Hello Carls,
A few weeks ago Carleton’s Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (IDE) Strategic Plan Steering Group reported to you that we would begin our data gathering in the near future; that future has arrived! Here’s what you should know:
- On March 1st all Carleton alumni and staff received a questionnaire regarding priorities for the college as it moves forward with its work on inclusion and equity. At this point we have received over 1000 responses, with many more expected. Students and faculty will receive the same questionnaire at the start of spring term.
- Focus groups of alums and staff have begun to be formed and interviewed by our consultants, Cambridge Hill Partners. Student and faculty focus groups will be interviewed in the first weeks of spring term.
- In addition to the survey and focus groups, the committee will use data from many other sources. Carleton’s Office of Institutional Research is working with CHP to analyze other climate surveys, reports, and data that the college has collected that are relevant to inclusion, diversity, and equity.
- The current ongoing antiracism training for faculty and staff, while not part of the IDE Strategic Plan’s charge, is also generating feedback and suggestions that are being shared with the Steering Group.
- We estimate that our data gathering and analysis will be complete by the end of May with the expectation that this will allow us to begin formulating specific recommendations and action items in a draft strategic plan that will then be shared with campus in October. We are aiming to produce a plan with specific and measurable outcomes that will let us monitor how the college is progressing in the critical areas of inclusion and equity.
The IDE Plan Steering Committee is committed to a transparent process. We look forward to having robust student input with the start of spring term, and we invite you to visit our website for continued updates on the progress of our work.
On behalf of the IDE Plan Steering Group,
Chico Zimmerman, faculty co-chair
Jeninne McGee ’85, Trustee co-chair
Maya Rogers ’22, student representative