Faculty Success has developed a plan for faculty and academic staff: Anti-Bias & Cultural Awareness Program. The aforementioned plan will serve as a foundation for facilitating an inclusive, affirming, and equitable environment for our Mean Green Family and the diverse communities we serve. The plan was created with a scaffolding approach to provide foundational knowledge, intermediate knowledge and implementation, and an advanced execution phase for faculty and academic staff. 

1. Actively build a safe, knowledgeable, and accepting community that is understanding of equity and inclusion strategies and considerations. 
2. Deliver accessible programming and resources for faculty and academic staff related to practicing and facilitating inclusion, equity, and cultural humility effectively. 
3. Provide ongoing strategies for faculty and academic staff seeking to foster inclusive learning environments and improve the campus climate.   
4. Provide ongoing strategies for academic leaders seeking to foster inclusive work environments and improve the campus climate. 

What is diversity, equity, and inclusion and why is it important?  

• Diversity is the presence of difference in a given setting or group.  
• Equity is ensuring that everyone has access to the same opportunities regardless of intersecting identities. Equity in action can be policies, initiatives, and conversations to address imbalances and systemic issues.
• Inclusion is a sense of belonging, being valued, and having a voice. 

Why are we doing a faculty and academic staff diversity training?  

• Supporting students  
• Faculty Senate Resolution (Fall 2019)
• Supporting students and colleagues from marginalized groups 
• To improve campus climate  

Who were consulted during the creation of the program?

• Faculty Senate
• Affinity Groups
• Student Leaders 
  • Student Government Association
  • Graduate Student Council
  • Black Student Union
• Division of Institutional Equity and Diversity
• Administrators 

What are the expectations for training per semester or annually?  

The expectation is that all faculty and academic staff participate and complete approximately three (3) hours of training and seminars per semester. We will have a variety of ways to participate and achieve this expectation.