives from the Provost’s Office, the Division of Student Life, Human Resources, or the Division of IEC may be asked to engage with the CEDI core committee or sub-groups working on particular topics.
Human Resources conducted three training sessions during Fall Term 2023 to help provide resources for anti-bias education: 1) Beyond Diversity 101: Micro-inequities, Implicit Bias, and Moving toward Equity; 2) Behind the Letters: Understanding LBGTQIA+ Identities; 3) Now More Than Ever: Why Leadership on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Requires Emotional Intelligence.
Human Resources is nearing completion of the development of the mandatory manager training, which will include education in equity-minded and inclusive decision-making for people holding or entering supervisory positions at all levels of the College.
Led by the division’s IDE Committee in partnership with VP for IEC Dina Zavala, Development and Alumni Relations created a values statement focused on inclusion, equity, and community that will be used to guide the division’s work. The division also introduced Zavala to alumni and parents through campus and regional events, leadership volunteer board meetings, and receptions to highlight the IDE Plan and the work of the Division of IEC.
The Division of IEC offered eleven IDE educational programs in collaboration with various departments: Inclusive Leadership Skills: IDE Foundations (50 attendees); Cultivating Wellness: Crafting Empathic and Equitable Spaces of Belonging for BIPOC Communities (80 attendees); Best Practices for Staff Hiring: Minimizing Bias and Designing our Searches for Inclusion (27 attendees); Winter 2023 Conference on Neurodiversity (77 attendees); and Decolonizing Pedagogy (47 attendees).
The Community Concern Form working group submitted its final report in June 2023. Some recommendations have been implemented, and others are being reviewed. The Community Concern Form website has been updated with detailed information and a flowchart to clarify the process.
The Division of Student Life has developed a plan to implement ongoing anti-bias racial education for all students, starting with student leaders (i.e., Peer Leaders and student organization leaders) in January 2025. A comprehensive online training module has been selected, and the division is currently collaborating with the vendor to tailor it to our specific needs for the upcoming rollout. The division is still developing a plan to implement the anti-bias racial education module for students who are not in leadership roles.
After the previous year’s discussion, the Office of the Provost changed the equity analysis template to answer specific questions and is working with IRA and department chairs and directors to develop a useful reporting structure. This work will help inform strategies to address disparities in curriculum structure that may hinder student progression through major/minor requirements and capacity of current faculty to deliver curricular offerings that reflect and support a robust commitment to the values of IDE. The Office will also work with the Education and Curriculum Committee to determine how institutional-level assessment will be created, evaluated, and shared so as to avoid concerns about student privacy.
The Division of Communications regularly provides strategic communications support to leadership within the Division of Inclusion, Equity, and Community on issues of great importance to the Carleton community.
Building on the alumni volunteer boards’ equity work from the previous year, Alumni Relations staff and volunteers reviewed progress and assessed demographics to meet IDE goals. Current representation of the three volunteer groups noted in the IDE plan are:
- Board of Trustees – 29% BIPOC
- Parents Advisory Council – 40% BIPOC (based on identity of their student)
- Alumni Council – 40% BIPOC
The work of Development and Alumni Relations has assisted donors with allocating their gifts toward IDE priorities. As of June 30, 2024, gifts for new IDE purposes totaled over $14.7 million, including:
- Carleton Access Initiative: $6 million in new commitments, bringing the overall total for this initiative to $39,410,361
- Student Life and Housing Plan: $6.7 million in new commitments, bringing the overall total for this initiative to $13.7 million
- Alumni Annual Fund (operating budget support): $94,327.20 for IDE; $55,475.02 for the MCAN Fellows Program.
- In its inaugural year, the Stay the Course ’73 Grant supported 60 students in completing their undergraduate degrees. The grant helped students overcome financial obstacles and continue their education.
- Grants from FY24 also included:
  - $1.5 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to fund Carleton’s Indigenous Engagement in Place initiative
  - $100,000 grant from The Hearst Foundation to support scholarships for under-resourced high school students to attend Summer Liberal Arts Institute programs
  - Renewed Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship program for 2023–24 with an $88,000 grant from the Mellon Foundation
  - Improved housing and food security for Carleton students through a $150,000 grant from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education
  - Received continuation grant of $10,000 from the Tanaka Foundation for annual student-faculty trip to Japan to improve international understanding
  - $75,000 grant from the Teiger Foundation to support a traveling exhibit of Arab artists’ perspectives on the contemporary Middle East
  - The Dean of Students Office secured funding for the Ataraxis Grant, a discretionary assistance program that provides direct financial assistance to students in need. During the 2023–24 academic year, the Dean’s Office supported 50 students through the Ataraxis Grant program.

Goal 2: Representation

Significantly increase representation of students, faculty, and staff on campus from underrepresented populations.

Progress:

Human Resources refined standardized exit and stay interviews, with questions around diversity and equity, and an option to meet with the VP for IEC. Data is used to improve hiring processes, practices, and retention initiatives.
Human Resources reviewed recruitment pipelines and opportunities to enhance Carleton’s visibility and reputation in Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs), professionals of color associations, alumni of color associations, and similar educational institutions and organizations both locally and nationally. This work will carry forward to FY25.
Human Resources conducted an annual compensation review that looked for internal and external equity. Comparison groups include race, sex, position grade, length of service, etc.
In Fall Term 2023, the FlexWork program was continued beyond its initial pilot as a tool to increase flexibility for current and potential staff.
Work continued to ensure volunteer groups and events for alumni and parents are broadly inclusive; FY24 examples included Spanish translation at the Houston summer event for new students and families, and virtual campus tours for families in Spanish and Mandarin.
In light of the Supreme Court decision prohibiting the consideration of an applicant’s racial classification in the admissions selection process, the Division of Admissions and Student Financial Aid, in consultation with the College’s counsel, reviewed its admissions and financial aid processes, outreach and recruitment practices, and financial aid policies to align with the court’s ruling and remained committed to supporting the College’s mission to increase the diversity of the student body.
The President’s Cabinet supported a budget request by the Office of Admissions to increase travel funding for admitted underrepresented students by an additional annual allocation of $75,000 per year.
The Board of Trustees, in consultation with the President’s Cabinet and the Admissions and Financial Aid Committed (AFAC), supported the recommendation to eliminate legacy preferences in admissions with the goal of expanding access.
The Office of Admissions shifted the focus of the Carleton Liberal Arts Experience (CLAE) program to support rising high school seniors – rather than rising juniors – through it’s week-long summer program for students who identify as Black or African American or have an interest in African American history and culture, to strengthen CLAE student’s exposure to the liberal arts as they prepare to apply to Carleton and other colleges.
The Office of Admissions took steps to broaden the geographic and socioeconomic diversity of international students recruited by and enrolling at the College from regions including Africa, Caribbean, Middle East and Northern Africa, and South America, through these initiatives:
Admissions staff traveled to countries in areas with underrepresented student populations such as: Brazil, Eswatini, Jordan, Kenya, Qatar, South Africa, Tanzania, Turkey, Zambia. During these travels, Admissions staff connected with students, families, important community based organizations (CBOs), and priority schools including members of the HALI Access Network, United World Colleges, and Prep Estudiar Fora.
Virtual engagements with Admissions staff were offered to CBOs like Pathways Palestine, Syrian Youth Empowerment, EducationUSA Sub Saharan Africa, Equity Group Foundation Scholars, Yale Young African Scholars, and Misongi.
In an effort to Increase interest from underrepresented countries, the Admissions staff targeted specific student populations through efforts supported by the Council of International Schools and Meto.
To help standardize the hiring and selection process across departments, the Division of IEC introduced a workshop: Best Practices for Staff Hiring: Minimizing Bias and Designing our Searches for Inclusion.
Over Winter Term 2024, the Office of International Student Life (ISL) in collaboration with the Division of IEC hosted “Breaking Bread: Uniquely Global,” an event that was six years in the making which brought together uniquely global students, staff, and faculty members for a taste of home and opportunities for cultural exchange.
ISL added an assistant director of international student life and has increased the number of international peer leaders to assist with mentorship and programming.
A dedicated budget was set aside specifically for international scholar travel through the International Student Life office. This carryover fund provides greater budgetary flexibility and will be available to support students beginning Fall Term 2025.
Staff in Communications and Admissions collaborated to refine admissions marketing materials to ensure they speak to the needs of a diverse audience of prospective students and their families. Insights from a comprehensive national market study completed in 2023 were used in order to ensure messages resonate with key demographics that traditionally have been underrepresented in the Carleton community.
The Office of the Provost has been modifying its hiring practices for the last two years. The office introduced mandatory development workshops for all search committees and is working this year on bringing those efforts in house as well as enhancing oversight of search committee work.
The Office of the Provost continues to assess the faculty mentoring program to see if it helps build community among incoming faculty, and has intentionally sought out conversations with faculty from underrepresented population groups to see how the College can be more supportive.

Goal 3: Resources

Establish and sustain the resources and practices necessary to provide an equitable environment for all students, staff, and faculty to thrive.

Progress:

The Carleton Latina/e/x Leadership Community (CLLC) was piloted as the first community resource group. This group is a collective of working professionals who identify as gender minorities within the Latina/e/x umbrella.
The President’s Office supported a pilot to provide translated transcripts for all Commencement speeches in Spanish, Mandarin, and Korean, the top three languages represented within the Carleton student body after English.
Effective for academic year 2024 (Fall Term 2023), Carleton’s Dependent Tuition Program was extended to all benefits-eligible employees and an additional ACM tuition remission option was added.
Human Resources refreshed the New Employee Orientation (NEO) to realign content and emphasize resources available to employees.
Construction continues on the Student Life and Housing Plan, which will provide more equitable housing options for students, multicultural programming space and a new building housing the Student Health and Counseling Center, the Office of Accessibility Resources, and the Gender and Sexuality Center (GSC). Phase 1 of the project was completed in Summer 2024 providing student townhomes on Lilac Hill and Union Street, as well as the Multicultural Center and Black Center. Construction has begun on Phase 2 of the project, including the Class of 1974 Center, which will house Student Health and Counseling, Office of Accessibility Resources, Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Response, and Human Resources. In addition, Phase 2 also includes three additional townhomes on Union Street which will have dedicated offices for ISL and GSC.
The IDE Committee within Development and Alumni Relations developed new guidelines for welcoming and orienting new staff to the division to address gaps and inconsistencies across departments. These guidelines involved discussions with each department in addition to Kerstin Cardenas, director of Human Resources, and Dina Zavala, VP for IEC.
The Tiered Wage Implementation Group was established to review the recommendation of the Financial Aid Working Group to address challenges with Carleton’s existing student work pay structure and recommend a path forward, recognizing that there are different philosophies that could inform the structure of a tiered pay system.
To make chapel spaces more inclusive, a progress pride flag was installed in the main sanctuary, Christian hymnals were removed from the pews to ensure the sanctuary was welcoming to all faiths, and newly updated translations of the Bible and Quran were purchased and added to the Chapel library.
In partnership with Campus Services, Interfaith Social Action (IFSA) organized campus and community events to advocate for a reduced cost of weekend transportation to Minneapolis and influenced local service improvements.
The Carleton Alumni Calendar was updated to modernize language around religious holidays and successfully included National Coming Out Day, Trans Day of Remembrance, and Trans Day of Visibility.
An investment of $20,000 funded the creation of the Beit Midrash, a first ever dedicated Jewish space in the chapel. Additional improvements and repairs were made to the college chaplain’s office.
The Division of Student Life maintained existing support resources for underrepresented groups, including but not limited to, mental health collectives for Queer, BIPOC, and male-identifying students; specialized programs and support groups for first-generation students. The Carleton Cupboard continued for winter and spring break.
In Fall Term 2023, Carleton launched the Textbook Advance Program. This program enables eligible students to purchase textbooks at the campus bookstore using available credit on their student account before classes start each term. A broader implementation is planned through Workday in 2025. This initiative also supports the IDE goal of collaboration between the Business and Student Financial Aid offices. Additionally, the College continues to raise awareness about on-campus resources such as textbook rentals, academic department lending libraries, and Gould Library course reserves.
In Fall Term 2023, ISL added employment hours to the ISL budget to help cover support during the break periods for assistance with student programming and the international section of the Carleton Cupboard. ISL also received $14,000 in additional funding to help support International Student Orientation.
The Dean of Students Office (DOSO) has secured a grant from the Minnesota Office of Higher Education to support students facing housing insecurity during breaks. This program is designed to provide emergency financial assistance to low-income, international, DACA, and undocumented students who are experiencing unexpected housing challenges. In the 2023–24 academic year, the College assisted 21 students through this grant program. Additionally, grant funds were used to support the Carleton Cupboard during spring break 2024.
Following the recommendations from the Mental Health Working Group, the Division of Student Life launched free 24/7 virtual mental and physical health care services through TimelyCare during Spring Term 2024.
The Dean of Students Office (DOSO) assessed current personnel, financial, and facility needs for all student-facing support offices. As a result, additional staff were hired for TRIO-SSS, ISL, and GSC. Additionally, DOSO addressed facility needs for SHAC, ISL, GSC, and OAR.
The Division of Communications led the improvement of accessibility across the College’s digital platforms, including the website, social media, and email. This included: the development of digital accessibility standards and launch of a new digital accessibility website; digital accessibility training for all new and existing website maintainers; the development of internal communications guidelines and enhancement of social media guidelines; and the launch of “Camp Comms,” a drop-in resource session for communicators across campus. Communications and ITS also launched a new plugin that allows website content editors to create pie charts, bar charts, and other data visualizations that are accessible and interactive.
The Division of Student Life and Communications collaborated on a strategy to improve students’ accessibility to and awareness of resources across divisions and departments, particularly those that are less well-known or under-utilized. This culminated in the development of a Student Resource Guide, launched in FY25, which includes searchable, accessible resources supporting students’ academic, financial, identity and community building, medical and mental health and wellness, and safety and security needs.
Carleton’s STEM departments and programs are developing an early assessment tool (not a placement test) that would give faculty teaching quantitative skills courses information on where their students are in terms of capabilities so that they can direct time and resources to the students who need them.

Goal 4: Engagement

Integrate and sustain engagement with the principles of IDE, including the full diversity of perspectives, experiences, and intellectual contributions of historically underrepresented voices.

Progress:

Human Resources continued its work with campus leaders to review and understand how staff and faculty work is accounted for and rewarded to ensure equity-minded workloads account for individual talents, work circumstances, and career stages with a commitment to take action as needed.
The Division of IEC introduced a variety of opportunities to engage with the principles of IDE, including: guest speakers such as the Parent Circle, Dr. Sa’ed Atshanwith, author of Queer Palestine and the Empire of Critique; student dialogues in collaboration with CCCE; Grounds for Community, a series of sessions for community members to bring concerns, ideas, requests, etc., to the Division of IEC and/or CEDI representatives; and Do Something Good for Your Neighbour Day, where members of the Carleton community have a chance to thank people who have stuck their neck out to support IDE efforts.
In Winter Term 2024, the Division of IEC launched the IDE Mini-Grant to fund initiatives proposed by students, faculty, and staff to support IDE goals and create community and belonging. Ten mini-grants were awarded, totaling $3,600. This funding supported five speaking engagements, two staff field trips, and two student initiatives, including “Jewish on Our Own Terms” and the “Reformed Druids of North America.”
The Division of IEC revised protocols such as transferring management of the Projects for Peace grant to the Office of the Chaplain, and standardizing how the College should respond to tragedies beyond Carleton, both in terms of communication and care.
Throughout the year, the Division of Student Life organized several events that fostered open dialogue and discussion among community members. These events included but were not limited to: #CarlsTalk Connections during New Student Week, Winter Term Dialogue, the Office of Health Promotion’s ‘Let’s Talk About’ Discussion Series, Student Life and Physical Education, Athletics, and Recreation (PEAR) Faculty and Staff Retreat with the Posse Foundation, ISL and SHAC’s ‘First Gen Circle’ focused on fostering connection between first-gen students,TRiO’s Class Act Faculty/Staff/Student Panel, and OIL Talks, which covered a wide range of topics and perspectives.
In collaboration with the Learning and Teaching Center, the Division of IEC hosted the workshop: Brave Spaces and Diverse Viewpoints.
During the 2023-24 academic year, the Division of Student Life hosted the Student Financial Literacy Series. The series provided six 60-minute workshops on financial education for all students, with a particular focus on low-income and BIPOC communities. Based on data from ongoing assessment, the 2024–25 series will expand to 11 sessions and include topics such as taxes and understanding health insurance.
In collaboration with the Center for Community and Civic Engagement (CCCE), the ISL hosted “Community Conversations: Political Engagement Beyond Voting.” This session explored various forms of civic engagement, from dialogue to protests. The division provided resources for connecting with elected officials and shared information on protesting. This event offered a valuable opportunity for both domestic and international students to connect over shared interests and explore ways to make a difference in their communities.
Development and Alumni Relations offered a repeat workshop for staff to develop skills to navigate challenging conversations with alumni and parent constituents and to build confidence in volunteers to do the same.
The Division of Student Life has developed a proposal to create $30,000 additional funding and logistical support for student-led leadership and involvement opportunities. These funds will be replenished annually through a collaborative effort between the Dean of Students Office, the Student Activities Office, the Carleton Student Association (CSA), and the Development Office.
The Office of the Provost continues to assess the faculty mentoring program to see if it helps build community among incoming faculty, and has intentionally sought out conversations with faculty from underrepresented population groups to see how the College can be more supportive.
In partnership with the Division of IEC, Communications staff completed a website diversity audit and implemented changes to several websites to ensure Carleton is telling its story about and to diverse audiences authentically and in support of institutional goals.
The editorial strategy for Carleton Today is inclusive of IEC news and events to ensure the full Carleton community is aware of the breadth of the division’s services and offerings.
The Division of Communications continues to prioritize diverse representation in its network of freelance artists, photographers and writers who create for the Carleton College Voice, and who contribute to marketing and communications materials for all Carleton audiences, including prospective students and their families; current students, faculty, and staff; and alumni and donors.
Members from the Division of Admissions and Student Financial Aid presented a session at the Minnesota Association of Financial Aid Administrators (MAFAA) annual conference entitled, “Equity in Education: Harnessing Integrated Higher Education Systems for Inclusive Excellence” influenced by the IDE goals of the College.
Following a departure in the Africana Studies department, the Office of the Provost met with the department to discuss observations about the hiring program and managing the hiring process for a replacement. The goal is to continue encouraging departments/programs to collaborate with Africana Studies and to use the recently implemented position responsibility statements to resolve concerns about how a new hire’s time would be shared. Ideally, a full-time faculty member would be hired into Africana Studies, who could contribute cross-listed courses to other departments.
New courses and academic initiatives were offered for dialogue among people who have different experiences and perspectives in both the academic curriculum and the co-curriculum, including: ENGL 25: The Poetics of Disability (ACE), taught by Adriana Estill; CS 344: Human Computer Design (ACE), taught by Amy Csizmar-Dalal; and the Day of Public Scholarship, which was started by Broom Fellow Palmar Álvarez-Blanco in June 2023 for faculty and academic support staff interested in learning more about public scholarship practices and deepening the growing community of those engaged in this work at Carleton.
The Indigenous in Place initiative, funded in large part by the Mellon grant, will establish a professional learning cohort to expand Carleton’s capacity to meaningfully engage Indigenous perspectives in our curriculum and to build a faculty Circle of Practice in alignment with best practices for Indigenous engagement. The initiative seeks to establish an ethical and reciprocal balance to relationships between Carleton researchers and Indigenous Peoples by supporting research collaborations that reflect the priorities of Indigenous partners. While the majority of Initiative resources are keyed to curricular Indigenous engagement, this opportunity recognizes that curricular transformation often begins with relationships born in research collaboration. Please see the application procedures for information about how and when to contact community partners for these collaborations.

Goal 5: Measurable Improvement

Demonstrate our commitment to measurable improvement of IDE outcomes (retention, recruitment, achievement, thriving/belonging, and cultural competence) through data collection and analysis and transparent communication.

Progress:

Human Resources in collaboration with Institutional Research and the Division of IEC, has been developing metrics for staff recruitment, retention, thriving and belonging, cultural competence, and program effectiveness.
The IEC team has completed the Intercultural Development Inventory assessment and established a baseline to benchmark the teams’ cultural competence.
During Fall Term 2023, the Dean of Students Office launched the Carleton Student Housing Insecurity survey to assess the prevalence and impact of housing insecurity among Carleton students during academic breaks. The Dean of Students Office is currently analyzing the results to determine what, if any, steps should be taken, including whether any changes to existing resources and communication strategies are necessary.
During the 2023-24 academic year, the Division of Student Life hosted the Student Financial Literacy Series. The series provided six 60-minute workshops on financial education for all students, with a particular focus on low-income and BIPOC communities. Based on data from ongoing assessment, the 2024–25 series will expand to 11 sessions and include topics such as taxes and understanding health insurance.
TRIO assessed TRIO-eligible students who had expressed interest in participating but were not currently enrolled in the program. Data from this assessment indicated a clear need to expand TRIO’s program to include eligible students who are not currently enrolled in the program but may benefit from its services.
Working in partnership with the Division of IEC, Institutional Research and Assessment, and Information Technology Services, the Division of Communications contributes to the development of web content that effectively communicates the progress made toward the goals of the IDE Plan.