DEIA
Syracuse University
Draft Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion
and Accessibility (DEIA) 2021-26
Fall 2021
Syracuse University
diversity.syr.edu/DEIA
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LETTER FROM THE INTERIM DEIA LEADERSHIP TEAM ................................................................................................. 1
2021 DEIA STRATEGIC PLAN TASK FORCE MEMBERS .................................................................................................. 3
INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................................. 4
The Syracuse University Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility .................................................................. 4
The Plan Overview ............................................................................................................................................................ 5
SECTION 1. A DEIA FRAMEWORK TO GUIDE STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION ...................................................... 6
Vision and Core Values ................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Defining Our DEIA Terminology ........................................................................................................................................ 7
The DEIA Plan: Five Strategic Goals ................................................................................................................................. 7
Principles of Strategic Implementation .............................................................................................................................. 7
Building from a Strong DEIA Foundation ........................................................................................................................... 8
SECTION 2. THE STRATEGIC RATIONALE FOR A NEW DEIA PLAN ............................................................................... 9
Recent DEIA Steps and Commitments .............................................................................................................................. 9
Key Findings from the Syracuse University State of DEI Executive and Technical Reports .................................................. 9
Findings: DEI Challenges ...................................................................................................................................................... 9
Findings: Campus Climate Research .................................................................................................................................. 11
Findings: The DEI Inventory Survey ............................................................................................................................ 11
Findings: The Syracuse University Benchmarking Comparison ........................................................................................... 12
Summative Insights Informing this Plan ................................................................................................................................... 14
SECTION 3. STRATEGIC DEIA COMMITMENTS TO BUILD INFRASTRUCTURE AND MOMENTUM ............................ 15
A Full-time CDIO Unit ...................................................................................................................................................... 15
Faculty Diversity and DEIA Curriculum Innovation .......................................................................................................... 15
Dedicated DEIA Counselors and Expanded Cultural Spaces .......................................................................................... 15
Efforts to Create a More Evidence-Based DEIA Strategy ................................................................................................. 16
Increased Financial Aid, Addressing Student Concerns ........................................................................................................... 16
SECTION 4. DEIA GOALS, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES, METRICS (GOSM) .........................................................................
17
Goal #1: Enhance campus climate to create a sense of belonging for all ........................................................................... 17
Goal #2: Recruit, support and retain diverse students, faculty and staff ..................................................................................... 20
Goal #3: Advance institutional infrastructure related to DEIA learning, professional development and civic innovation ........ 26
Goal #4: Elevate DEIA across the academic enterprise, transforming our approach to scholarship, research,
pedagogy, curriculum, programs and services ......................................................................................................................... 28
Goal #5: Practice an inclusive understanding of accessibility ................................................................................................... 32
SECTION 5. AN ALIGNED IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY APPROACH .................................................. 36
CITATIONS AND REFERENCES ....................................................................................................................................... 38
APPENDIX A. UNIVERSITY DEIA HISTORY AND TIMELINE OF MILESTONES ............................................................. 39
APPENDIX B. STATISTICAL DATA SUPPORTING GOAL #2 RATIONALE ...................................................................... 50
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LETTER FROM THE DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION, AND ACCESSIBILITY STRATEGIC PLAN
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Dear Members of the Syracuse University Campus Community:
As Syracuse University seeks to identify its next chief diversity and inclusion officer, we are serving as an
interim leadership
team
, charged with engaging the campus community to advance the University’s inaugural Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and
Accessibility (DEIA) Strategic Plan. To accomplish this charge, we are collaborating with key DEIA campus partners, including
the Office of Diversity and Inclusion; the Inclusive Leadership Assembly; the Council on Diversity and Inclusion; and the Disability,
Access and
Inclusion Council. Many others, including student cultural groups, student-athletes, and Greek organizations are also
engaged in the
process.
Today, we write to share the draft strategic plan and its development process, information on the plan engagement process and initial
plan implementation steps. We invite you to be involved as we finalize the plan to create a welcoming campus community for all.
The Planning Process
The University embarked upon the development of its first five-year DEIA strategic plan in 2020 with the establishment of the
DEIA
Strategic Plan Task Force
, a collection of faculty, staff and student DEIA leaders from across campus. Task force members
leveraged
their expertise and feedback from a wide range of campus engagement conversations to outline the plan’s goals,
objectives and strategies. Reports from the Board of Trustees Special Committee on University Climate, Diversity and Inclusion
and former U.S. Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch, along with results of the campus climate pulse survey, also helped inform the
plan’s development.
Please Review the Plan and Engage With Us
The success of this plan, which requires campus engagement, is critical as we prepare our campus members to participate in an
ever-changing, global society. It provides a framework for the campus community through five key goals that will shape our efforts to
develop an aligned campuswide DEIA strategy:
1.
Enhance campus climate to create a sense of belonging for all.
2. Recruit, support and retain diverse students, faculty and staff.
3.
Advance institutional infrastructure related to DEIA learning, professional development and civic innovation.
4.
Elevate DEIA across the academic institution, transforming our approach to scholarship, research, pedagogy, curriculum,
programs and services.
5.
Practice an inclusive understanding of accessibility.
As you review the goals and strategies of the draft plan, please complete our
survey
and submit answers to the following questions:
•
How should the work within the plan be prioritized and why?
•
How will I hold myself accountable to the priorities I think are most important?
•
How should we (the university) integrate and coordinate DEIA work across the full institution?
•
What else would you like to tell us related to the DEIA strategic plan?
2
Next Steps for Implementation
Engaging with our campus community will allow us to assist in the finalization of the document which will be provided to the
university’s next chief diversity and inclusion officer for review and implementation. While our next chief diversity and inclusion
officer, and the office of diversity and inclusion, is expected to have a pre-defined authority and will be responsible for shepherding
the implementation of the plan itself, the burden should not lie solely on any one leader or group. The success of this plan relies upon
shared governance, which requires responsibility and accountability from each person reading its draft and final version.
Robust participation by our full campus community in the plan engagement process, and the plan’s implementation, is critical for
success. A crucial outcome of our shared work will be the realization of true equity throughout our university—in our processes and
policies and inherent in our campus climate.
We look forward to your engagement. Thank you for your efforts and your commitment to transformational change.
Sincerely,
Diane Lyden Murphy
Dean, David B. Falk College of Sport
and Human Dynamics
Shiu-Kai Chin
Professor, College of Engineering
and Computer Science
Cerri A. Banks
Vice President of Student Success and
Deputy to the Senior Vice President of the
Student Experience
3
2021 DEIA STRATEGIC PLAN TASK FORCE
MEMBERS
•
Keith A. Alford: former Task Force Chair; former Chief
Diversity and Inclusion Officer; former Professor,
School of Social Work
•
Diane Lyden Murphy: Task Force Co-chair; Dean, David
B. Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics
•
Shiu-Kai Chin: Task Force Co-chair; Professor, College
of Engineering and Computer Science
•
Philip Arnold: Chair, Religion Department, College of
Arts and Sciences
•
Davine Bey: Director of Talent Management, Office of
Human Resources
•
Eboni Britt: Executive Director of Strategic
Communications, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
•
Jorge A. Castillo: Director, LGBTQ Resource Center
•
Diane Crawford: Executive Director of Institutional
Culture, Martin J. Whitman School of Management
•
Meredith Davis: Associate Vice President of Student
Engagement, Student Experience
•
Martha Diede: Director, Center for Teaching and
Learning Excellence, Office of the Associate Provost for
Faculty Affairs
•
Gerald Edmonds: Senior Assistant Provost, Academic
Affairs
•
Jean Gallipeau: Comptroller, Comptroller’s Office
•
Wei Gao: Associate Director of Operations and
Outreach, Center for International Services
•
Maurice Harris: Dean, Undergraduate Admissions
•
Taylor John: Student, Maxwell School of Citizenship
and Public Affairs
•
Regina Jones: Assistant Director, Multicultural Affairs
•
Brian Konkol: Dean, Hendricks Chapel
•
Andrew Sky Lieberman: Student, Maxwell School of
Citizenship and Public Affairs
•
LaShan Lovelace: former Director of Diversity and
Inclusion, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
•
Melissa Luke: Provost Faculty Fellow; Associate Dean
for Research and Dean’s Professor, School of Education
•
Gladys McCormick: Jay and Debe Moskowitz Endowed
Chair in Mexico-U.S. Relations; Director of Diversity,
Equity and Inclusion, Maxwell School of Citizenship
and Public Affairs
•
Robert Murrett: Professor of Practice, Maxwell School
of Citizenship and Public Affairs
•
Seth Ovadia: Associate Director, Institutional Research
•
Paula Possenti-Perez: Director, Center for Disability
Resources
•
Mackenzie Proud: Graduate Student, Maxwell School
of Citizenship and Public Affairs
•
LaVonda Reed: former Associate Provost for
Faculty
Affairs, Office of the Associate Provost for
Faculty
Affairs; Professor of Law
•
Karin Ruhlandt: Dean, Distinguished Professor, College
of Arts and Sciences
•
Jeffrey Stoecker: Vice President and Chief
Communications Officer
•
Grace Terry: Assistant Director of Young Alumni and
Student Engagement, Office of Alumni Engagement
•
Stephen Vassallo: Associate Vice President,
Institutional Research
•
Diane R. Wiener: Research Professor, Associate
Director of Interdisciplinary Programs and Outreach,
Burton Blatt Institute
•
Salatha Willis: Associate Director of Diversity and
Inclusion, Athletics
•
Peter Willner: Strategic Partnerships Manager, El-Hindi
Center for Dialogue, InterFaith Works of CNY
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INTRODUCTION
In our quest to become a campus community that embodies Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) and to live as an
expression of belonging, becoming and bestowing, Syracuse University rejects and rebukes all forms of racism, sexism, homophobia,
transphobia, ableism, religious harassment and hostility, classism and all other forms of discrimination, othering, hate and non-
accessibility in all its myriad expressions.
We acknowledge that others have come before us in this work, paving the way.
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From Syracuse University graduating its first woman
student in 1872; to enrolling 100 Japanese students directly from internment camps during World War II in 1943; to hosting Martin
Luther King Jr., in 1961 and 1962;to opening La Casita Cultural Center in 2011; and to becoming the No. 1 school for veterans in
more recent times, Syracuse University has long prioritized issues related to DEIA. Over the years, to achieve our diversity goals,
we have developed new programs of study, scholarships, cultural centers, research units and accessible spaces and have made
earnest attempts to achieve an environment that is inclusive and excellent for all. More recently, the activism and courage of our
#NotAgainSU students and allies, the broad-reaching national movement in the wake of George Floyd’s tragic death and our own
recent campus climate research has further confirmed that much work remains to be done to establish an environment that is not only
diverse, but also equitable, accessible and inclusive for all.
We know that our journey must be one of courage, self-examination and humility. It will require us to reflect upon our current reality
and in some ways acknowledge the privileges that have emboldened some communities, silenced others and both intentionally
and unintentionally caused harm to community members who have been historically marginalized because of their race, gender,
nationality, disability, economic background, sexual orientation, other aspects of identity and the realities that live at the intersection
of these identities.
The Syracuse University Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility
The Syracuse University Plan for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility offers a five-year vision for achieving a higher level of
DEIA commitment, institutional change and accountability. The process began by examining, categorizing and evaluating both what we
are doing well and our gaps or opportunities as a first step to addressing them. This plan emerged from a multitude of interconnected
activities: (1) the recent work of the DEIA Planning Task Force; (2) administrative leaders’ ongoing engagement with activist student
leaders during the #NotAgainSU discussions; (3) a Syracuse University Board of Trustees-authorized one-year external review of the
Syracuse University campus climate and DEIA infrastructure; and (4) the voices of thousands of Syracuse University students, faculty,
staff and alumni who offered their perspectives through a series of surveys, public forums and dialogue groups.
While we know that our full vision for Syracuse University cannot be accomplished in five years, this plan provides a framework for
our work and how it may evolve it in both the near and long terms. It is a rallying cry for us to develop not only a centralized DEIA
framework but, just as importantly, an aligned campuswide DEIA plan that involves every school, college and major academic and
administrative division of campus. Such a plan will inform how we invest our resources; evolve our curriculum; teach our courses;
admit our students; hire our leadership, faculty and staff; approach professional development and training; adapt our facilities; and
ultimately engage with one another on a day-to-day basis.
This plan provides a framework for the campus community via five key goals. These intentions must now infuse the University and
shape our efforts to develop an aligned campuswide DEIA strategy that focuses on the need for demonstrative leadership, policy
change, evolving systems and behavioral change. These five component goals are:
•
Enhance campus climate to create a sense of belonging for all.
•
Recruit, support and retain diverse students, faculty and staff.
•
Advance institutional infrastructure related to DEIA learning, professional development and
civic innovation.
•
Elevate DEIA across the academic institution, transforming our approach to scholarship, research, pedagogy, curriculum,
programs and services.
•
Practice an inclusive understanding of accessibility.
1
Please see Appendix A, University DEIA History
a
nd Timeline of Milestones, documented by the DEIA task force. While Syracuse
University’s history is far from perfect, it illustrates a long-term track record of leadership around race, social justice, economic, gender,
accessibility and LGBTQ issues.
5
In a sense, this plan is putting in place a well-designed DEIA system at the University. Improved DEIA outcomes, in terms of improving
our cultural climate, feelings of belonging, the safety to become and the wherewithal to bestow, will be a product of the deliberate
actions that this system makes. As a university we are fully committed to taking these actions.
We know that this work cannot be performative. Real change will require a long-term commitment, not a “one and done” checkmark
in a box for DEIA planning at our schools and colleges, or mandatory unconscious bias training for employees, or a single required
learning event for students. To succeed, we must create—by our actions—statements of DEIA support within the leadership, budget
and accountability to change the course of actions over time.
The Plan Overview
This plan is our public declaration that we are reaching for a higher standard in creating a campus climate that is diverse, equitable,
inclusive and accessible. We seek to create an environment that establishes a space of belonging for every single student, faculty
member, staff member, alumnus and friend of the University. We seek to create an ethos that works to be anti-racist, boldly accessible
and anti-othering every day, establishing stronger culture of belonging, becoming and bestowing that is felt by us all.
In the report that follows, we present our plan for the future in these segments:
•
Section 1: A DEIA Framework to Guide Strategy and Implementation presents our guiding core values, goals,
accountability, resources and definitions of key terms.
•
Section 2: The Strategic Rationale for a New DEIA Plan further defines our reason for creating this plan based on our
recent third-party campus climate research and strategic review process.
•
Section 3: Strategic DEIA Commitments to Build Infrastructure and Momentum highlights several key DEIA investments
that Syracuse University has already made during this process, giving this plan a rolling start to our success over the next
five years and beyond.
•
Section 4: DEIA Goals, Objectives, Strategies and Metrics (GOSM) presents key recommendations associated with
advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility across our five major goals.
•
Section 5: An Aligned Implementation and Accountability Approach. Outlines our vision for developing an aligned DEIA
campus strategy and accountability steps over the next five years.
6
SECTION 1. A DEIA FRAMEWORK TO GUIDE STRATEGY AND IMPLEMENTATION
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” —Peter Drucker
Institutional culture is the glue that binds our campus community together. As Peter Drucker argues, culture must be considered for
any plan for change to be successful.
At the core of institutional culture is a set of shared assumptions about the world. These assumptions guide how the culture defines
success, what problems we see, how we make decisions, teach courses, prioritize budgets and create an everyday climate of inclusion
or exclusion. For this plan to ultimately be successful, we must consider our current institutional culture and define our vision for
change.
Exhibit 1 presents the Syracuse University DEIA Implementation Framework. This framework embodies many of the ideas powering
this plan in terms of the following segments:
(1)
our vision and core values represent our North Star vision for the future, the one this plan is moving us toward; (2) DEIA
terminology within this five-year planning framework offers specificity of concepts and helps us bring this vision to life; (3) the five
DEIA strategic planning goals will structure our work as an institution by specifying concrete objectives, strategies and metrics; (4)
strategic implementation principles must be adhered to for us to be successful; and (5) a recognition that we are not beginning this
work from scratch, but rather building from a strong historical foundation of prioritizing DEIA and continued contemporary activism
that continues to push for concrete change.
Exhibit 1. Syracuse University DEIA Framework to guide implementation of the plan
Vision and Core Values
Our vision is to embolden Syracuse University as a recognized national leader in diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility and
to make DEIA a fundamental component of both our core values and our everyday activities and efforts to live in a way consistent
with our vision and values. Values are arguably the most important component of culture. They help community members better
understand what an organization is about and what it expects of them. Values that are well-defined, embedded in leadership’s actions
and behaviors and woven into the fabric of the organization provide the base for a strong and sustained culture that allows people
to be well, do good and succeed. These ideals, rooted in the existing unique culture of Syracuse University, can serve as a North Star
vision for every student, faculty, staff and alumni member of our community.
•
Belonging: To belong is to accept and include others while being accepted and included by others. As a primary and
profound human need, belonging embraces both rights and responsibilities. Belonging sparks and sustains communities
that are equitable, diverse, accessible and inclusive. Belonging requires courage, compassion, integrity and empathy in
both those who extend it to others and those who reach for it.
7
•
Becoming: To become is to seek and receive growth and development while investing in the growth and development
of others. As an outcome of both formal and informal teaching and learning, becoming embodies the acquisition
and consideration of information, personal and professional development, vocational preparation and community
transformation. Becoming requires openness, curiosity, discovery, humility and boldness.
•
Bestowing: To bestow is to convey a gift upon others while acknowledging the mutually beneficial aspects of giving. It is
both to give back and to pass on. The act of bestowing transmutes our motto’s crown of knowledge into the embodiment
of wisdom and, in doing so, allows for sustained leadership through service. Bestowing requires civility, accountability,
ethics and commitment.
Defining Our DEIA Terminology
Throughout this plan, several terms are used that can have varying meanings to different people. Here are our definitions as we use
these terms:
•
Diversity encompasses a host of differences. These may include, but are not limited to, race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity,
sexual orientation, class, position status, neurodiversity, learning style, country of origin, ability, political ideology, military
service, religion and cultural perspectives, among other identity factors and their intersections.
•
Equity involves assuring that every individual receives the support they require to perform at their highest level.
•
Inclusion requires respectful, intentional and purposeful engagement with diverse students, faculty, alumni and staff.
•
Accessibility involves making sure that physical and psychological obstacles do not prevent individual achievement or
participation.
•
Accountability is defining personal and collective responsibility and delivering upon an organizational mission, values and
goals in a manner that is transparent and trustworthy.
•
Equity-Minded means taking notice of inequities, their contexts and the institution’s agency and responsibility in critically
reassessing our own practices.
•
Anti-Racism is the work of actively opposing racism by advocating for changes in political, economic and social life. Anti-
racism tends to be an individualized approach and set up in opposition to individual racist behaviors and impacts.
•
Cultural Humility incorporates a lifelong commitment to self-evaluation and self-critique and to redressing the power
imbalances that exist in our society. Additionally, an appreciation of the lived experiences of others is a central element of
focus. (Tervalon & Murray-Garcia, 1998)
The DEIA Plan: Five Strategic Goals
In light of the above vision, core values and definitions, we offer the following five goals for this strategic plan:
•
Enhance campus climate to create a sense of belonging for all.
•
Recruit, support and retain diverse students, faculty and staff.
•
Advance institutional infrastructure related to DEIA learning, professional development and
civic innovation.
•
Elevate DEIA across the academic institution, transforming our approach to scholarship, research, pedagogy, curriculum,
programs and services.
•
Practice an inclusive understanding of accessibility.
Principles of Strategic Implementation
Transparency is one key principle necessary to accomplish implementation of this plan. Transparency supports accountability for the
changes we aim to make invites critique toward the goal of improving the strategies we use and it gives others awareness that work
is truly being done. As we implement this plan, every member of the Syracuse University community is accountable for a shift in both
thought and practice. Every member is accountable as well as responsible for checking the unacceptable outward expressions of
peers or colleagues that may, in conscious or unconscious ways, be contributing to an environment where belonging, becoming and
bestowing are not possible for some individuals and groups.
8
The following additional strategic implementation principles, adapted from the original principles created by the University Office of
Diversity and Inclusion, are meant to serve as companions to the above-mentioned institutional values and guide the implementation
of our DEIA plan, and, more broadly, all decision-making at Syracuse University. To bring this plan to life, and activate the change
journey in word and deed:
•
We will create an environment of accountability, transparency, alignment and shared ownership of diversity, equity,
inclusion and accessibility as top priorities.
•
We will dedicate, invest, reallocate and fund-raise sufficient financial resources to accelerate DEIA efforts institutionally.
•
We will ensure that equity is a fundamental element of all decision-making.
•
We will enhance dialogue and actions to foster greater understanding and appreciation for the lived experiences of others.
•
We will nurture and support a richly diverse campus community at all levels.
•
We will invest in continuing education of students, faculty and staff to support DEIA and social justice.
•
We will actively seek to advance inclusive practices through curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular activities.
•
We will create and develop new methods to improve access, advocacy and retention of underrepresented students, staff
and faculty.
•
We will innovate access, advocacy and retention of underrepresented students, staff and faculty developing new models,
policies and ways of work.
•
We will embolden DEIA as part of our institutional brand and narrative of excellence, communicating this value, our
strengths and continuing challenges across all communication platforms of the University.
Building From a Strong DEIA Foundation
As we work toward change, our efforts must push into unfamiliar terrain and define new models while simultaneously taking a hard
look at what we are already doing. The final dimension of our strategic framework, the foundational level of the pyramidal model,
asserts that we are beginning from an already solid foundation. We want to avoid launching a new DEIA plan without first considering
how we can support and further the efforts of the committed individuals who have been doing this work over past years.
We offer this strong DEIA foundation as the base of our change framework knowing that we are not building our efforts from scratch.
Rather we are enhancing and adding to our already substantial scholarship programs, DEIA offices, units and programs and financial
commitments and the efforts of many faculty, staff, administrators and student leaders who prioritize this work daily. This framework
calls for a consideration of the efforts to date, always looking for ways to strengthen, redirect, add or reallocate resources and elevate
this work now and into the future.
9
SECTION 2. THE STRATEGIC RATIONALE FOR A NEW DEIA PLAN
In November 2019, a flashpoint incident initiated what became a series of more than 25 bias incidents over the course of several
months, eventually touching off student unrest and campus protests. Immediately, the University Board of Trustees convened a
Special Committee on University Climate, Diversity and Inclusion (Special Committee) to examine the state of the University in
terms of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) and to offer strategic recommendations to the larger Board of Trustees.
Recent DEIA Steps and Commitments
To that end, the Special Committee took several steps. They first tasked an Independent Advisory Panel (IAP) of four national DEI
experts to dialogue directly with students, faculty and staff about their lived experiences on campus. The Special Committee members
themselves visited campus to dialogue in listening sessions as well. They commissioned former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch to
complete a special evaluation of campus police. These action steps all delivered a set of astute analyses and informed recommendations
to the Special Committee in mid-2020. The final report of the Special Committee was made public on March 4, 2021.
In March 2020, COVID-19 shifted everyone to distance learning and a new pandemic “normal.” This incredible transformation,
accomplished by the University campus community all pulling together, delayed the Special Committee’s DEI research process for
a time, while the health and safety of all became the clear top priority. When it became apparent that the pandemic was not going
away anytime soon, the Special Committee forged ahead with its mission even through this unique and stressful time. As a next step,
the Special Committee engaged Damon A. Williams, Ph.D. and his Center for Strategic Diversity Leadership and Social Innovation
(CSDLSI) in Atlanta, Georgia. His research team, which had facilitated the earlier dialoguing sessions, was tasked to answer four
primary questions:
•
What is the lived experience of diverse groups of students, faculty and staff at Syracuse University and what are the
related key challenges and opportunities?
•
What approaches, units and capacities already exist to advance DEIA at Syracuse University?
•
Where does Syracuse University rank compared to peer and other institutions on critical demographic and other strategic
DEIA dimensions?
•
What are the most important next steps to help Syracuse University move forward to support diversity, equity, inclusion,
accessibility and anti-racism?
Key Findings From the Syracuse University State of DEI Executive and Technical Reports
While a full presentation of findings can be found in the Syracuse University State of DEI Executive Report and the companion
Technical Reports, we highlight several insights that powered our rationale for advancing this plan today.
Findings: DEI Challenges
Across more than 54 dialogues about the campus climate, five main themes arose in challenge or opportunity areas (Exhibit 2.1).
These ranged from personal negative experiences on campus to University-level leadership and communication challenges. Each of
these areas represents a significant focal point for Syracuse University to improve its DEI structure and functioning and such findings
guided this planning effort.
Looking individually at each of these themes of challenge or opportunity and remembering that these summarize the perceptions
that participants reported, we find:
1. A Campus Climate of Perceived Fear, Microaggression and Conflict. Many of the comments aggregated under this theme
expressed personal experiences of bias at Syracuse University. Stories shared included an overarching sense of fear and
foreboding following the fall 2019 incidents, including a student veteran being asked if they had killed anyone; a Native
American student being told her people are extinct (therefore she can’t be what she is); fear of police and the Department
of Public Safety; professors using ableist and sexist language; a Black guest speaker saying to an audience that included a
Jewish member that only Black students know what it feels like to have their history erased; and professors questioning or
struggling to implement disability accommodations or religious observance absences. Sadly, these same experiences were
noted by Black and Brown alumni who spoke with us during our virtual focus group, hosted by the alumni association.
10
Exhibit 2.1. DEI challenge and opportunity areas by engagement type, Syracuse University
2.
Reported Lack of Sufficient DEI Skills, Dialogues and Trainings. While one of the positive themes reflected an
acknowledgement of the existence and value of DEI training and dialoguing at Syracuse University, we also heard a strong
category of thought that more such skills and trainings are needed. Suggestions specifically requested training be regular
and ongoing for both students and staff/faculty and that this training build upon itself, both deepening and broadening
skills and insights. The two topics requested most often were understanding the lived experiences and cultural aspects of
specific identities and how to interact across difference.
3.
Perceived Lack of a Comprehensive DEI Strategic Plan and Systematic Approach to DEI. This theme aggregated several
related categories of comments that all point to a lack of clear policy and systems set up to enhance and support DEI
and/or a lack of information dissemination about it. To address these systemic challenges, participants requested formal
structures, plans, processes, shared vision, policy and more, including accountability structures and consequences for
when people fail to meet standards; clear ownership of diversity efforts in each unit; a set of requirements regarding
DEI and training; funding and resources for DEI; and addressing inequities with policy and enforcing guidelines and rules
already in place. (Example: the well-crafted and approved DEI statement that was designed to go on every curriculum is
instead being edited, shortened or not used.)
4.
Perceived Lack of Trust in or Belief in Syracuse University’s DEI Commitment. Whether true or not, the University is
perceived by many participants as untrustworthy or as trying to spin or hide information and manipulate perceptions
(especially of students) to eliminate conflict or promote one version of events. A surprising number of student participants
admitted that they don’t trust anything the University says and only rely on other students and social media for “good”
information. If true, such a situation could lead to a problem in case of a “code red” emergency situation on campus.
5.
Leadership and Communication Challenges. Leadership issues reported by participants varied from a lack of
implementation of DEI plans and policy, as well as requests for embodying DEI leadership ideals, such as vision,
transparency and collaboration. Finally, as mentioned, many participants requested more intra-University communications
about what DEI (DEIA) is, why are we doing it, how are we doing it, programs/policies/trainings and more information
about the chief diversity and inclusion officer (CDIO), office and activities. One (faculty) participant humbly admitted to
only just recently learning about the existence of a CDIO at Syracuse University. A strong leadership commitment to DEIA
and engagement with communicating and encouraging is desired.
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Findings: Campus Climate Research
General Findings: The pattern of findings illustrates how diverse communities disaggregated by race, gender, LGBTQIA status,
religion, disability status and economic background consistently report a less favorable experience than their majority peers—across
all groups, along the research dimensions of satisfaction, discrimination felt, feeling valued and belonging and equitable access to
opportunities. This trend generally held true for students, faculty and staff, even when using more intensive multivariate research
techniques. For example:
a.
Black students were 4.61 times more likely and Hispanic/Latine
2
students 2.42 times more likely than white
students to report having experienced discrimination.
b.
Women faculty were 1.96 times more likely than men faculty and faculty with disability were 1.86 times more
likely than faculty without disability to report feeling they had been discriminated against in the prior year at
Syracuse University. The combined group of Native/Hawaiian/Pacific Islander/Middle Eastern/North African
faculty are 7.32 times more likely than white faculty to report feeling discriminated against.
c.
Staff members with disability were 3.54 times more likely than staff without a disability and African American/
Black staff were 4.10 times more likely than white staff to report feeling discriminated against in the prior year at
Syracuse University.
6. Satisfaction: Consistently, no matter how the data were examined across identity, students, faculty and staff all reported
remarkable consistency in feeling dissatisfied with their experiences during the previous 12 months at Syracuse
University. It is important to note how incredibly unusual this response is. Most frequently surveys find dissatisfaction
concentrated in smaller groups, typically historically underrepresented identity groups, but not so here. It implies that
community members are broadly aware of DEI challenges experienced by some.
7. Institutional Commitment to DEI: When asked how committed they felt is the University to diversity, equity and inclusion,
participants again across the board expressed negative viewpoints here. The perception of a lack of DEI commitment was
consistent with the listening sessions, calling for the development of a clear DEIA plan to guide the University’s efforts.
8. Discrimination Felt: Participants were asked whether they had experienced discrimination on or around campus and, if so,
in what context? The answers here clearly pointed to a handful of problem areas where Syracuse University can now focus
resources and attention to create effective improvements. Students reported the most discrimination in the context of
classrooms, with faculty and with peers of different racial/ethnic identities. Similarly, faculty and staff reported the most
experiences of discrimination with peers/colleagues of other racial/ethnic identities and within University buildings. On
the positive side, interactions with law enforcement, either with campus police or with the City of Syracuse police, were
minimal, only occasionally rising to a level of concern.
9. Valued and Belonging: The answers to this series of questions about feeling valued, listened to and like they belong at
Syracuse University made researchers sit up and take notice. Even after participants expressed low satisfaction and deeply
negative views about the University’s commitment to diversity, numerous participants felt that they belonged at Syracuse
University. To determine why, researchers cross-referenced this research with qualitative comments in the dialogue
sessions that highlighted the importance of Syracuse University’s many affinity groups, organizations, dedicated gathering
spaces and support services. Essentially, although some had struggled on campus, they had also found support and a kind
of “home.”
10. Equitable Access to Opportunities: Finally, this last section of the campus climate pulse survey asked whether students,
faculty and staff felt they had to work harder than their peers or whether they had the same opportunities that others did.
Again, responses across the board rose to the level of concern, pointing to a general perception of unfairness and inequity.
Findings: The DEI Inventory Survey
Researchers surveyed 27 Syracuse University schools, colleges and administrative units to tease out all relevant existing DEI
initiatives and the details about them. While the University has many DEI plans, units, committees and DEI office roles, the University
does not have a clear and shared plan for DEIA. This review concluded that the University did not have a shared vision, nor a cohesive
and aligned DEIA strategy, both major priorities of this plan.
2
“Latine” can be pronounced by Spanish speakers as a gender-neutral ending. “Latinx” cannot and is an English add-on that disrespects
linguistic tradition.
12
Campuswide, over 450 visible programs were submitted by Syracuse University schools, colleges and units. Researchers evaluated
each for robustness by asking whether it is evidence-based—that is, structured in an informed way based on existing research and
best practices (instead of merely being a nice idea)—and whether the outcome of each program is tracked with data collection and
evaluated, for example before and after data or collecting qualitative information about how much someone was helped.
What the researchers discovered was that Syracuse University already has a great deal of DEI-focused programming active and
ongoing, which was surprising given the overwhelmingly contrasted opinions about DEI actions at Syracuse University found in the
climate pulse survey. What Syracuse University now has an opportunity to do is twofold: (1) identify promising programs on campus
already and scale or leverage them across its decentralized sectors and (2) begin working a DEI component into everyday policies
and processes, such as strengthening the DEI development factor in annual faculty and staff employment reviews and ensuring the
bias incident reporting system is both a best practice and carefully followed. Strong leadership around this implementation is also
key.
Findings: The Syracuse University Benchmarking Comparison
Demographic Benchmarking. Based on data current through the 2018/2019 school year, Syracuse University in fact turns out to be
one of the more diverse institutions among their selected peers, leading the pack along the demographic dimensions of international
students, Native American students, African American/Black tenure-track faculty and women tenure-track faculty. Syracuse
University came in second in percent of women undergraduate students, a 150-year tradition for the institution. The school also
boasts one of the most diverse management teams in the nation.
In contrast, along the critical dimensions of underrepresented minority (URM) undergraduate students, women in graduate school
and women studying in the STEM disciplines, the University was trending negative (Exhibit 2.2). One bright spot, however, is how
much the University increased its URM student graduation rate between 2013 and 2018, even as total URM enrollment contracted.
Syracuse University is currently experiencing a dearth of Hispanic/Latine and Asian Americans in leadership roles as well as among
its faculty. Finally, the percent of URM students was found to exceed the percent of URM faculty approximately two to one, a
significant gap in representation, one that leads to the question, “Why don’t I see faculty who look like me?”
13
Exhibit 2.2. Benchmarking trend analysis by select institutions: demographic categories 2013-2018
International
Students
(UG + G)
URM
Undergraduate
Students
URM
Graduate
Students
Women
Graduate
Students
URM
TT Faculty
Women
TT
Faculty
URM
Leadership
Women
Leadership
Syracuse
University
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Declining
(Negative) Trend
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Declining
(Negative)
Trend
-
No Change
Positive
Trend Growth
(1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-
5%),
Rapid Trend
Growth (>6%)
Boston
College
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
-
No Change
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Declining
(Negative)
Trend
-
No Change
Positive
Trend Growth
(1-5%),
-
No Change
Declining
(Negative)
Trend
Cornell
University
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
-
No Change
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive
Trend
Growth
(1-5%),
Positive
Trend Growth
(1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth
(1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth
(1-5%),
George
Washington
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Declining
(Negative)
Trend
Positive
Trend Growth
(1-5%),
Rapid Trend
Growth
(>6%)
Rapid Trend
Growth (>6%)
Lehigh
University
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Declining
(Negative)
Trend
-
No Change
Rapid Trend
Growth
(>6%)
Positive Trend
Growth (1-
5%),
Rapid Trend
Growth (>6%)
Penn State
-
-
University
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
No Change
No Change
Positive
Trend Growth
(1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-
5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-
5%),
U Conn
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
-
No Change
Positive
Trend Growth
(1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth
(1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth
(1-5%),
RIT
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
-
No Change
Rapid Trend
Growth (>6%)
-
No Change
Positive
Trend Growth
(1-5%),
Declining
(Negative)
Trend
-
No Change
University
of
Michigan
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
-
No Change
Positive
Trend Growth
(1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth
(1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth
(1-5%),
UT Austin
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-5%),
Positive
Trend
Growth
(1-5%),
Positive
Trend Growth
(1-5%),
Positive Trend
Growth (1-
5%),
Rapid Trend
Growth (>6%)
Source: Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data Systems (IPEDS)
Key: - = No Change,
= Declining (Negative) Trend,
= Positive Trend Growth (1-5%),
= Rapid Trend Growth (>6%)
14
DEI Benchmarking. The second benchmarking process that CSDLSI completed was to compare formal DEI structures and programs
within Syracuse University to these same nine peer institutions. This second benchmarking study focused on three factors: (1)
diversity planning and accountability, (2) the CDO role (CDIO at Syracuse University) and infrastructure and (3) notable DEI
findings. As Williams says, diversity plans “can’t breathe” without accountability, infrastructure, incentives and resources—or AIIR
(Williams, 2013)—and these are the four criteria used for evaluation of these plans and programs.
The results were illuminating. Like Syracuse University, many institutions in this review developed DEI capacity in the wake of high-
profile diversity flashpoints, microaggressions or campus climate incidents that sparked student activism. Such incidents may indeed
be the new normal and will require a polished, swift response mechanism from every university. It was disappointing, however, to see
such weak DEI accountability systems across the 10 institutions. Many have made high-profile DEI commitments, even promising
mandatory DEI training, yet accountability reports, metrics and public updates were scarce. Public accountability is an area for
opportunity at Syracuse University as well, one it responded to by publicly releasing the final reports of these research studies in full.
Intergroup dialogue programs are a best practice for bridging difference and Syracuse University has affirmed that it is training
facilitators and offering intergroup dialogue programs for faculty, students and staff. Syracuse University may lead its peers here, even
as more work remains to be done to build upon this promising start. In this moment, Syracuse University has a wide-open opportunity
to proactively strengthen the DEI dialogue structures Syracuse University has in place in a way that could create profound impact.
Summative Insights Informing this Plan
To support pursuit of the goal held by the University and the Board of Trustees to improve the Syracuse University experience for all
and based on the insights brought to light by the findings from these interlocking studies and by the careful examination of dozens
of other institutional DEI plans and actions, CSDLSI offered the following action steps for consideration as the University DEIA
Strategic Planning Task Force continues to build upon the DEI commitments already in motion:
1. Commit to a systematic approach to strengthen campus DEI plans, structures and accountability systems. Take all the
data presented in these studies into consideration. Continue to build the office of the CDIO, especially adding a stronger
lateral infrastructure in the schools, colleges and administrative units. Create a campuswide DEIA plan and accountability
system and fund it. This work is already under way.
2. Elevate DEI as a visible strategic priority in all academic, communication, philanthropic and programmatic activities of
the University. Create an elevated DEI platform for the community to engage with annually around progress and actions
and offer regular DEI town halls for communication of progress and community input.
3. Further mandate DEI professional development training and leadership development for all students, faculty and staff.
The University has many efforts ongoing that can be scaled up. Most importantly, Syracuse University needs an integrated
DEI training and professional development framework and implementation model, to make the University’s efforts amount
to more than the sum of their parts.
4. Improve campus climate by building community. Consider the accessibility audit results for classrooms, buildings, public
spaces and respond; also consider other community needs that arose in these surveys (such as prayer space) and address
what you find. Bring renewed attention to staff DEI initiatives. Scale up DEI-centric student living-learning communities
(LLCs). In short, engage in efforts to bring the Syracuse University community together.
5. Continue to work to enhance faculty and staff diversity. There are many best practices in this area and your recent $50
million commitment is a bold step in the right direction.
Indeed, these recommendations were closely considered by the DEIA planning task force. They went on to inform the actions
presented in the next two sections of this plan, which highlight current DEIA commitments that the University has already made and
implemented, in addition to new recommendations that emerged as a result of the planning process in the second semester of the
2021-2022 academic year.
15
SECTION 3. STRATEGIC DEIA COMMITMENTS
TO BUILD INFRASTRUCTURE AND MOMENTUM
In the past 18 months, as our consulting and climate research was in progress, Syracuse University has already made several
multimillion-dollar investments and many commitments for change into diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility efforts. These
early steps both inform this plan and delineate some of the campus’s newest DEIA initiatives. For example, to better serve students,
the University, in conversation with #NotAgainSU student leaders and ongoing DEIA planning discussions has fulfilled, completed
or made substantive progress against 49 of the 50 DEIA campus commitments.
Taken collectively, these commitments and other efforts have dramatically increased the University’s potential to enhance diversity,
increase understanding of the needs of diverse groups and transform the lived experience of the entire campus community. We
highlight some of the more substantive commitments below. These actions stand as crucial institutional strategic DEIA commitments
or “big bets” that will both inspire and define the campus’s efforts to achieve stronger and more substantive DEIA outcomes moving
forward.
A Full-time CDIO Unit
•
Committed and skilled leadership is key to a DEIA-focused culture and success. In 2018, Syracuse University developed
its chief diversity and inclusion officer (CDIO) role, initially in an interim capacity to help address the institution’s
immediate need for stronger DEI senior leadership. After a lengthy and comprehensive search that included vetting over
200 applicants, in May 2019, the University officially appointed Keith A. Alford, Ph.D., to serve as its inaugural CDIO.
•
In 2020, to further support the development of a more centralized institutional diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility
strategy and infrastructure, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) was established. Within less than a year, the ODI
team has grown to include four full-time (FT) along with several part-time (PT) employees and has officially opened in a
renovated space on campus. Under the supervision and leadership of the CDIO, the ODI is charged with shepherding,
advancing and monitoring the enhancement of existing DEIA strategies, programs, policies and initiatives across campus.
•
We propose the evolution of the ODI in several ways, including increasing the number of FTE from four to 10-12,
increasing the operating budget of the ODI into six figures and aligning it to lead the campuswide DEIA implementation
process. As part of this proposal, we recommend a full-time executive director of DEIA implementation to join as a senior
member of the ODI team.
3
•
A one-year appointment, the diversity fellow for inclusive excellence will co-lead the development and implementation of
inclusive excellence initiatives under the direction of the CDIO. They will provide DEIA research and expertise, develop
new funding mechanisms, liaise with faculty and develop change management strategies.
Faculty Diversity and DEIA Curriculum Innovation
•
In early March of 2021, the Syracuse University Board of Trustees authorized a $50 million investment into faculty
diversity hiring and retention initiatives. While the process for accessing these funds remains under development, the
commitment has been made to substantively increase the number of diverse faculty members on campus (Goal #2).
•
Beginning in fall 2020, the University redesigned and strengthened its first iteration required course, SEM 100—now
structured as FYS101 plus an accompanying set of second courses for seniors. This step included allocating a $1 million
budget for the 2021 fiscal year along with a $2 million annual budget for the 2022 fiscal year and beyond. These
resources will directly support the ongoing development and expansion of required DEIA courses offered at Syracuse
University (Goal #4).
Dedicated DEIA Counselors and Expanded Cultural Spaces
•
The University allocated an additional $500,000 to the Office of Student Living (OSL) to support the hiring of a new
assistant director of diversity and inclusion (Feb. 1, 2021) and to develop more diversity, equity and inclusion staff
trainings and student programs.
•
The University created four new counselor positions in addition to hiring four BIPOC counselors in the past year. Three or
more of the University’s counselors are bi- or multilingual. Counseling is extremely important for the success and sense of
belonging of many students.
3
This is a promising practice that we would like to model from the University of Michigan DEI implementation process.
16
•
In February of 2021, the renovated Schine Student Center opened on campus offering 8,600 square feet of gathering
and reservable space in the heart of campus. With a redesign plan informed by input from the campus community—
including more than 1,700 suggestions and recommendations gathered from students—the Schine Student Center offers
a welcoming, accessible space on campus where cultural centers and offices that offer students support services are
housed to increase visibility and access on campus. Referred to as the Intercultural Collective, these centers and offices are
prominently featured and highlighted as an essential component to creating a campus climate of everyday inclusion for all.
•
In early 2020, the new National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC) at the D’Aniello Building opened on campus with the
goal of advocating for and addressing social, financial and public health issues specific to the experiences of veterans and
their loved ones.
Efforts to Create a More Evidence-Based DEIA Strategy
•
In December 2019, the University commissioned several year-long external reviews, assessments and evaluations,
including a comprehensive DEI research study that included: conducting a campus climate pulse survey of students,
faculty and staff in fall of 2020; completing an inventory and evaluation of existing DEI programs, policies and initiatives
in all schools and colleges along with other major divisions and units on campus; and a national peer benchmarking DEI
study. These strategic inputs—along with dozens of others—informed the development of many of the goals, objectives,
strategies and metrics included in Syracuse University’s inaugural five-year DEIA strategic plan.
•
Between 2018 and 2021, Syracuse University’s Disability External Review Committee conducted an assessment
and evaluation of our institution to further advance its commitment to going “beyond compliance” with our approach
to accessibility and better serving students, faculty and staff with disabilities. This committee offered a report with
recommendations—some of which can be implemented with no additional costs—and all of which will require institution-
wide collaboration, substantial investments and specialized resources allocated to support, strengthen and advance the
University’s accessibility infrastructure over the next three to five years. Syracuse University’s vision for expanding its
resources and trainings around accessibility begins, if only symbolically, with the elevation of the Office of Disability
Services (ODS) to the Center for Disability Resources (CDR).
Increased Financial Aid, Addressing Student Concerns
•
The Chancellor has prioritized increasing financial aid packages for all students, including international students, as part of
the University’s $1.5 billion Forever Orange campaign.
•
In 2020, the University experienced a nearly $50,000 increase in The Greater China Alumni Endowed Scholarship Fund.
•
Syracuse University increased financial aid packages for current international students who have demonstrated academic
excellence for the 2020-2021 academic year.
•
Overall, Syracuse University has been and remains committed to improving campus climate and relations among different
campus constituencies over time by regularly sponsoring and hosting open forums and town hall events to facilitate open,
ongoing, constructive, yet respectful, dialogue around topics of DEIA.
These new efforts expand the University’s DEIA capacity are part of the key actions that we will take to embolden DEIA efforts at
Syracuse University over the next five years and beyond.
17
SECTION 4. DEIA GOALS, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES, METRICS (GOSM)
This strategic plan is presented in response to the University’s ongoing pursuit of DEIA excellence. Our ultimate goal is to enact
transformational change. Such a goal is not possible, however, without a thorough understanding and articulation of what it is we
seek to accomplish and a clear pathway that will guide us throughout this journey. At the core of this plan are leadership, transparency
and accountability, demonstrated in its intentional movement and in progress that is carefully measured, presented and tracked. To
adeptly respond over the course of the next five years, this plan will become a living document, shifting and evolving in pace with the
University’s growth.
The five robust goals introduced in Section 1 and delineated below speak to the expansion of and DEIA across campus. Objectives
and strategies have been developed to implement these goals. In addition to the explicated strategies that are noted below, we
will build analytical dashboards to track the metrics outlined within this plan. The aim of these dashboards is accountability to all
members of the Syracuse University community and transparency. Dashboards can provide consistent feedback on whether we are
meeting our DEIA goals. If the metrics clearly show that we are not making progress at a speed commensurate with our vision, we
can change course. Dashboards also offer the opportunity for the campus community to create, as objectively as possible, a shared
understanding of where we are today and how well we are advancing toward our ultimate objectives.
Goal #1: Enhance campus climate to create a sense of belonging for all
Rationale: Campus climate is created by examining University governance, culture, academics, technologies and facilities. In terms
of students, a sense of belonging must be established from the onset of every student’s first engagement with the University and
during their prospective student process, in order to nurture the process of becoming. Institutional measures, metrics and strategies
are necessary to follow the student life cycle from admissions to alumni status.
Goal #1 Accountability Partners:
•
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
•
Chief Human Resources Officer
•
Senior Vice President, Student Experience
•
Vice Chancellor of Strategic Initiatives
•
Vice President for Community Engagement and Government Relations
Exhibit 4.1. Goal #1 objectives, strategies and metrics
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
1. Prioritize DEIA: Identify
University-level priorities for
DEIA and create mechanisms
to track progress.
a.
Proactively respond to DEIA societal
challenges, including but not limited to
racial inequity, police and community
relations, Islamophobia, anti-Semitism,
xenophobia and sustainability, as a
microcosm of New York State and society
at large.
b.
Develop a comprehensive DEIA
orientation for first-year students.
c.
Establish an enduring governance
structure to provide inclusive oversight,
communications and focus on sustained
effort with regard to goals and objectives
•
Number of internal and external
communications about current events
and anniversaries related to social
justice.
•
Track curriculum that promotes history
and culture of diverse communities.
•
Track attendance at DEIA orientation.
18
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
2. Student Housing:
Create
a
sense of belonging for
all
students by expanding
options for theme or identity-
based student housing, with a
special focus on marginalized
identities, including a special
emphasis on improving the
lived experience of BIPOC,
LGBTQ+, disability, women
and religiously diverse
communities to name a few.
a.
Expand the Intercultural Collective model
to living & learning to allow for community
building.
b.
Secure accessible homes for identity and
theme-based living that fosters student-
run programming, offers additional
performative, social and private space for
prayer and reflection.
c.
Identify gender-inclusive housing options
(both in North and South Campus)
and inform students of these (including
policies) prior to housing selection.
d.
Consider fostering DEIA initiatives
through faculty-in-residence, community
service projects and language immersion.
•
Secure central funding for student-
led grant projects advancing DEIA
projects.
•
Number of spaces devoted to theme
or identity-based living.
•
Ongoing and regular assessment of
campus living environments, including
classifying and tracking the types
and diversity of living environments
available to students.
3. Communication:
Develop a comprehensive
communications strategy
that
outlines University
services, resources, policies,
practices and governance
structures that create
a community rooted in
transparency.
a.
Create cascade communications to
respective communities outlining action
steps and progress related to DEIA efforts.
b.
Establish town hall meetings that
directly address the campus climate and
encourage opportunities for meaningful
exchanges and engagements pertaining to
DEIA.
•
University commits to a “state of the
DEIA” convenings once a semester
sponsored by ODI and University
senior leadership.
•
Expand the University wide
calendar to include recognition
and acknowledgement of historical
moments, events and holidays, that
celebrate a diversity of populations.
4. Bias Response:
Strengthen
the University bias
response function and
generate alignment with the
University’s diversity and
inclusion office.
a.
Establish in each school/college or
major University unit a bias coordinator/
navigator, reporting to a University-level
bias coordinator.
b.
Align the bias coordinators/navigators with
the embedded DEIA function that already
exists within each college or major unit.
c.
Educate faculty, students and staff about
the new procedures in meetings and
classes.
•
Percent of units that have established
a bias coordinator/navigator.
•
Track number of bias cases reported
and resolved, including time to
resolution, year over year.
•
Decrease in number of Stop Bias
reports.
19
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
5. Community Engagement:
Establish and continually
assess measures of
success to bolster diverse
stakeholder engagement,
including alumni, the City of
Syracuse and international
and domestic students.
a.
Continue to develop events and programs
for domestic students and international
students to interact and socialize with
each other.
b.
Build a strong onboarding process where
international students are welcomed and
paired with domestic students both pre-
orientation and during orientation.
c.
Increase communication channels for
international-themed events and activities.
d.
Introduce peer-led team learning (PLTL)
as a means to improve language skills and
integrate international students in the
campus community.
e.
Expand parent and alumni engagement
policies, processes and practices.
f.
Study supplier diversity policies,
processes and practices.
g.
Continue to develop and expand targeted
alumni programs, volunteer opportunities
and partnerships that engage all segments
of the alumni base.
h.
Create events that immerse students in
local programs for interaction with City
of Syracuse residents—e.g., mentoring
program, Adopt a Classroom event, food
donation/distribution events—and hold
events in city areas, such as Citrus in the
City, to expose students to city areas.
•
Track events and programs for
domestic/international student mixing.
•
Track number of PLTL programs
and survey for benefits participants
experienced
•
Track parent and alumni interactions
and donations by race and gender
•
Track donations by alumni status, race
and gender.
•
Track international retention and time-
to-degree across all countries of origin
to identify gaps between international
and domestic student retention.
•
Annually objectively measure
diverse alumni engagement through
University event participation, giving
and volunteer service against pre-
established goals.
•
Survey participants to collect
qualitative responses about their
experiences with each engagement.
•
Conduct event exit surveys for
satisfaction of experience at event.
6. Campus Navigation:
Provide real-time access from
any device to information on
how to navigate the campus,
enabling students to feel
a sense of belonging and
security.
a. Implement a multi-lingual, multi-modal,
machine intelligent and conversational
robotic chat service to provide scalable
just-in-time help for students, faculty, staff
and visitors.
•
Implement program.
•
Track usage across student
populations.
7. Onondaga Nation
Relations:
Improve and
raise
awareness of the
University’s relationship with
the Onondaga Nation and its
presence on ancestral land
a.
Create by 2024 a permanent installation
that acknowledges the University’s
relationship with the Onondaga Nation
and its presence on ancestral land.
b.
Update the current land
acknowledgement statement that
articulates the responsibilities that come
with being on the land.
•
Installation recognizing the Onondaga
Nation completed by 2024.
•
Statement changes completed by
2022.
20
Goal #2: Recruit, support and retain diverse students, faculty and staff
Rationale: Diverse faculty, staff and graduate assistants are a key asset that is underrecognized yet foundational to supporting
diversity on campus. Additionally, evolving demographics, including the following, point to a need for action:
•
As the 2015 Academic Strategic Plan makes clear, student demographics are evolving: “Within the U.S. and globally,
there are dramatic demographic shifts occurring that will have significant impacts on higher education as we now know it.
Today’s typical college student is no longer an 18- to 24-year-old studying full time on campus; they are likely to be older,
have a history of work experience and be more economically, racially diverse and with one or more accessibility challenges.
As the traditional college-age population declines, domestic undergraduate enrollment is slowing and we are experiencing
an increase in international populations pursuing their educations at U.S. institutions. To remain competitive in attracting
the next generation of students, higher education must be prepared to adapt and change course to improve the quality
of the student experience. This increasingly broad range of learners has implications for, among other things, recruitment
strategies, academic program offerings, faculty composition, pedagogy/andragogy and career services.”
•
From the Syracuse University State of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Executive Overview Report:
»
Exhibit 7.2: 2013-2018, Syracuse University benchmark data comparison to nine peer institutions depicts, in the
critical dimension of URM undergraduate students, women in graduate school and women studying in the STEM
disciplines, that the University was trending negative.
»
Exhibit 7.7 (Representation gaps: URM faculty versus undergraduate students [percent], peer institutions,
2018/2019), Syracuse had an equity gap of seven percentage points between the percent of URM faculty (9%) and
the percent of URM students (16%). This gap placed Syracuse near the middle of the pack compared with institutions
in this peer group analysis. Increasing representation of diverse faculty and staff would better support students.
»
“Faculty clearly experience Syracuse University in ways that are distinctly influenced by and differ by their social
identity. Across every measure of this study, racial minority, disability and other diverse faculty communities reported
a less favorable experience than their majority counterparts. This fact can be found whether examined through the
social identity lenses of gender, race/ethnicity, sexuality, religion, disability, or financial stability.”
Other resources for rationales include #NotAgainSU Campus Commitments, data from Admitted Student Questionnaire and data
in Appendix B.
Goal #2 Accountability Partners:
•
Vice President of Enrollment
Management
•
Director of Scholarships
•
Chancellor
•
Schools’ Undergraduate Offices
•
Office of the Provost
•
Associate Provost of
Faculty Affairs
•
Chief Human Resources Officer
•
Chief Diversity and
Inclusion Officer
•
Enrollment and Student
Experience
•
Senior Vice President,
Student Experience
•
Associate Vice President for
Academic Affairs
•
Vice President for
Community Engagement and
Government Relations
•
Shaw Center
•
Special Studies in Education
•
Hendricks Chapel
21
Exhibit 4.2. Goal #2 objectives, strategies and metrics
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
1. Student
Recruitment:
Increase
the recruitment of
diverse students to
provide parity and
equitable access
in proportion to
diversity across the
U.S. of the college-
going population.
We must lead our
peer institutions in
enrollments that
exceed proportionate
numbers of the
population that makes
up the college-going
pool of students.
a.
Make student enrollment/admissions pool representative
of diverse college-going population for each program.
b.
Deepen support of the partnerships and the connections
between these programs that Syracuse University already
has (e.g., SSS, HEOP) to provide wrap-around services
(identify and apply as needed) to improve retention to
graduation for diverse students.
c.
Recruit at college fairs and conventions (Essence
Festival, Congressional Black Caucus, NAACP, National
Urban League, LULAC, UnidosUS, etc.) where the
majority of participants are typically from historically
underrepresented groups.
d.
Seek individual gifts and corporate/foundation funding to
expand current support services (HEOP, SSSP, McNair,
LSAMP, CSTEP, etc.) to serve students beyond the state
and federal grant restrictions.
e.
Increase partnership program outreach to historically
underrepresented populations and Native (Indigenous)
student initiatives, rural student outreach.
•
Deliver a complete student
demographic scorecard
incorporating the most
current data for each school/
program1.
•
Annual public report of all
programs’ plan progress.
Progress should demonstrate
increase in diverse
population to better reflect
broader demographics of
college going population.
Reports go to CDIO and
chancellor.
•
Incentivize by increasing
budgets for schools as they
increase retention (first year)
and graduation of diverse
students
4- to 6-year graduation rates.
•
Track diverse applicant
pools of students through
admissions, acceptance
and graduation, including
exit surveys for students
upon graduation/early
alumni status (push First-
Destination Survey &
Engagement Scorecard
results).
•
Emphasize and promote
the award for students
graduating on time
(15-to-finish).
22
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
2.
Faculty Recruitment:
Increase recruitment
of diverse faculty so
that demographics
more closely represent
the diverse student
population proportion
of diversity across the
U.S. This represents a
floor, not a ceiling.
a.
Hire a dedicated faculty diversity recruitment specialist.
b.
Offer a Post-doc to Faculty Pipeline Program.
c.
Establish diverse faculty exchange programs with HBCUs,
MSIs, HSIs.
d.
Establish formal and informal recruiting relationships.
e.
Require search committees complete prerequisite DEIA
professional development training.
f.
Incentivize schools, colleges, divisions and units for
increasing and retaining diverse faculty (e.g., unit receives
increased annual budget for DEIA if their goals are met or
exceeded).
g.
Embed inclusive language within job descriptions—beyond
the EEO Statement.
h.
Actively recruit from the PHD Project - strengthen this and
similar partnerships.
i.
Re-engage with our doctoral students who have continued
into the academy to make Syracuse University a place
where they hope to place their doctoral students.
•
Require a qualified, diverse
applicant pool for every
search with the expectation
that the candidate pool will
be diverse.
•
Track search committee
completing prerequisite
DEIA professional
development before the
position opens.
•
Reduced diverse faculty
turnover rates.
•
Increase the number of
Native American and
Indigenous faculty over the
course of five years.
23
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
3.
Staff Recruitment:
Increase recruitment
of diverse staff so
that
demographics more
closely represent
the diverse student
population proportion
of diversity across the
U.S. This represents a
floor, not a ceiling.
4. Increase recruitment
of
diverse higher-
level
staff positions
so that
management
and
executive level
demographics
represent proportional
diversity to student
population.
a.
Identify and address barriers to diverse
staff hires.
b.
Increase unit budget for increasing diversity.
c.
Develop and implement guidelines that require a diverse
applicant pool and candidate slate for all searches before a
final decision on hiring can be made.
d.
Increase advertisement in diverse publications and/or job
boards regarding available positions (e.g., The Chronicle of
Higher Education, INSIGHT Into Diversity, Diverse Issues,
alumni newsletters, etc.).
e.
Attend diversity-focused recruitment events such as
SRED.
f.
Use strategic funds to hire diverse candidates.
g.
Follow-up to applicants/candidates who decline offers:
Why? Understand what we can do enhance offer
acceptance.
h.
Reimagine remote, flexible workforce strategy.
•
Track diverse conversion
rates from candidate pool to
staff hire.
•
Track staff diversity
metrics to mirror broader
demographics.
•
Track successful hires from
diverse outreach recruiting.
•
Further collect qualitative
results of remote work
during COVID and those
offices that already have
remote work arrangements.
When needed, have each
unit identify areas that are
conducive to remote work
and offer those possibilities,
in an equitable manner when
available.
24
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
5.
Student Retention/
Graduation:
Increase
student persistence/
retention to degree
completion.
a.
Develop demographic dashboard for each unit/program
tracking student retention: by race/ethnicity and gender/
gender expression.
b.
Continue to execute a campuswide strategic student
retention plan.
c.
Develop a communication hub for information from
Registrar, OIR, Student Success and Retention Office,
HEOP, etc. to school and college personnel tasked with
student success and the DEIA personnel.
d.
Increase student support systems within each school or
college (e.g., affinity groups for international students).
e.
Provide professional development (not training) for
faculty and staff to support creation/sustaining of affinity
groups.
f.
Normalize help-seeking behaviors for accessibility and
neurodiversity.
g.
Provide quiet spaces for students and faculty to reduce
sensory stimulation, engage in contemplation or prayer.
h.
Increase staffing at the Center for International Services.
i.
Increase free tutoring services for undergraduate students.
j.
Identify lower-level courses that may have a higher degree
of at-risk/in-need students and attach liaison/advocates
to facilitate the connection between the classroom and
various campus resources.
k.
Collaborate with faculty to increase usage of Orange
Success’s flagging system to identify and support
struggling students.
•
Track student withdraws and
transfers out of Syracuse
University by demographics;
report each semester
(Registrar & OIR receive this
info).
•
All student success and
retention numbers increase
over time with no significant
variation by race/ethnicity,
gender, accessibility
status, sexual orientation,
international or domestic, or
any identity we track.
•
Schools and colleges meet
and exceed their retention
and graduation goals for
African American, Latine,
Indigenous, International
students and women.
4
•
Participate in the HEED
Survey.
•
Repeat Campus Climate
Survey in synchronous
cadence and frequency
with NSSE, ASQ and other
instruments.
•
Measure retention and time
to degree for international
students.
•
Increase first-year retention
by 1%/year, with the ultimate
goal of reaching 95%;
eliminate differences among
demographic groups.
4
In programs and units where women are underrepresented.
25
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
6. Staff & Faculty
Retention
a.
Make performance management process more meaningful
and incentivized for both faculty and staff.
b.
Provide professional development (not training) for
faculty and staff to support creation of and sustaining
motion for affinity groups.
c.
Recommend high-potential employees (faculty and staff)
to premium training programs (e.g., HERS).
d.
Highlight and celebrate the professional accomplishments
of the University’s diverse staff using external resources
(e.g., The Network Journal).
e.
Help with trailing spouse/significant other employment
support.
f.
Develop Leadership Academy for those underrepresented
in leadership.
g.
Make tenure timelines more flexible and amenable to
candidates undergoing negotiations.
h.
DEIA training for TPR committees/departments.
i.
D&I connected to human resources performance review
systems for leadership at dean level and senior leadership.
j.
Capacity building across Syracuse University - Develop
“DEI-intensive” programs that are mission-focused on
DEIA as the top, or possibly only, strategic priority, no
matter how they may define diversity, equity and inclusion.
k.
Multicultural affairs offices, women’s studies departments,
queer theories courses, unconscious bias trainings and
social-justice-oriented excursions (domestic and global)
can all be considered DEI-intensive capabilities.
l.
Encourage current employees of color to consider
advancement opportunities and positions outside their
current functional, technical, or professional area.
m.
Access DEIA campus partners not only to conduct
stay and exit interviews but also to help ensure career
advancement and retention.
n.
Support the creation of visiting professorships and
administrative fellowships for higher education
professionals from underrepresented backgrounds.
o.
Review roles for progressive career tracks: most roles have
no upward track.
p.
Explore clarifying employee advancement/development
tracks.
•
Require diversity and
inclusion as key component
of all faculty and staff
evaluations, CV updates
and tenure and promotion
decisions.
•
Create more University-
funded affinity groups that
align with DEIA.
•
Track accompanying
partner reporting successful
employment.
•
Incorporate exit interviews
into the voluntary
terminations process.
•
Decrease in diverse and
women faculty departures;
decrease in “stalls.”
•
Leadership shifts and begins
to look like the diverse
campus population.
•
Repeat Campus Climate
Survey in synchronous
cadence and frequency with
NSSE and other instruments.
26
Goal #3: Advance institutional infrastructure related to
DEIA learning, professional development and civic innovation
Institutional infrastructure must be put in place and centrally coordinated in order to effectively implement the learning, professional
development and civic innovation that will give rise to the ability to skillfully bridge differences, cultural humility and a sense of safety
and belonging. Such infrastructure must be endorsed and encouraged by University leadership committed to the DEIA mission and
to improving outcomes for the University’s students, faculty and staff as well as its bottom line.
Rationale: Strategies from the Executive DEI Overview Report: “The low level of DEI program capacity was validated by listening
session participants calling for more DEI training and with climate survey data illustrating concerning levels of discrimination felt
across diverse communities. Organizations that are most effective at advancing their organizational goals overall are more likely than
others to link learning and training to performance as integral parts of their capability building programs (McKinsey, 2014).” And:
“DEI learning programs to help students, faculty and staff accumulate cultural awareness and build the necessary skills to handle DEI
conflict more effectively when it emerges.”
Goal #3 Accountability Partners:
•
Chief Human Resources Officer
•
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
•
Provost
Exhibit 4.3. Goal #3 objectives, strategies and metrics
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
1.
Professional DEIA
Development: University-
provided professional DEIA
development for faculty, staff
and students where
“development” is understood
as
ongoing and “training” is
understood as one-off. Develop
a common reference system
to categorize and relate DEIA
programming, services, etc., to
give a shared understanding of
our DEIA efforts.
a.
Implement mandatory biannual, University-wide
DEIA development for faculty and staff.
b.
Students: Incoming Freshmen Course requirement
(FYS101).
c.
Staff ODI, CTLE, ESE and HR with person explicitly
tasked to communicate, coordinate and build DEIA
training and development programs for faculty, staff
and students.
d.
Require diversity.edu modules for all as part of
performance evaluation.
e.
Development options offered to faculty, students
and staff.
f.
Establish minimum requirements for DEIA
knowledge, skills and abilities for students/faculty/
staff.
g.
Integrate required DEIA participation with the
Faculty Information System (FIS).
h.
Integrate required DEIA participation with the staff
Performance Partnership Review.
i.
Develop common standards and DEIA goals and
outcomes.
j.
Establish a framework of cultural humility to inform
interpersonal interactions and related competencies.
•
Track training
completions as part of
annual performance
evaluation using
established DEIA
measures for knowledge,
skills and abilities of
students/faculty/staff.
•
Track percentage of
students/faculty/staff
meeting or surpassing
minimum knowledge,
skills and abilities, year-
over-year.
•
Require all new-hire
staff and faculty to
complete diversity.edu
online development as a
condition of hire/part of
orientation.
•
Decrease in number of
Stop Bias reports.
27
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
2. Student DEIA Development:
Offer DEI-intensive training and
discussion that will develop a
baseline cultural humility and
DEIA competency for students.
a.
Use assessment results to revise as needed the
required first-year seminar course (FYS101);
periodically review and update the approved DEIA
courses for the new IDEA requirement.
b.
Offer more intergroup dialogue programs to allow
students to learn about, share and interact across
difference in a safe setting.
•
Number of students
taking these classes and
dialogue programs.
•
Surveys at end of class/
program asking how
much the class impacted
the student’s way of
thinking and operating in
the world.
3.
Civic Engagement:
Develop
innovative University wide
flagship civic engagement.
a.
Expand and unify existing partnerships with local
nonprofits, youth development groups and other
community service organizations.
b.
Continue to partner with local organizations and
agencies to offer DEIA training, development and
scholarship to their audiences.
c.
Explore potential to expand Literacy Corps and
other programs that engage students of color in local
service-learning activities.
d.
Implement a formal, voluntary day of service for
faculty and staff (e.g. on MLK Day, Juneteenth).
•
Increased use of pipeline
for inner-city students.
•
Community-engaged
scholarship counted/
rewarded in TPR
processes.
•
Day of service recorded
with increasing
percentage of faculty and
staff participation.
28
Goal #4: Elevate DEIA across the academic enterprise, transforming our approach to scholarship, research,
pedagogy,
curriculum, programs and services
Rationale: To ensure that no faculty member, student, or staff member or group is left behind and to become a peer institution leader,
Syracuse University will use an anti-oppressive and anti-racist framework to decolonize (modernize to be inclusive) the historic
procedures, processes and practices that contribute to inequitable experiences and outcomes for some groups of students, faculty
and staff.
Goal #4 Accountability Partners: CDIO and ODI in concert with:
•
Provost (deans) for faculty standards/mandates
•
Vice President, Student Experience
•
Chief Human Resources Officer for staff standards and mandates
•
Enterprise Risk Management
Exhibit 4.4. Goal #4 objectives, strategies and metrics
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
Remove oppressive and non-
inclusive structures and practices
in each of the following and invest
in infrastructure undergirding
the procedures, processes and
practices related to production,
implementation/dissemination
and evaluation of:
1.
Scholarship.
2. Research.
3.
Pedagogy/Curriculum.
4.
Programs.
5.
Services.
Remove and revise historic procedures, processes and
practices and incorporate anti-oppressive, anti-racist
and inclusive procedures, processes and practices that
lead to equitable experiences and outcomes for all
across each of these functions:
1.
Scholarship.
2. Research.
3.
Pedagogy/Curriculum.
4.
Programs.
5.
Services.
Reduce discrepancies across
student, faculty and staff
groups when disaggregated
by chosen metrics (such
as race, gender, religion,
sexual/affectual identity,
international identity and
ability identity) as compared
with peers across:
1.
Scholarship.
2. Research.
3.
Pedagogy/Curriculum.
4.
Programs.
5.
Services.
Overall:
To strengthen DEIA scholarship,
research, pedagogy/curriculum,
programs and services and to:
•
Adequately resource DEIA
infrastructure in terms of both
money and structure.
•
Infuse/integrate DEIA into all
activities and structures of
Syracuse University.
•
Decolonize (modernize to
be inclusive) all activities
and structures of Syracuse
University.
•
Promote community-engaged
scholarship.
a.
Enhance, establish and coordinate faculty, staff
and student info systems to account for DEIA
scholarship, teaching and services.
b.
Each school/college and division establishes a unit-
based strategic plan in alignment with the University
DEIA strategic plan.
i.
Each unit populates a plan based on the template
distributed by the Office of Diversity and
Inclusion and submits it to the ODI for feedback
prior to launch.
ii.
Central person coordinates, tracks, evaluates and
reports.
c.
Expand resources, staff and accountability in
ODI so it can better implement, coordinate and
assess University-level DEIA initiatives, plan
implementation and status.
•
Existence of a campuswide
DEIA accountability
system.
•
Existence of an integrated
consolidated action plan
(such as this one) and
prescribed actions taken.
•
Percent of operational units
with a DEIA plan.
•
Person/team hired, ODI
budget, staffing.
•
Syracuse University pulse
survey administered on
a regular basis, using the
2020 pulse survey as a
baseline, using the same
data disaggregation.
29
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
Infrastructure:
Document,
devise, distribute and
structure
DEIA-related
authority, accountability
and resources across all
University units to improve
the experiences of
students, faculty and staff
with
regards to scholarship,
research,
pedagogy/curriculum,
programs
and services.
a.
Devise and administer yearly a high-level DEIA-
specific functional table-top exercise/simulation. The
simulation will:
i.
Analyze already-determined unacceptable DEIA
losses and DEIA hazards. Devise scenarios and
worst-case conditions that produce the hazards
and risks identified above.
b.
Generate recommendations to improve the structural
design, alignment of authority, accountability
and responsibility, policies and procedures yearly
through table-top exercises.
•
Existence and consensus
on the DEIA mission of the
University.
•
Existence and consensus
on the functional model
for achieving each DEIA
objective and/or condition.
•
Existence and consensus
on DEIA dashboard.
•
Existence and a practice
of routine testing and
evaluation of system
design, policies and
procedures through
simulations and table-top
exercises.
1. Strengthen DEIA
scholarship
.
a.
Establish a campuswide challenge grant program to
spark DEIA innovation programming: a competition
for students, faculty, staff and collaborating units
to solve serious issues, including, but not limited to,
each of the following:
i.
Scholarly innovation.
ii.
Research collaboration.
iii.
Community building.
iv.
Removing (reframing) non-inclusive aspects of the
curriculum.
v.
Building cultural humility.
vi.
Advocacy and social justice enactment.
b.
Establish centralized access system to
interdisciplinary conceptual and methodological
supports for DEIA scholarship.
c.
Establish DEIA award categories for DEIA
scholarship and programming in current faculty,
staff and student scholarship recognition/award
programs.
•
Amount of funding
awarded through grant
program.
•
Number of grant recipients.
•
Creation of DEIA
scholarship support
system.
•
DEIA awards established
and awarded annually.
•
Number of academic
products (papers,
performances, conference
presentations, etc.)
produced by faculty, staff
and students that have a
DEIA component or focus.
30
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
2.
Strengthen
DEIA
research.
a.
Establish a DEIA faculty and post-doc fellows’
program.
b.
Add DEIA-integrated components into the
University’s 10 cluster hire areas (e.g., reporting).
c.
Integrate DEIA into the criteria within the current
CUSE grant awards program rubrics and create a
separate DEIA-intensive seed grant category.
•
DEIA faculty and post-
doc fellows’ program
established and funded.
•
Amount of external
funding raised for research
projects with a DEIA focus
or component.
•
Amount of internal grants
awarded for DEIA research.
•
Number of course releases
granted for DEIA research.
3.
Strengthen
DEIA
pedagogy
and curriculum.
a.
Develop professional development for faculty and
grad students to better understand how their own
identity impacts the process of teaching and learning
and how to infuse DEIA aspects into their curricula.
b.
Continue to require students to complete two exist-
ing DEIA-focused courses, one early in their journey
(freshman year/FYS101) and one later (senior year).
c.
Integrate required DEIA participation in student
program of study (Degree Works).
d.
Coordinate existing curricula that promote the histo-
ry and culture of diverse communities.
e.
Expand the Native American and Indigenous Studies
(NAIS) program to create a campuswide institute in
Native American and Indigenous studies. Charge the
institute to examine the feasibility of an undergrad-
uate major program and an interdisciplinary master’s
program.
f.
Provide summer funding for faculty to redesign
their courses, positioning it as a formal professional
development opportunity intended to create a safe
classroom space.
g.
Integration of DEIA content into professional de-
velopment responsibilities, process and systems for
faculty.
i.
Enhance capacity for the delivery and evaluation
of both DEIA-intensive and DEIA-integrated pro-
fessional development across the University.
•
Number of DEIA-certified
courses.
•
Number of students
successfully completing
DEIA-certified courses.
•
Number of students
successfully completing
required DEIA-focused
courses.
•
Number of faculty and
staff delivering DEIA
professional development.
•
Establishment of the Equity
& Success Center.
•
Track enrollment in hybrid-
type sections and courses.
31
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
3.
Strengthen
DEIA pedagogy
and curriculum.
continued
h.
Centralize coordination of and accountability for
DEIA professional development with an overarching
Equity & Success Center within Faculty Affairs or
Office of Diversity that vets, inventories, evaluates
the professional development delivered by Faculty
Affairs, Center for Teaching and Learning, Center for
Leadership and Professional Development, Office of
Diversity and Inclusion, First Year Seminar, Office of
Research, WiSE, Bird Library, the Graduate School,
and schools and colleges, as well as other units.
i.
Encourage professors to reach out and support stu-
dents who are struggling to succeed in and/or pass
their class.
j.
Develop comprehensive means for evaluating
outcomes (formative and summative) for DEIA
programs and efforts that go beyond satisfaction
assessments.
k.
Promote Universal Design to enhance access for all
students, including international students.
i.
Expand accessible multi-modal digital
technologies to enable the development and
delivery of courses, including in-person and
hybrid-type courses.
ii.
Increase course offerings in high-enrollment
(gateway) courses to include online or hybrid
sections.
iii.
Provide teaching assistance for courses offered in
hybrid formats.
4.
Strengthen
DEIA leadership
and professional development
training and certificate
programs.
a.
Scale up intergroup dialogue programming, a best
practice.
b.
Systematically track, collate, communicate and
certify both DEIA-intensive and DEIA-integrated
programming for students, faculty and staff.
c.
Continue to develop comprehensive DEIA certificate
programs for students, faculty and staff: guided by a
shared set of DEIA learning goals and appropriately
organized to allow for tracking of DEIA knowledge,
awareness and skill development.
d.
Establish participation and growth goals for
scaling DEIA programs across all faculty, staff and
administrative leadership: set yearly participation
goals and hold deans and other senior leaders
responsible for their participation and the
participation of their faculties and staff.
•
Number of DEIA-intensive
programs offered in an
academic year.
•
Number of DEIA-
integrative programs
offered in an academic
year.
•
Number of students/
faculty/staff/ participating
in at least one DEIA-
intensive program in an
academic year.
•
Number of students/
faculty/staff/ participating
in at least one DEIA-
integrative program in an
academic year.
32
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
5. Strengthen DEIA service.
a.
Maintain accurate and precise accounting and
reporting structures for effort and resources
expended by faculty and staff in DEIA efforts. Count
these efforts as part of official staff/faculty load (e.g.,
part of the staff’s 40 hour per week load).
b.
Consider staff and faculty sabbaticals focused on
advancing DEIA goals.
•
Amount of funding
provided for DEIA service
projects.
•
Number of campus DEIA
service projects.
•
Number of course releases
provided for DEIA service
projects.
Goal #5: Practice an inclusive understanding of accessibility
Accessibility involves making sure that physical and psychological obstacles do not prevent individual achievement or participation.
Accessibility is and will remain a priority at Syracuse University. We have an increasing number of students who require disability
services year-over-year. Already a group led by Pete Sala has comprehensively surveyed physical accessibility requirements on
campus and produced a related plan that can begin to align us to this fifth DEIA goal.
Syracuse University strives to be at the cutting edge of inclusivity by providing facilities that not only meet current standards but
exceed them in all new construction and renovations projects on campus. Notably, National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC) at
the D’Aniello Building is one of the most accessible buildings in the country, while the Schine Student Center and Barnes Center at
The Arch offer a new level of accessibility on campus.
Rationale: Critical to oursuccess in the practice of creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible campuswill be the commitment
to invest, at all levels, in inclusion and access in a way that ensures that every student, staff and faculty member is well cared for.
Goal #5 Accountability Partners:
•
Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer
•
Chief Human Resources Officer
33
Exhibit 4.5. Goal #5 objectives, strategies and metrics
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
1. Facilities that Exceed
Standards:
Strive to be at
the cutting edge of inclusivity
by providing facilities that
not only meet the current
standards but exceed them
in all new construction and
renovation projects on
campus.
a.
Completed: Develop multi-year Physical
Access Plan based on data analytics with an
accompanying funding plan for execution.
b.
Promote the continued development and
implementation of Syracuse University
Accessible Design Standards.
c.
Implement accessibility-related vetting and
include accessibility contract language in all
future construction and design projects.
d.
Develop guidelines and begin requiring
evidence of accessibility training for staff,
faculty, contractor project managers and
design team project managers.
e.
Raise awareness of Syracuse University as a
center of excellence for accessibility.
Currently in process:
•
Track the number of accessibility
projects.
•
Track the number of third-party
reviews and inspections.
•
Track funding expensed to
accessibility projects.
2. Accessibility Funding:
Ensure disability-related
costs are not a barrier
regarding hiring, planning
events, ensuring staff/faculty
accommodations.
a. Provide centralized funding for disability-
related accommodation requests such as
outsourcing of CART and audio transcriptions.
•
Track expenditures related to
CART and transcription services
requests for events/programming.
•
Track employee accommodation
requests and related costs.
3. Student Housing:
Further develop a more
inclusive residential living
environment for students,
reducing the need for
disclosure and individualized
accommodations. Expand
inclusive housing for
students with a diversity of
abilities and identities to live
comfortably together.
a.
Investigate the overlap of accessible housing
with the allocation of living space on South
Campus to be deemed “pet friendly” as
appropriate for service and support animals to
offer “pet friendly” residential options for on-
campus living on South Campus.
b.
Conduct facilities evaluation and needs
assessment to determine how much space
is needed over a period of five years and a
risk assessment regarding health safety of
allocated spaces.
c.
Expand accessible transportation between
South Campus and North Campus.
d.
Upgrade facilities to include community
gathering spaces such as gated area for dogs
and other service animals.
e.
Extend availability at the Barnes Center at The
Arch of pet therapy for students who do not
own their own animal.
•
Annual reduction in the number
of individualized requests for
housing accommodations.
•
Annual reduction in the number
of requests for disability-related
housing accommodations.
•
95% occupancy rate of South
Campus facilities by 2024.
•
Regularly survey students living
on South Campus to monitor
student satisfaction and aim for
increasing levels of satisfaction.
•
For availability of gender inclusive
housing on North Campus and
South Campus, ensure need is
met over a period of four years,
increasing needs met by 25%
each year.
•
Increase the inventory of North
Campus housing to ensure
all incoming and second year
students have access.
34
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
4. Neurodiversity Support:
Initiate new programming
for autistic and neurodiverse
students, focusing on the
transition to college, campus
connections and socio-
emotional supports.
a.
Expand the OnTrack program to include
targeted services for eligible students including
social skills development, mentoring and
coaching.
b.
Secure physical space on campus to
accommodate expansion of the OnTrack
program.
•
Pilot an expansion of services
through OnTrack by fall 2023
with the goal of extending the
services through fall 2024.
•
Track number of students served.
•
Survey students completing
program about changes/benefits
they experienced.
5. ASL/CART
Communications:
Provide a comprehensive
approach to coordinating
and removing barriers to
American Sign Language
(ASL) interpretation, audio
description and
Communication Access
Real-time Translation (CART)
services.
a.
Fund the hiring of: (a) one coordinator for
interpreting/CRT services and (b) two full-time
American Sign Language interpreters who
report to the ADA Coordinator.
b.
Additionally, hire two FT ASL Interpreters to
be deployed for on-campus events.
c.
Develop policy and processes regarding
requests for such services and publish to the
campus community.
•
Establish a team designated to
the coordination and fulfillment
of campuswide requests for
interpretation and CART services.
•
Establish and publish policy and
processes regarding requests for
such services.
6. Services Access:
Eliminate
barriers for students needing
to access academic services.
a.
Create a student paid role who can serve as the
liaison/advocate/tutor between faculty and
student services by college/department.
b.
Provide centralized funding streams to support
the following academic resource initiatives:
i.
Increase student agency to initiate request
for academic services. And reduce a
student’s need to seek resources through
contacting areas, offices, or departments.
c.
Assign tutors to lower-level courses to
decrease courses without points of contact by
to-be-determined percentage over 5 years.
•
Monitor GPA across semester/
sections for these specific
courses/sections with assigned
liaison/advocate/tutor.
•
Track students accessing
academic services to assess the
number of students in need of
academic assistance.
•
Funding initiated for increasing
student agency to initiate request
for academic services without
seeking resources through
contacting areas, offices, or
departments.
•
Decrease courses without points
of contact by a to-be-determined
percentage over five years.
35
Objectives
(What)
Strategies
(How)
Metrics
(Indicators of Change)
7. Digital Accessibility:
Secure
a sustainable model for
continued digital
accessibility
and ICT Policy
compliance
University wide
and avoid an
unfunded
mandate.
a.
Create an ITS Digital Accessibility Center that
offers ongoing procurement training specific to
accessibility needs associated with testing in
alignment with the policy.
b.
Increase # of ITS accessibility staff to assist in
building out and supporting the procurement
asset analysis, including the testing/verification
of a product’s accessibility.
c.
Work with schools/colleges, departments,
student organizations and vendors on the
collection of credible evidence to be used to
speed up the purchase approvals and to assure
compliance, or the creation of alternative
access plans.
d.
Provide ICT consulting to both the purchaser
and vendor and include a vendor section in the
Policy documenting expectations concerning
the procurement process and products and
services deliverables.
e.
Establish and manage the purchase process
improvements that include vendor survey
responses, evaluation techniques for the
Voluntary Product Accessibility Template and
the creation of an Accessibility Conformance
Report.
f.
Provide trainings on the new processes and
reporting materials.
g.
Secure funding and hire a Director of Digital
Accessibility by 2022.
h.
Secure funding and hire three additional
accessibility professionals by 2023.
•
Evaluate the Accessibility
Assessment Committee (AAC)’s
approval criteria and update as
needed.
•
Evaluate the impact of the
Accessibility Compliance
Committee (ACC) exception
process and update as needed.
•
Track and report ongoing
accessibility and universal
design training and consulting to
University staff and faculty.
•
Track and report ongoing
monitoring and reporting of
University website and course
content accessibility.
•
Track and report accessibility
monitoring and reporting of ICT,
both procured and legacy.
•
Track and report purchase
process improvement that
includes vendor survey responses
and evaluation techniques for the
Voluntary Product Accessibility
Template,
•
Establish an Accessibility
Conformance Report.
•
Director of Digital Accessibility
hired by 2022.
•
Three additional accessibility
professionals hired by 2023.
36
SECTION 5. AN ALIGNED IMPLEMENTATION AND ACCOUNTABILITY APPROACH
As noted in Section 3 of this plan and discussed at length in the Syracuse University State of DEI Executive Report, one of our
greatest opportunities lies in creating a campuswide, aligned DEIA strategy, infrastructure, implementation plan and approach to
accountability. Looking to the future of our DEIA efforts, we know that our culture of creativity, independence and decentralization
can be both our greatest strength and a significant challenge: a strength because independence empowers our units toward far-
reaching ideals and action when we put our minds to the work; a challenge because too often our efforts would benefit from
coordination and sharing, including replication of promising practices, a centrally coordinated/shared infrastructure and a combined
strategy that amounts to more than its individual pieces.
To help create the right mix of coordination and innovation, we propose the following recommendations for an aligned DEIA strategy,
infrastructure, implementation and accountability effort:
•
Develop aligned unit DEIA plans across campus. While the process will be presided over by the Office of the CDIO,
every school, college and major administrative unit should develop its own DEIA plan, aligned to this one, using a centrally
defined planning template. Each unit should submit their plan to the Office of the Chancellor by January of 2022. These
plans will outline that unit’s approach to advancing a five-year vision for change. Plans that currently exist should be
aligned with the Syracuse University strategic DEIA framework outlined in this plan.
•
Identify a strong DEIA activation leader in every unit that is developing a DEIA plan. As part of this process, every
responding unit should also identity a DEIA plan activation leader, who will serve as the dean’s or divisional leader’s
designee to activate their DEIA plan, if they do not have a sufficient leader already in place. This person’s job description
should be formally defined, making campuswide DEIA leadership a formal aspect of their role. Any necessary adjustments
should be made accordingly to allow for this expansion of responsibilities.
•
Produce an annual DEIA progress report. While the process should be presided over by the Office of the CDIO, every
unit developing an activation plan should also submit an annual progress report to the Office of the Chancellor, using a
standardized reporting tool.
•
Implement an intensive accountability review process. Submitted progress reports will go through an intensive review,
presided over by the CDIO and the ODI. Written feedback will be provided to each plan, discussing its strengths,
opportunities and recommendations for strengthening the plan’s implementation. With the authority of the Office of the
Chancellor, plans not illustrating a strong cadence of activation will require the leader of the submitting unit to illustrate an
improvement plan to address challenges noted in the review.
•
Evaluate current DEIA infrastructures to ensure alignment and sufficient capacity. Campus units should evaluate their
current DEIA infrastructure looking specifically at the: (1) Design of any DEIA roles to ensure that they are appropriately
positioned to lead as we look to accelerate our progress; (2) Staffing of any existing DEIA units; (3) Budget within the
DEIA unit; (4) DEIA Committee charter and membership; and (5) DEIA programming and strategy, ensuring alignment to
the campus plan. Results of these assessments and plans to enhance infrastructure should be provided as part of the unit’s
aligned DEIA plan.
•
Develop performance reviews aligned to the plan that take DEIA in full consideration. All campus performance reviews
should include goals for DEIA. Faculty activity reports should collect data regarding DEIA contributions.
•
All new hires at the director level and above must discuss their DEIA leadership and vision for alignment to the new
strategic DEIA plan. Moving forward, all new hires at the director level and above should illustrate their experience with
DEIA efforts as well as their vision for supporting DEIA plans’ implementation.
•
Establish an Annual Campuswide DEIA Learning and Accountability Forum. A daylong campuswide forum should be
hosted annually to report on DEIA implementation progress, successes, challenges and new initiatives. This event should
feature update remarks from the chancellor, CDIO and provost, as well as panel discussions allowing deans and other
senior leaders to discuss their implementation efforts. These campus presenters should be complemented by a featured
keynote speaker to discuss key aspects of the DEIA change journey. Ideally, this date will be synchronized to the annual
DEIA reporting cycle, creating a new tradition of coming together to discuss DEIA issues and their importance to the
overall campus community.
37
•
External review of the campus climate and DEIA implementation progress. In 2023, the University should implement an
external assessment of the campus climate and DEIA implementation process. These data would support ongoing progress
improvement and assessment of any changes in the reported experiences of students, faculty and staff participating in the
campus climate pulse study. These data and findings should be used to inform the second half of the
plan’s implementation.
These recommendations are offered as a way of building an aligned and hopefully high-caliber implementation effort across campus.
Inherent in these recommendations and indeed this entire plan, is the belief that our success can be enhanced by a more collaborative
and disciplined DEIA process.
Going forward, Syracuse University will continually assess its DEIA progress, test new ideas and have crucial conversations about
any pressing challenges that arise. Together, the campus community will listen, learn and move forward. Your dedication to making
Syracuse University a campus that is welcoming to all people is greatly appreciated. We are in constant exploration to build upon
our commonalities as we constructively work through challenges that may confront us. Likewise, our collaboration, cooperation and
camaraderie will help us as effective advocates for social justice and academic excellence.
38
CITATIONS AND REFERENCES
Tervalon, M., & Murray-Garcia, J. (1998). Cultural humility versus cultural competence: A critical distinction in defining physician
training outcomes in multicultural education. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 9(2), 117-125. DOI: 10.1353/
hpu.2010.0233
The following documents informed the work of the DEIA Strategic Planning Task Force as both strategic inputs and references.
1.
The Syracuse University State of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Executive Overview Report
, which
includes the:
a.
Syracuse University DEI Inventory Report, including submissions from 25+ schools and colleges and major
campus divisions and units
b.
Syracuse University DEI Peer Institution Benchmarking Findings
2.
Syracuse University Campus Climate Survey Technical Data Reports:
a.
Students
b.
Faculty
c.
Staff
3.
Loretta Lynch--Report on Syracuse University Department of Public Safety
4.
Board of Trustees Special Committee Final Report
5. Syracuse University Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility (DEIA) Strategic Planning Toolkit and Activation Guide:
Curated Best Practices, 10+ Sample Strategic Plans
6.
2007 Chancellor’s Task Force on Disability Report
7.
2020 Higher Potential Report
8.
June 2015 Academic Strategic Plan Draft
9.
Notes and Recommendations from 30+ Discussion Sessions
10. Insights to Action Confidential Feedback Online Survey Tool
11.
2020 Campus Commitments to Diversity and Inclusion
12.
Disability Intersectionality Summit - Access is Love
13.
American Alliance of Museums - Definitions of Diversity, Equity, Accessibility and Inclusion
39
APPENDIX A. UNIVERSITY DEIA HISTORY AND TIMELINE OF MILESTONES
Syracuse University has a long tradition of creating, promoting and enhancing a diverse and inclusive campus community. The
timeline below offers an overview of key DEIA milestones that make up the University’s legacy of striving to be an advocate,
innovator and champion of diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility in higher education. This timeline is and will remain, a work in
progress. If you have an item that should be considered for inclusion, please email it to
.
Year
Milestone
1870
•
Syracuse University promotes equal education for men and women.
1872
•
Mary L. Huntley, the only student identifying as a woman in the c/o 1872, graduates. The First Women’s
Fraternity at Syracuse University is founded.
1874
•
Syracuse University offers the nation’s first bachelor of fine arts (BFA) degree.
1876
•
Sarah M. Loguen, class of 1876, would go on to become the fourth African American woman physician in
the United States, and the first woman licensed to practice medicine in the Dominican Republic, graduates
from Syracuse University.
1889
•
Cornelia Maria Clapp, the first woman to earn a doctorate in Biology in the United States, graduated from
Syracuse University. Syracuse University was one of the few universities that admitted women to graduate
programs in the sciences.
1893
•
William Lewis Buckley becomes the first African American graduate to earn a Syracuse University Ph.D.
1898
•
Women’s basketball team established.
1902
•
Syracuse University holds its first summer sessions creating more educational opportunities to
nontraditional students.
1910
•
Alpha Phi Alpha, Inc., a historically black fraternity, is chartered on Syracuse University’s campus.
1903
•
William H. Johnson becomes the College of Law’s first African American alumnus and Bessie
Seely becomes the first alumna.
1918
•
Syracuse University becomes one of the first schools in the nation to open its doors to non-traditional
students, offering evening classes to adults seeking lifelong learning.
1923
•
The Kappa Lambda Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc., a historically black sorority, is chartered on
Syracuse University’s campus.
1924
•
The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, one of the few schools in the nation to combine
social sciences and public administration education, opens its doors.
1930
•
Hendricks Chapel is dedicated and opened.
1931
•
The Student Dean Program for Women is established.
1939
•
Wilmeth Sidat-Singh graduates as the first Black student-athlete to play on the Men’s Basketball team and
Quarterback on the Football team.
1943
•
100 Japanese American students admitted to Syracuse University directly from internment camps.
•
Marguerite J. Fisher G’42 (Ph.D.) becomes first female professor at the Maxwell School.
1946
•
To better serve adult, working, veterans, and part-time students, the School of Extension is reorganized
to form University College (UC) placing adult education on an equal status with the other Syracuse
University colleges and schools.
•
Syracuse University admits 9,464 veterans after Congress passed the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act
of 1944 (better known as the G.I. Bill of Rights) which provided WW II veterans with benefits including
education grants.
1948
•
Syracuse University enrolls another nearly 10,000 veterans through the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of
1944 (better known as the G.I. Bill of Rights)—more than any other university in the state of New York.
40
Year
Milestone
1953-1952
•
The Women’s Building opens and establishes a building for women’s activities and physical education with
the impetus coming from the Women’s League, Women’s Athletic Association, alumnae clubs and other
women organizations.
•
Established Hoople Center for Special Education.
•
Established the Army Comptrollership Program.
1956
•
The International Student Office (later to be named the Office of International Services and then the
Center for International Services) is founded.
1957
•
The Joint Student Government Association was formed.
1961
•
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. addresses an audience of more than 700 people at Sadler Dining Hall.
•
Syracuse University celebrates Ernie Davis ’62, as the first Syracuse University football player and first
African American to win the Heisman Trophy.
1969-1962
•
Project Opportunity begins at University College as an antipoverty program, providing Syracuse
University scholarship support for adults who are academically unprepared and financially disadvantaged.
It later becomes Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP).
•
After arriving in 1966, John L. Johnson quickly becomes a prominent figure at Syracuse University, laying
the foundation for what would become the African American Studies department, acting as assistant
provost for minority group affairs, and sitting on the commission overseeing the “Syracuse Eight” football
boycott investigation. While teaching at the School of Education, he founded the Croton-on-Campus
(later, the King-on-Campus) which brought local inner-city students to Syracuse University classrooms to
provide otherwise unavailable learning opportunities.
•
From 1962 to 1967, University College manages Syracuse University’s role as the country’s third largest
trainer of Peace Corps volunteers.
•
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. addresses an audience of 1,000 at Sims Dining Hall during his second visit.
•
Thursday Morning Roundtable begins as a public service forum for a cross-section of civic leaders in
Syracuse; it has since earned numerous national awards, spanning more than 50 years.
•
Sidney Ogelsby becomes the first Black gymnast to earn All-American honors and be a National Collegiate
Athletic Association (NCAA) champion.
•
Senior Joyce Green becomes the first Black Homecoming Queen.
•
The PRO (Puerto Rican Organization) is founded.
41
Year
Milestone
1978-1970
•
Eileen Collins (‘78), one of the first 13 women to attend pilot training in the U.S. Air Force, graduates from
Syracuse University.
•
Native American student organization protests for the removal of saltine warrior mascot.
•
The Black Celestial Choral Ensemble established.
•
The Office of Minority Affairs established.
•
The Cultural Center is established by the Student Afro-American Society.
•
The Gebbie Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic founded.
•
Center on Human Policy founded.
•
Establishment of the MLK Jr. Memorial Library.
•
The Syracuse 8 helps pave the way toward greater diversity in the University’s sports recruiting practices
and its coaching staff by leading peaceful campus demonstrations.
•
Syracuse University establishes an intercollegiate athletics program for women.
•
Report of Trustee, Faculty, and Student Committee on Allegations of Racial Discrimination in the Football
Program is released.
•
The Black American Law Student Association is established.
•
Charles V. Willie and David D. Jones are the first two Black men appointed as Vice Presidents for Student
Affairs and Affirmative Action, respectively.
•
The International Living Center is opened at 401 Euclid Avenue.
•
The Department of Women’s Athletics is established.
•
Black Faculty and Professional Staff file a class action suit against the university in U.S. District Court in
Utica, claiming that affirmative action was a “paper program.”
•
Investments in South Africa: A Summary of The Question of Withdrawal and Other Alternatives report
issued by the Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs.
1979
•
TRiO Student Support Services (SSS) established.
•
The Annual International Thanksgiving Celebration--held for international students--is launched.
•
After existing eight years as an independent academic program, the Department of African American
Studies becomes an official academic department housed under the College of Arts and Sciences.
•
University College houses the English Language Institute, where international students receive instruction
to improve their English language proficiency for academic and professional advancement.
•
Chancellor Eggers’ Report on Syracuse University Investment Policy for Business in South Africa is
released.
•
ASIS (Asian Students In America) is established.
1982
•
Merger of Syracuse Men’s and Women’s Athletics departments to the NCAA.
•
Robert Hill establishes the Office of Program Development (later renamed the Office of Multicultural
Advancement) to actively engage Black alumni.
1983
•
The Office of Program Development hosts its first Coming Back Together (CBT) reunion for Black alumni
(the office and future CBTs were expanded to include Latinx alumni).
•
Vanessa Williams (‘85) becomes the first black woman to be crowned Miss America.
1985
•
New Policy Recommendations of the Board of Trustees’ Subcommittee on South Africa are issued.
1986
•
The annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration Dinner is founded by Hendricks Chapel
•
The Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) is founded.
42
Year
Milestone
1987
•
Syracuse University launched the “Our Time Has Come” Scholarship fund to support African American and
Latino students.
1989
•
Chancellor’s Task Force on Rape Final Report is published.
1992-1990
•
Frontline series of Independent Study Courses offered to deployed Marines.
•
The Phi Beta Delta International Honors Society Alpha Sigma Chapter established/chartered on Syracuse
University’s campus.
•
Liberty Partnerships Program (LLP) established.
•
Student protest of South African apartheid.
•
First observation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day at Syracuse University.
•
The University R.A.P.E. (Rape, Advocacy, Prevention and Education) Center is established (later renamed
The Advocacy Center).
•
The Equity Group is formed.
•
Syracuse University sponsors the first national conference on gender and disability and becomes the first
research university to create an inclusive teacher training program.
•
1992 - The Facilitated Communication Institute opened in the School of Education (and was later renamed
the Inclusion and Communication Initiative).
1998-1993
•
Rainbow Task Force Proposal Submitted by Jordan Potash which formed the University Senate Ad Hoc
Committee on LGBTQ Issues.
•
Students honored who attended Syracuse University under the GI Bill with the exhibition “Remembering
the G.I. Bulge.”
•
The initial proposal for the Multicultural Living Learning Community (MLLC) is written by Michelle Walker,
a staff member in the Public Affairs program.
•
Disability Studies Program established.
•
First distance learning class hosted.
•
Chancellor developed a Commission on Pluralism and a Student Survey.
•
The School of Education begins offering degrees in inclusive special education.
•
Honors Program starts the first Dialogue Circle on race in collaboration with the Community-Wide
Dialogue Program.
•
The Department of Public Affairs creates a community service program for their undergraduates to provide
mentoring and tutoring for historically underserved students at Wilson Park.
•
Jesse A. Mejia becomes the first Latino elected president of the Student Government Association.
•
For the first time, no classes are held in recognition of the Islamic holy day Eid Ul-Fitr.
•
The Board of Trustees and Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw lifted the ban on investing in South African
government and corporate securities, South Africa-related holdings, and companies that do business with
South Africa.
•
Syracuse receives the Urban League of Onondaga County’s Harriet Tubman Corporate Award in
recognition of efforts to promote racial equality.
•
Seana LaPlace becomes the first Black woman elected president of the Student Government Association.
•
Chancellor’s Task Force on Student Rights and Responsibilities Findings and Recommendations on
Nonconsensual Sexual Activity is published.
43
Year
Milestone
2000-1999
•
Former Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw publishes a multi-part series on diversity, discrimination, institutional
barriers, tolerance, and appreciation.
•
Syracuse University’s Ronald E. McNair Post Baccalaureate Achievement Program is founded.
•
Deborah A. Freund is the first woman to be appointed Vice Chancellor and Provost.
•
The Office of Disability Services is founded (and later renamed the Center for Disability Resources).
•
The Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) program is founded.
•
The Office of Undergraduate Studies and the Division of Student Affairs Adopt the Minnowbrook
Declaration on Diversity.
•
Jamal J. James becomes the first openly Gay person elected president of the Student Association.
2001
•
Dean of Students Anastasia L. Urtz’s office begins compiling bias crime data, one of many steps the
university takes to create a more welcoming environment for students.
•
Maxwell Unveiled: a permanent wall display honoring the women of Syracuse University of 1870-2000,
located in the Marguerite J. Fisher Seminar Room, 012 Eggers Hall.
•
LGBT Resource Center opens to support the LGBTQ campus community members and build a safer
campus for all.
•
The South Side Innovation Center (SSIC) opens as a small-business resource center located in south
Syracuse. Operated by the Whitman School of Management, the SSIC hosts training programs, provides
advice on individual business plans, and offers access to mentors and professional projects. The SSIC is
part of a larger initiative, the South Side Entrepreneurial Connect Project, which seeks to establish a vibrant
entrepreneurial culture in the south side and surrounding communities.
•
The Native American Studies (NAS) program is established in the College of Arts and Sciences.
•
The Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee (BCCC) is founded.
•
The University Senate establishes a standing committee to address LGBT issues on campus (later to be
named the Committee for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Asexual (LGBTQA) Justice and
Advocacy).
44
Year
Milestone
2004-2002
•
Wellslink Leadership Program established.
•
Winnick Hillel Center dedicated.
•
Formal statement from Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw on racial insensitivity.
•
A group of 11 African American Syracuse University students and Chancellor Kenneth A. Shaw met for
several hours Wednesday, May 8, in the Chancellor’s office to discuss the students’ concerns following
an incident the night before in which a white student appeared in black body paint at a local tavern with
several of his fraternity brothers. African American students, representing a larger group of concerned
students, expressed concern that this situation was but the latest of several bias-related incidents at the
University over the course of the 2001-02 academic year.
•
The Office of Multicultural Affairs launched The Dimensions Mentoring Program.
•
The Intergroup Dialogue Program (IDP) is established by the Division of Undergraduate Studies.
•
WISE introduces the Norma Slepecky Prize and Lecture.
•
Nancy Cantor is the first woman to be appointed Chancellor and President.
•
The LGBT Resource Center creates the Annual Rainbow Banquet and Office of Multicultural Affairs
launched The Dimensions Mentoring Program.
•
The Itanwa Orinwa Celebration (aka “Black Graduation”), organized by the Student African American
Society, is founded as an annual observation to honor all degree candidates who identify as being part of
the African diaspora.
•
The Division of Student Affairs establishes the Protocol for Responding to Bias-Related Incidents (which
later developed into the STOP Bias and Hate initiative).
2005
•
Haudenosaunee Promise Scholarship Program announced.
•
The Burton Blatt Institute established.
•
Syracuse University began work on the Connective Corridor, a civic engagement initiative led by the
university, working with the City of Syracuse and Onondaga County.
•
The University Archives mounts an exhibition “Co-ed from the Start: Women Students at Syracuse
University in the 19th Century.”
•
Syracuse University reports a drop in bias-related incidents, from 81 in 2003 to 61 in 2004.
•
The Office of Human Resources, in conjunction with the University Senate on LGBT Concerns and the
LGBT Resource Center, announces that gender identity and gender expression have been added to
Syracuse University’s Non-Discrimination Statement.
•
The Office of Multicultural Affairs (OMA) launches Conversations About Race and Ethnicity (C.A.R.E.), a
six-week dialogue space enabling campus community members to engage in meaningful, challenging, and
vital conversations about race and ethnicity.
45
Year
Milestone
2006
•
The inaugural class of 31 Native students arrived as recipients of the Haudenosaunee Promise Scholarship
Program.
•
Syracuse University is recognized as one of the 100 Best Campuses for LGBT students in The Advocate
College Guide for LGBT Students.
•
The College of Law’s Outlaw moot court team wins the Second Annual National Sexual Orientation Law
Moot Court Competition.
•
The Office of Learning Communities adds a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, & Allies learning
community (later to be named the LGBTQ+ Learning Community).
•
The following DEI and cultural centers and programs are established on campus:
»
Intergroup Dialogue Program.
»
Native Student Program.
»
LGBT degree program and minor.
»
The WiSE Women’s Business Center, funded by a grant through the U.S. Small Business
Administration and hosted by the Whitman School of Management, opens as a location that provides
information, resources, and support for women entrepreneurs. This center is one of 100 women’s
business centers across the nation that offers counseling, coaching, consulting, and training.
»
South Side Innovation Center (also operated by and located in the Whitman School of Management).
2009-2007
•
Lawrence B. Taishoff Center for Inclusive Higher Education established on campus, committed to
individualized and inclusive higher educational opportunities for students with intellectual and
developmental disabilities.
•
Democratizing Knowledge (DK) Project: Developing Literacies, Building Communities, Seeding Change
launches during the 2009-2010 academic year.
•
University College establishes the Veterans’ Resource Center (later to become the Office of Veteran and
Military Affairs) to provide support services for student veterans using the benefits of the post-9/11
Veterans Educational Assistance Act of 2008.
•
2007: The Entrepreneurship Bootcamp for Veterans with Disabilities (EBV) is founded in the Whitman
school to offer cutting-edge experiential training in entrepreneurship and small business management to
post-9/11 veterans with service-related disabilities. With nearly 500 veteran graduates, the EBV expands
to a consortium of universities across the U.S. with Syracuse University serving as national host.
•
Report of the Chancellor’s Task Force on Disability.
•
Established the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP).
•
A new state-of-the-art residence hall is dedicated at 619 Comstock Avenue and is named in honor of Black
alumnus and Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis.
•
The International Living Center is renamed Oren Lyons Hall and dedicated in honor of Professor,
Faithkeeper, and alumnus Oren Lyons.
•
Syracuse University is one of only eight institutions nationally to earn a perfect, five-star rating in Campus
Pride’s LGBT-Friendly Campus Climate Index.
46
Year
Milestone
2011-2010
•
Melvin T. Stith, Ph.D., Dean of the Whitman School of Management is inducted into the PhD Project Hall
of Fame. The PhD Project established the Hall of Fame to recognize role models and mentors attracting
minority students to the study of business.
•
Institute for Veterans and Military Families (IVMF) opens.
•
The La Casita Cultural Center opens on campus.
•
University College holds its inaugural Annual Veterans’ Day Celebration to pay tribute to veterans on and
off campus for their sacrifice.
•
Syracuse University Student Experience Survey, Overview of Results by Race/Ethnicity.
•
The Disability Cultural Center (DCC) founded to serve and engage with faculty, staff, students and
families, alumni, community members, and others with and without disabilities. The DCC is the first of its
kind in the U.S. to be housed within a student affairs organization, rather than a disability services office. It
is also the first to be run by a full-time professional staff member.
2014-2012
•
Retrospective of Nancy Cantor’s tenure as chancellor highlights diversity achievements that include
promoting access and opportunity for traditionally underrepresented groups.
•
Sharon Haines Jacquet Education Commons grand opening in Huntington Hall.
•
2014: THE General Body, a coalition of students organize a sit-in and protest at Crouse-Hinds Hall to bring
awareness to climate issues and the importance of DEI programs on campus, and to advocate for more
transparency around decisions involving the reduction of DEI resources.
•
2012: Nick Donofrio G’71, H’11 established the Donofrio Scholars Program at the College of Engineering
and Computer Science. The year-long program provides underrepresented students with scholarships, paid
membership to a professional engineering society, free tutoring, specialized career mentoring with alumni,
and a paid, six-week summer internship performing research or working at a local engineering or computer
science company.
•
Workgroup on Sexual Violence, Prevention, Education and Advocacy issues Final Report.
•
The POSSE Scholars Program begins with students from Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Miami.
•
The College of Arts and Sciences launches a Certificate in Iroquois Linguistics for Language Learners.
2015
•
The chancellor charters a Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion.
•
Jazz pianist Randy Weston headlines the inaugural John L. Johnson Lecture in the College of Arts and Sciences.
•
The university signs the Justice and Dignity Resolution, supporting social justice and human dignity, authored
by the National Association of Schools and Colleges of the United Methodist Church (NASCUMC).
•
Office of Veteran and Military Affairs established.
•
Leveling the Playing Field: The Story of the Syracuse 8.
•
The WellsLink Leadership Program, in the Office of Multicultural Affairs, is honored by University Business
Magazine as a “Model of Excellence.”
•
Dino Babers is named 30th Head Football Coach and the first Black Head Coach at Syracuse University.
•
Chancellor Kent Syverud appoints standing Task Force on Sexual and Relationship Violence.
47
Year
Milestone
2016
•
Chancellor’s Workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion report completed, including a statement and
acknowledgement of Native land to be read at all major campus events. Chancellor Syverud provides
updates to University Senate and campus community on free speech and diversity reports.
•
The Office of Multicultural Affairs’ WellsLink Leadership Program (WLP), receives national recognition
and award for its work increasing student retention efforts. The WLP help first-year BIPOC students to
successfully transition into college—socially and academically.
•
The Council on Diversity and Inclusion (CDI) is established to serve as the primary advisory committee
to the CDIO on matters of diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility and also serves as a resource to
academic and administrative units.
•
Syracuse University celebrates its first Indigenous Peoples’ Day to recognize and honor the history,
cultures and contributions of Indigenous peoples and to raise awareness and generate dialogue across the
campus community.
•
Internationalization Council is established.
•
Syracuse hosts inaugural Fall Symposium on Race and Our Communities: Race, Justice, Violence and Police
in 21st Century America.
2017
•
Strategic campus framework of Vision for Excellence endorsed by Board of Trustees.
•
Designing an Exemplary International Student Experience report submitted to the Internationalization Council.
•
Syracuse University opens the Center for Online and Digital Learning.
•
Long-term recommendations finalized by chancellor’s workgroup on Diversity and Inclusion.
•
Syracuse University Libraries appoints its first Inclusion and Accessibility Librarian.
2018
•
Syracuse University creates an interim chief diversity and inclusion officer (CDIO) role to help address the
institution’s immediate need for stronger DEI senior leadership. Dr. Keith Alford is appointed to serve in this
role.
•
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. commemorative plaque unveiled on campus.
•
Construction begins on the National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC) at the D’Aniello Building, a state-
of-the art facility, made possible by a transformational gift from Dan ’68 and Gayle D’Aniello. The NVRC
will create a center dedicated to outreach and to addressing social, financial, and public health issues
specific to the experiences of veterans and their loved ones.
•
The Inclusive Leadership Assembly (ILA), composed of diversity leads from all schools and colleges, is
formed by Interim Chief Diversity Officer Keith Alford and holds its inaugural meeting.
•
The Disability Audit Steering Committee (later to become the Disability External Review Committee) is
established.
•
Disability External Review Committee issued Phase 1 Recommendations.
•
Kathleen Walters becomes first woman to be named chair-elect of the Board of Trustees.
48
Year
Milestone
2019
•
STOP Bias, a university-wide initiative that educates the campus community about bias and provides
resources to report and receive support for bias-related incidents, launches at Syracuse University.
•
After a lengthy, comprehensive search that included vetting over 200 applicants, in May 2019, Syracuse
University officially appointed Dr. Keith A. Alford to serve as its inaugural CDIO.
•
At the end of the fall semester, the Chancellor made 35 DEIA campus commitments to enhance resources
and support for its diverse, BIPOC students.
•
The Board of Trustees formed a Special Committee on University Climate, Diversity and Inclusion to
develop recommendations on programs, policies, and initiatives to foster and strengthen diversity, equity,
inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) at Syracuse University. In December 2019, the Special Committee and
the Chancellor commissioned several year-long external reviews, assessments, and evaluations, including
a comprehensive DEI research study that included: conducting a campus climate pulse survey of students,
faculty, and staff in fall of 2020; completing an inventory of DEI programs, policies, and initiatives in all
schools and colleges along with other major divisions and units on campus; and participating in a national
peer benchmarking study.
•
William H. Johnson (c/o 1903), the College of Law’s first African American graduate, is posthumously
admitted to the New York State bar.
•
The College of Law enters into a 3+3 agreement with three Atlanta-based HBCU institutions: Clark Atlanta
University, Morehouse College, and Spelman College.
2020
•
The new National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC) at the D’Aniello Building opens on campus.
•
To create a more centralized diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) institutional strategy and
infrastructure, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) is established on Syracuse University’s campus.
Under the leadership of a Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer (CDIO), the ODI is comprised of both full-
time and part-time employees and officially opens.
•
The Chancellor appoints an Independent Advisory Panel comprised of four DEI and higher education
leaders, researchers, and experts unaffiliated with the university to engage with campus community and
provide advice to the Special Committee in developing recommendations to build a stronger institutional
DEIA framework.
•
Members of the Board of Trustees Special Committee on University Climate, Diversity, and Inclusion visits
campus and participates in a series of dialogue and listening sessions.
•
#NotAgainSU, an activist organization predominantly comprised of Black and Latinx students organize a
series of social justice demonstrations and protests on campus, including a 23-day sit-in at Crouse-Hinds
Hall to bring awareness to issues including incidents of bias, discrimination, and/or racism and to push for
the improvement of relations, interactions with, and perceptions of law enforcement officers on campus.
•
First offering of SEM100, A History of Protesting Racial Injustice at Syracuse University, which is a Senate
Ad Hoc Committee on the Social Justice/Social Difference course requirement.
•
Syracuse University joins the Kessler Scholars Collaborative, a consortium of colleges and universities
that are transforming the first-generation student experience and welcomes its inaugural cohort of Kessler
Scholars in fall 2020. Through the Kessler Presidential Scholars Program, an exceptional group of Syracuse
University students who are the first in their family to attend college receive four years of support to help
them succeed at Syracuse University and beyond.
•
The Disability External Review Committee submits Phase 1 recommendations for institutional plans to go
“beyond compliance” with respect to accessibility on campus.
•
Official flags are raised at the National Veterans Resource Center (NVRC) at the Daniel & Gayle D’Aniello
Building.
•
The Center on Disability and Inclusion is established by the School of Education.
49
Year
Milestone
2021
•
Syracuse University has fulfilled or completed 41 of the 50 DEIA campus commitments and have made
significant progress towards 8 of these commitments.
•
The Disability External Review Committee submits Phase 2 recommendations for institutional plans to go
“beyond compliance” with respect to accessibility on campus.
•
The 2020 State of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Reports—which offer findings from the external review
and DEI research study commissioned by the Board of Trustees Special Committee on University Climate,
Diversity and Inclusion and the Chancellor in December 2019—are published. This set of studies included
a campus climate pulse survey of students, faculty, and staff in the fall of 2020; an inventory of current DEI
programs and policies on campus; and a national peer DEI benchmarking study.
•
In February 2021, the renovated Schine Student Center opened, offering 8,600 square feet of gathering
and reservable space for students, faculty, and staff.
•
The first cohort of students undergo the redesigned SEM 100 course—now referred to as FYS101. This
project included allocating a $1 million budget for the 2021 fiscal year along with a $2 million annual
budget for 2022 and beyond. These resources will directly support the ongoing development and
expansion of required DEIA courses at Syracuse University.
•
Board of Trustees announces formation of an Advisory Committee on University Climate, Diversity, Equity,
Inclusion and Accessibility.
•
The College of Law announces the creation of the Hon. Sandra L. Townes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Student Resource Center named for the late Black jurist, educator, and alumna.
•
Syracuse University holds the first Racial Equity Academic Symposium during Black History Month.
•
Syracuse University establishes a task force made up of a cross-section of the university to develop the
first University wide DEIA strategic plan.
50
APPENDIX B. STATISTICAL DATA SUPPORTING GOAL #2 RATIONALE
Share of URM Students and URM Faculty by Academic Area After Additional Faculty Allocated Based on
Share of SU URM Students: Vertical bar graph showing the share of URM students and URM faculty by
academic area after additional faculty allocated based on share of SU URM students. Y-axis represents the
share, ranging from 0.0% to 20.0%. X-axis represents the faculty.
• Architecture: Share of All URM Students = above 2.0%; New Shares of URM TT/T Faculty = above 2.0%.
• CAS-Humanities: Share of All URM Students = below 6.0%; New Shares of URM TT/T Faculty = below
18.0%.
• CAS-Natural Sciences: Share of All URM Students = approximately 16.0%; New Shares of URM TT/T
Faculty = above 10.0%.
• ECS: Share of All URM Students = above 8.0%; New Shares of URM TT/T Faculty = below 6.0%.
• Education: Share of All URM Students = below 8.0%; New Shares of URM TT/T Faculty = below 10.0%.
• Falk: Share of All URM Students = above 8.0%; New Shares of URM TT/T Faculty = below 6.0%.
• Information Studies: Share of All URM Students = below 8.0%; New Shares of URM TT/T Faculty = below
6.0%.
• Law: Share of All URM Students = below 4.0%; New Shares of URM TT/T Faculty = above 4.0%.
• Management: Share of All URM Students = below 8.0%; New Shares of URM TT/T Faculty =
approximately 2.0%.
• Maxwell-Econ: Share of All URM Students = above 2.0%; New Shares of URM TT/T Faculty =
approximately 2.0%.
• Maxwell-Other: Share of All URM Students = below 12.0%; New Shares of URM TT/T Faculty = above
10.0%.
• Public communications: Share of All URM Students = below 10.0%; New Shares of URM TT/T Faculty =
above 6.0%.
• VPA: Share of All URM Students = below 10.0%; New Shares of URM TT/T Faculty = above 12.0%.
51
Projected Change in Number Among U.S. Public High School Graduates Compared to 2019, by
Race/Ethnicity: Line graph showing the projected change in number among US public high school graduates
compared to 2019 by race slash ethnicity. Y-axis represents the change in number, ranging from negative 350K
to150K. X-axis represents the graduating class, ranging from 2020 to 2036.
• The White data line is shown starting at 0K in 2019, decreasing to negative 100K by 2025, decreasing to
negative 250K by 2030, and decreasing to finish at a level above negative 350K in 2036.
• The Hispanic data line is shown starting at 0K in 2019, increasing to a level above 150K by 2026,
decreasing to a level above 50K by 2031, increasing to a level of approximately 100K by 2034, and
decreasing to finish at a level of approximately 50K in 2036.
• The Black data line is shown starting at 0K in 2019, decreased level above negative 50k by 2022,
increasing to a level of approximately 0K by 2026, and decreasing to finish at a level of approximately
negative 50K in 2036.
• The Asian or Pacific Islander (combined) data line is shown starting at 0K in 2019 and steadily increasing
to finish at approximately 50K in 2036.
