Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Planning & Implementation
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Strategic Planning Process
During the 2022-2023 academic year, the College of Social Science (SSC) underwent a strategic planning process to advance our goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), in alignment with Michigan State University’s mission to make DEI central to our excellence. Many students, faculty and staff participated in this collaborative process, which began with a climate assessment. The plan and several options for implementation will be shared with the incoming Dean, with the goal of initiating the plan in the Fall 2023 semester.
The DEI Climate Assessment was conducted virtually via a customized online DEI climate survey and series of focus group sessions. In October, the college held an in-person retreat at which an external consultant provided a foundational workshop to “level-set” over 160 members of our community, and facilitated a series of breakout groups to solicit feedback that will inform the strategic plan.
As we moved into strategic planning, our process continued to be as collaborative as possible. It involved input from a Working Group, Stakeholder Group, and members (faculty, staff, and students) of our SSC community. The Working Group was visioned holistically and consisted of approximately 20 representative members of our college community. Members of the Working Group partnered with us to make sense of data gathered from surveys and focus groups, as well as institutional data from our units and the college. This group also played a critical role in the formulation of the DEI strategic planning document. The Stakeholder Group was made up of approximately 20 representatives from all our key administrative units and governance bodies and served as a consultative body and as a sounding board at key stages of the strategic planning process.
Feedback on a draft plan was solicited via a series of coffee hours and a virtual comment period, both of which were open to our entire College community.
We thank you for your participation in this process. Your voice matters, as everyone plays a role in creating an inclusive environment!