Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Committee

Purpose

The SOCHE Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Committee was created as the “Diversity Initiatives Committee” in 2001, with a name change in 2014.

The committee:

• Enables the creation and maintenance of professional networks between SOCHE member campuses that will develop a consortium-wide approach to the needs of creating educational equity
• Provides professional support and renewal for those who wish to enhance their skills through involvement in an inter-institutional and interdisciplinary community of peers
• Encourages dialogue about how various aspects of diversity impact the campus life experience, and identify trends and issues that campus climate and town/gown relations and, prepare students, administrators, faculty, and staff to meet them
• Enables productive exchanges of information about learning and teaching in both curricular and co-curricular contexts
• Identifies, disseminates, and fosters effective approaches to teaching, learning, and faculty development
• Develops consortial and public recognition programs for outstanding diversity programs on the member institution campuses.

Mission

To provide a structure across post-secondary education in southwest Ohio to support the development of the skills and knowledge necessary to meet the needs of a multicultural society on the part of faculty, staff, students, and institutions of higher education.

Vision

Inter-culturally competent institutions of higher education in southwest Ohio that educate students from every sector of our broadly diverse community to be successfully employed and engaged global citizens.

Goals and Strategies

1. Create a professional network of individuals leading the work related to diversity, inclusion, equity, and development of intercultural competence for institutions of higher education in southwest Ohio
   • Hold regular meetings of representatives from each SOCHE member organization to carry out this work, this group will be referred to as the Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Committee
   • Provide social networking opportunities for individuals engaged in this work
2.  Provide professional development related to understanding diversity in higher education, recruiting and ensuring the success of students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds, particularly those historically underserved by post-secondary education and best practices related to achieving inclusive excellence
   • Hold an annual diversity conference in the region
   • Include training related to cultural competence as part of all SOCHE conferences and trainings
   • Invite experts on topics related to best practices in diversity and inclusion to Committee meetings
3. Provides forums for civil, deliberative dialogues about difficult diversity issues facing society and our campuses
   • Support and encourage the participation on the part of members of individual campus communities in these types of critical conversations taking place at institutions other than their own
4. Promote multicultural programming and events sponsored by SOCHE member institution
   • SOCHE staff will develop, update and publish a central repository of current diversity-related events sponsored by associated institutions of higher education
   • Members of the Committee will inform their respective campuses of diversity-related events happening around the region and facilitate their participation

Scheduled Meetings

The SOCHE Diversity & Inclusive Excellence Committee meets in a virtual environment approximately three times per year, with other meetings as requested. Contact Mindy Claggett by email at mindy.claggett@soche.org for all upcoming meeting dates and to join this committee.