Plymouth State University has taken intentional steps to elevate attention to inclusion, diversity, equity, and access. In May of 2023, The Center for Diversity, Equity, and Social Justice was renamed the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access) Center. This new name positions PSU to focus on efforts that promote access and opportunity for students and employees from diverse backgrounds.
PSU Institutional Diversity and Community Goal and Strategy Goals
Goal Statement: Foster an inclusive community that attracts and supports diverse members and develops equitable approaches to education.
*The following strategic goals are not listed in order of importance.
- Strategic Goal 1: Establish a successful IDEA Center that engages the campus community. IDEA Center Website
- Strategic Goal 2: 15% increase in undergraduate underrepresented-minority students. PSU Diversity Dashboard
- Strategic Goal 3: 5% improvement in retention of undergraduate underrepresented minority undergraduate students.
- Strategic Goal 4: 3% improvement of fall to spring persistence for first year underrepresented-minority students.
- Strategic Goal 5: 6% improvement in 6-year graduation rates for undergraduate underrepresented-minority students.
- Strategic Goal 6: Increase the percentage of underrepresented-minority faculty and staff by 3%. PSU Diversity Dashboard
- Strategic Goal 7: Improve the campus climate for diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Action Steps
Based on the Institutional Diversity and Community Goals and subsequent goals, The IDEA Center will focus on the following action steps for the next two years:
Increase IDEA Center presence with Enrollment Management at strategic college fairs and school visits to increase diverse student enrollments
Strategic Goals Served: 2
Strategies:
- Beginning in the Fall 2023, The IDEA Center has begun building relationships with other DEI offices at public K-12 schools throughout the State of New Hampshire. These relationships will serve to promote PSU as a college of choice for underrepresented students in New Hampshire.
- Beginning in the Fall 2023, the Chief Diversity Officer and/or an IDEA Center representative have worked on a weekly basis throughout travel season by attending high school visits, college fairs, or helping with strategic campus visits.
- The IDEA Center will continue partnering with Friends of the Children, Boston and exploring other community-based organization partnership opportunities that work with diverse populations.
- 4. Translate PSU admissions materials into Spanish. This project has already been initiated by the Admissions team.
Implement The Equity Project to focus on reducing equity gaps in retention, persistence, and timely graduation for historically underrepresented student groups
Strategic Goals Served: 3, 4, 5
Strategies:
- The Equity Project Taskforce currently represents stakeholders across the following campus groups: Athletics, The Counseling Center, Faculty, The IDEA Center, Institutional Effectiveness, Pathfinders/Ascent, and Student Life.
- The taskforce has begun convening in the Fall 2023 semester to develop a framework for equity-minded practices at PSU. The framework will be developed using the 5 Principles of Equity by Design.
- The Equity Project Team has begun reviewing disaggregated data at various levels, including course level data by race/ethnicity, Pell-eligibility, and First-Generation status to identify opportunities for improvement.
Focus on inclusive hiring practices to diversify our staff and faculty
Strategic Goals Served: 6
Strategies:
- Working closely with PSU and USNH HR and PSU senior leadership, the CDO will review all search processes for full-time staff searches to ensure that decisions are not based on unfair hiring practices or implicit bias. This process will closely mirror the IDEA review process with full-time faculty searches.
- Working closely with various PSU and USNH System stakeholders, explore ways to recruit diverse talent to PSU.
Focus on events, programs and initiatives that improve the campus climate for diversity, equity, and inclusion
Strategic Goal Served: 7
Strategies
- The IDEA Council will review the results carefully over the Fall 2023 semester and provide a list of recommendations for campus initiatives by the end of the Spring 2024 semester.
- The Interfaith Excellence Team will create opportunities for the campus to engage in religious and worldview diversity opportunities in partnership with Interfaith America.
- Create a glossary of IDEA terminology to serve as a resource for the campus community
Conduct an equity audit of all University policies to promote equity-mindedness across the campus community
Strategic Goal Served: all
Strategies
- The IDEA Council will work to put together a centralized list for all Plymouth State University policies.
- The IDEA Council will develop an equity audit resource that can be utilized across our campus community.
- The IDEA Council will conduct this review in collaboration with stakeholders across the campus community including senior leadership, faculty leadership, staff leadership, and student government.
- There is an IDEA Executive Council being developed for the USNH System. This new Council could explore ways to conduct a review of USNH System policies that impact PSU’s campus.
Continuous improvement and assessment of existing IDEA programs
Strategic Goal Served: 1
Strategies
- Beginning in the Fall 2023 semester, all sessions of the Diversity Education program will be assessed utilizing a common form. This feedback will be reviewed on a regular basis each semester.
- Explore ways to qualitatively and quantitatively assess our intercultural humility programming. Beginning in the Fall 2023 semester, we’ve begun tracking attendance numbers at all IDEA-sponsored programs and events. We have also added a Sub Council on Programming to the IDEA Council that is charged with assisting with assessment and planning of programming in collaboration with IDEA Center staff.
- Continue providing annual reports.
