Institutional Infrastructure

Completed

COMMITTEES, COUNCILS, AND PARTNERSHIPS

• Supported the creation of three new campus-wide committees to advance the work of anti-racism and diversity, equity, and inclusion
  • The Board of Trustees Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, charged with ensuring that the College’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion informs all facets of the academic and social life of the campus community
  • The Strategic Direction Steering Committee, charged with establishing a DEI framework that operationalizes the goals of the PC200 Strategic Plan  
  • The Presidential Advisory Committee to Address Systemic Racism, charged with advising the president and the president’s cabinet on effective practices and strategies that eradicate systemic racism 
• Additionally, committees exist within specific divisions, schools, and departments working to advance DEI in those areas; these include the Providence College School of Business, the School of Professional Studies, the Faculty Senate, and the Office of Institutional Advancement.
• Established a Student Diversity Advisory Council (S-DAC) to serve as a conduit to the broader student body regarding DEI concerns and initiatives; this committee provides a student voice to the administration and works collaboratively toward establishing a beloved community.
• Established Advocates for a Beloved Community (ABCs), to work with the broader student population to proactively educate and raise awareness regarding bias and hate speech; advocates use restorative justice practices and serve as catalysts for inclusion and equity by utilizing their knowledge and voices to establish a beloved community.
• College leadership, IDEI personnel, and the Strategic Direction Steering Committee have partnered with the Center for Collaborative Education, a nationally recognized firm, to provide direction for campus-wide engagement in an inclusive institutional redesign process around anti-racism, equity, and inclusion; this initiative is responsive to the objective of operationalizing the DEI-related goals of the PC200 Strategic Plan.
  • This collaboration includes focus by the president’s cabinet on identifying the anchor that guides Providence College’s commitment to be a more active, racial equity-seeking, and inclusive community, to provide a foundation for creating departmental action plans that will drive each department’s progress.

COMMUNICATIONS AND TRANSPARENCY

• Redesigned the IDEI website to include resources, updates, and online newsletters, with the objective of promoting communication and transparency on College-wide DEI progress and accomplishments
• Implemented a new Title VI (Anti-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment Policy) reporting tool, which provides better online communication and explanation about the reporting, investigation, and resolution processes; implemented new technology to improve documentation and tracking.

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

• A proposed plan would engage faculty, students, and the external community in research and innovative projects — based at the Center at Moore Hall — around topics relevant to race, identity, diversity, equity, and inclusion.
• The Community Advisory Committee, largely comprising individuals from the City of Providence and neighboring communities, is working toward developing a strategic plan for how their work can assist the College in creating a more welcoming environment for members from the external community, as well as those on campus.

FACULTY, CURRICULUM, AND PEDAGOGY DIVERSIFICATION

• Dr. Comfort Ateh has been appointed as the Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion.
• The Task Force developing the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs position presented the provost with a recommendation that responsibilities include working closely with IDEI to establish robust recruiting of BIPOC candidates and members of other underrepresented groups for faculty searches, in addition to facilitating faculty efforts to diversify the curriculum and incorporate inclusive pedagogy modalities.

MULTICULTURAL STUDENT AND COMMUNITY SUPPORT

• Ms. Adebimpe Dare has been appointed as the Assistant Dean/ Director of Multicultural Student Success.
• Research on the potential role of an Ombudsperson has begun, in accordance with the Task Force on Faculty Inclusion’s recommendation; the Faculty Senate’s DEI Committee is conducting further research.
• Work is underway with a nationally recognized firm specializing in the review and training of campus and community policing to conduct a comprehensive assessment of policies and practices to improve the efficacy of the Office of Public Safety; recommendations for change will be provided during the spring semester to the president and executive vice president.