2023-2024 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Action Plan Updates

April 2024

Academic Affairs Division

Faculty Cohort Hire 2024-2025: This is the fourth consecutive cohort/cluster hire to foster innovative approaches to interdisciplinarity, pedagogical flexibility, and inclusive teaching. To date, five tenure-track faculty have been hired in the following areas:

• American and Multi-Ethnic Literature (English)
• Organic Chemistry (Chemistry)
• Exercise Science (Health and Human Kinetics)
• Accounting (Economics and Business)
• Neuroscience (Biological Sciences and Psychology)

Inaugural Director of Teaching, Learning, and Innovation Hired: Dr. Barb Bird will enhance teaching strategies and innovation, promoting inclusivity in learning experiences. 

Academic Affairs Structure: Appointment of three new division chairs will foster collaboration and support in diverse academic disciplines, promoting diversity and inclusion in academic leadership.

Moving the Needle Student Success Initiatives: Realignment of student support teams will improve strategies for underrepresented student success, reflecting OWU's commitment to equity and belonging.

Holistic Advising Programs: Introduction of holistic advising programs aims to provide inclusive support for all students, focusing on individual needs and promoting equity in academic advising.

Transfer-Friendly OWU: Updates to transfer policies to improve access and inclusion for transfer students, fostering a diverse and inclusive student body. Special focus on pipelines from community colleges that historically have an especially diverse student body. 

International & Off-Campus Programs (IOCP): Significant study abroad participation; introduction of mental health support for students traveling abroad reflects a commitment to support diverse student needs.

Grants:

• Darrell Albon and Lisa Ho (from IOCP) were awarded a $60,000 renewal grant for OWU's Leaders Across Borders program from the Great Lakes College Association (GLCA). Students from OWU, each GLCA school, and six international universities will attend monthly virtual meetings and training to develop cross-cultural communication competency, peer leadership, and conflict mediation skills. The program will culminate with a five-day leadership summit in spring 2025 in Belfast, Northern Ireland. 
• Dawn Chisebe, Ashley Kennard, and Phokeng Dailey completed a letter of intent to VIA Arts Fund for $100,000 to create digital art and mural installations to disrupt the historical exclusion of Blackness in predominantly white institutions. If funded, the art will be showcased at the second biennial Melvin Van Peebles Symposium in March 2025.

OWU Library

• Library staff secured a Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) Competitive grant with the help of the Division of Student Engagement and Success to move the four-person, ADA-compliant privacy pod from Beeghly Library to the lower level of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center. The grant also covered securing two additional, individual pods for installation in summer 2024. The goal of the ADA-compliant pods is to address students' needs for different study spaces. Quiet individual or small group study space was initially lost with the move to our distributed library system.
• Library Special Collections staff recently digitized Zumari: A Journal of Black World Studies, a publication uniquely produced and held by OWU, to ensure its preservation. Work is currently underway to review transcriptions, metadata, and associated copyright. It is available for viewing through our ContentDM platform at: https://cdm15963.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/Zumari/search
• OWU Library, along with its Ohio Five library colleagues, recently became an allied member of the Open Education Network, which is committed to "advancing open education locally and collectively, [to] … empower faculty, remove barriers to education, and enhance student success." This move reflects the shared goal of building a community of practice among the five colleges (and other liberal arts institutions) to develop capacity and greater adoption and development of open educational resources.

Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

• The DEI Campus Book Club is currently reading Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity's Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira.
• Continued to coordinate Bishops of Color and Mosaic – faculty and staff affinity groups – which meet over the semester.
• Worked with the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS) to run a full Campus Climate Assessment centering DEI that began in January. We will have data for our campus and comparative data by summer.
• Participating in ongoing planning for the upcoming second Melvin Van Peebles Symposium, which will take place in spring 2025.
• Through a partnership with Academic Affairs and Student Engagement and Success, the Council saw the development of a multipart series "What's Going On?" that centers on international global crises. This series continued with programming on Community Care and how to care for one another during times of crisis.
• Organized a financial literacy series for faculty, staff, and students led by Alvin Asiamah that centered on issues such as basic financial literacy, retirement planning, and savings options when you have little to no discretionary income.
• Working through Bishop Elevate with First Generation College Students:
  • Includes attendance at the National Conference on Race and Diversity in Learning at tOSU with two Bishop Elevate Interns
  • Two Bishop Elevate Interns employed in the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer for Academic Year 2023/24
  • Piloting the Bishop Elevate Summer Internship Program
• Completed numerous programming initiatives, collaborations, and support in the spring:
  • Annual MLK Celebration with Delaware Community MLK Committee
  • Second Annual "For The Culture" Event during Black History Month that centered on the history of Hip Hop.  This year the event centered on the 1990s.
  • Community Care Day events, including bringing speaker Iresha Picot to campus.
  • Black Excellence in Research Series. Three individual events centering the research of Black OWU Faculty: Dr. Phokeng Dailey, Dr. Brian Granger, and Dr. Brianna Mack.
  • SWANA and AAPI Excellence in Research Series. 
  • Support and attendance at First Gen/Bishop Elevate events. Two individual events centering the research of SWANA and AAPI Faculty: Dr. Bona Kang and Dr. Veda Kim.
  • Passive Programming in Merrick Hall for Identity Months: Black History Month, Women's History Month, Arab American History Month, AAPI History Month
• DEI Grants Awarded:
  • Daniela Flores and Ella Lazare to support their travel to the NCRC Just Economy Conference in Washington, D.C.
  • Dr. Phokeng Dailey and Jason Timpson to support their travel to the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity.
  • Faith Deschamps to support her travel to multiple national sociology conferences.
  • Adrian Moran, Dr. Brianna Mack and Dr. Krystal Cashen to support their panel Beyond the Binary: Exploring the Depths of Transgender Identity.
  • Greyson Wells and Sally Leber to support their project "Trans Unity Outreach."
• Publications and Presentations:
  • Dailey, P.M., Chisebe, D. (2024) Intersectional Insights: A Five-Year Exploration of Interdisciplinary Co-Teaching in Communication and Black Studies. Inaugural IDEAL Conference in partnership with the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity (NCORE), Indiana University, Indianapolis, IN.
  • Mack, B., Kennard, A.R., Chisebe, D. & Dailey, P.M. (R&R). Pedagogical Pivots to promote inclusion in a summer Bridge Program Vol. 8 No. 2 (2024): Teaching for Inclusion: Personal Narratives of Works in Progress

Enrollment Division

DEI Workshops/Training/Special Programs

•  2024 – Attended GLCA's ACAD (Admissions Committee for Access and Diversity) session to discuss opportunities to enhance access/communication efforts to underserved and underrepresented college students at our respective institutions.
• January 2024 – Participated in financial aid (FAFSA) panel discussions in partnership with IKIC (I Know I Can), a community-based organization that supports Columbus, Southwestern, and Reynoldsburg City School districts.
• January 2024 – Invited the Ohio Department of Higher Education leadership to tour campus and meet with various departments in relation to prospectively hosting their 2024 Summer Youth Leadership. In partnership with OWU Campus Events department, OWU secured a bid to host ODHE's SYL camp.
• April 2024-May 2024  – Attending pre-enrollment workshops at various high schools organized by IKIC's Student Success & Retention team. These workshops help students navigate post-admitted checklists and assist with general questions related to financial aid and other pertinent information related to each respective university.

DEI Admission Recruitment Related Activities

• January 2024  – Awarded 42 Dr. Charles Thomas Scholarships, an increase of 50% from 2023 awardees. Includes 20 IKIC recipients (Columbus, OH), 17 EMERGE (Houston, TX), and 5 Collegiate Academies (New Orleans, Louisiana). This scholarship meets 100% of students' financial need and provides an additional $3,000. Full need is met based upon the FAFSA. 
• January 2024-February 2024 – Participated in 3+ community-based organizations (CBOs) high school fairs.
• January 2024-May 2024 – Will complete a total of 14 CBO high school/middle school visits by the end of spring semester. Will have welcomed 300+ students to OWU's campus this spring. (Twelve visits were completed in the fall.)
• April 2024 – Dr. Charles Thomas recipients (CBO) EMERGE & Collegiate Academies Fly-In. Awarding up to a $400 reimbursement each to 9 EMERGE/ 2 Collegiate Academy students participating in Admitted Student Day and Spring Open House.

Enrollment Division Announcements/Multicultural Marketing and Recruitment Data

• Tenique Dennis has been promoted to Director of Access and Strategic Recruitment.
• Multicultural admits are up 35.2% year-over-year (1069/791).
• We launched the search campaign on October 24, 2023.
• Emails, in conjunction with advertising, prompted ~8,200 (+40% lift MOM) students to visit the microsite. Of those site visitors, ~3,000 answered the direct questions and became Enhanced Responders.
• Digital Ads drove over 13,500 sessions to the search microsite in March and 13,300 sessions to the event pages.
•  In April, acquired additional College Board data and kick off Early Scholarship efforts targeting juniors in the Search campaign.

Finance and Administration Division/Human Resources Office

• Members of the Finance and Administration Division serve on the OWU DEI Council and support DEI initiatives and programs. Staff also serve on the OWU Staff Council.
• Human Resources continues to have conversations with an external compensation consultant for a proposal on a compensation project initiative to establish an equitable compensation infrastructure essential to staff retention and recruitment.
• Human Resources continues to expand two OWU benefit committees to include employee representation from all divisions (Insurance and Retirement Committees).
• Human Resources continues to implement employee benefits education programs.
• Human Resources continues to partner with OWU Strengths Finder Strategic Team.

Student Engagement and Success Division

Office of Multicultural Students Affairs

Residential Life

• Co-sponsored Sex Positive Bingo for Wellness Week.
• Hosted Outdoor Recess event for Wellness Week.
• Co-sponsored a Sufi speaker and musician.
• Co-sponsored Painting with Bad-ass Women for Women's History Month (November).  

Bishop Elevate

• Co-Sponsored the Financial Literacy Series with OMSA.
• Launched the Bishop Elevate First-Gen Internship Program for Academic Year 2024-25.
• Jan. 26: Get Connected: Networking 101 (Career Connection)
• Feb. 9: RealiTEA Chai Corner
• Feb. 16: Professional Headshots
• Feb. 21: Panel: My Major Doesn't Sound Like a Job Title
• Feb. 28: Prepare for the Career Fair
• March 25: Wellness Week Snack Break
• March 26: How to Rock the Workplace On and Off the Clock
• March 27: Wellness Week Stress Break
• March 29: RealiTEA Opportunities
• April 11: First-Gen Graduation Celebration

The Bishop Way

• The Bishop Way hosted Sex Positive Bingo with collaboration from OMSA and ResLife.
• Coordinated Wellness Week with programs spanning emotional, financial, spiritual, social, and physical wellness.

Chaplain's Office

• Sent out two Spring Break Service Teams, one centering students of color in a program designed around service and nature and the other focusing on work with indigenous people through Lakota Youth Development.
• Hosted Turkish Sufi musician Latif Bolat in conjunction with Residential Life and the Department of Philosophy and Religion.
• Supported student attendance at the Hindu festivals of Magha Purnima and Maha Shivratri.
• Mentored and supported the program "Seeking Spirituality in a Stereotyped Society," a panel centering LGBTQ+ folks and the search for Spirituality. This was the final project for this year's BILI Fellow, Mylah Morris '24.
• Continued the Queer Christian Discussion Group in conjunction with Counseling Services.
• Provided Iftars for Muslim students during Ramadan.
• Supported the Nex Benedict Vigil hosted by SAGE.
• Guest Speaker in Soan 111 on interfaith spaces and Peale Chapel
• Collaborated on the "Points to Ponder" poster campaign through the SES DEI Committee.
• Ongoing advising for diverse student faith-based organizations and the Interfaith House.
• Collaborative attendance at and participation in DEI events sponsored by the Office of the CDO, OMSA, Bishop Elevate, Department of Philosophy and Religion, Department of Sociology/Anthropology, and others.
• Continued service on the President's DEI advisory team.
• Continued service on the OWU DEI Council. 
• Upcoming (before semester's end):
  • Co-hosting a virtual talk on Lakota Spirituality in conjunction with the Indigenous People's Movement.
  • Co-hosting the annual Interfaith Passover Seder in conjunction with Hillel
  • Hosting and planning the annual Interfaith Baccalaureate Service.

Department of Public Safety

• Proposed funding needed to begin handicap parking improvements as part of the larger parking improvement project.
• Utilized the new paratransit vehicle successfully to improve overall mobility access to persons who use wheelchairs on campus or have other mobility needs.
  • Applied for funding to better staff the program and further increase its efficacy.
• Two recently hired Public Safety Officers completed the Racial Equity Institute (REI) Groundwater and Phase One 16-hour courses.
• Assistant Director Christopher Mickens serves on the DEI Council and the President's DEI Advisory Committee.
• Assistant Director Christopher Mickens planned and completed a Spring Break Service trip titled "Service and Nature: Urban and Elsewhere (Centering Black students)."

Counseling Services

• Queer Christian Discussion Group with Chaplain's Office.
• Collaboration on Peer Educator course with Bishop Way, presented on Emotional Wellness.
• Emotional Wellness presentation and discussion for Bishop ACCESS students.
• Emotional Wellness presentation and discussion for Bishop ASAP course.
• Presentation to STEM students on mental health, including multicultural impacts and considerations.
• Staff membership on President's DEI Advisory Council. 
• Staff membership on Staff Council. 
• Presentation on BIPOC mental health to spring break trip team. 
• Stress management presentation for CNX100 course, including multicultural impacts and considerations.

Student Involvement Office 

• Fraternity and Sorority Life hosted Leaders in Letters: Accessibility on March 1.
• Hosted the Student Involvement Fair on Jan.  23 with over 30 student organizations.
• Hosted the OWU Summit, the spring leadership retreat for student organizations, that focused on the intersection of identity and leadership. 
• Events planned by cultural and identity-based organizations: 
  • Cards For Hospitalized Kids - Tabling, Bishops for Accessibility
  • Cards For Hospitalized Kids - Club Meeting, Bishops for Accessibility
  • Color Therapy Month Celebration, Bishops for Accessibility
  • BMF's Barbershop Talk, Black Men of the Future

University Advancement Division

• Launched a new DEI annual fund during We Are OWU, including a $10,000 match from Thomas '92 and Kelli McNairy Winston '93. There were 43 gifts/pledges totaling $14,070 to the new DEI fund during We Are OWU, meaning the Winstons' lead match helped generate 42 additional gifts. Many of those gifts were from new or long-lapsed donors, faculty/staff, and younger alumni. The DEI fund, by donor count, was the third most popular fund during We Are OWU, behind the OWF-Area of Greatest Need and OWF-Student Scholarships. 
• Hosted the first 2024 quarterly meeting of the DEIB in Advancement group in late March. The group discussed recent developments in DEIB at state institutions (tied to state legislation). 
• Associate Director of Advancement Makenna Daniels serves on the Central Ohio AFP (Association of Fundraising Professionals) DEIB committee for the coming year.
• Over $73,000 granted to students who represent underrepresented and underserved populations
  • Student response: "I am a first-generation, Black student on campus who has not had the experience to go on internships and job shadowing. I do not always have this luxury because a lot of these opportunities are not paid and I have expenses such as college. The grant support removed the financial barriers that have kept me from participating in experiences like this in the past. I am now better prepared to apply for jobs post-graduation and feel more confident in my abilities to thrive in my future." 
• First-Generation student internship efforts: 
  • 26 students hired for spring 2024 internships (on-campus and off-campus).
• Realignment of The Hubbart/Shipps Family Endowment to endow a Career Catalyst position focused on supporting first-generation student success as it pertains to their career planning and development (personal and professional development). 
• 14 first-gen students granted internships through Bishop Elevate for spring semester. Although the number continues to grow, 18 first-gen Bishop Elevate internships are fully in place for fall semester 2024.
• 17 first-gen programs and community-building events have been held by the Bishop Elevate Office with over 350 students in attendance.
• OWU has become a member of First Scholars Network, a valuable resource for deepening support for first-generation students.
• By partnering with Admission, Bishop Elevate has become incorporated into visit day programming, open houses, and admitted students days guaranteeing increased visibility to OWU's commitment to first-gen students and carving out a market position within first-gen recruitment and retention.
• Work has begun with our NSF Ohio Pathways for Undergraduate Computing Success (OPUCS) grant that focuses on finding increased opportunities for students from underrepresented groups in OWU's computer science major.
• OWU's Leaders Across Borders program was awarded a $60,000 continuation grant from the Great Lakes College Association (GLCA).
• Eva Paris-Heusca was awarded a GLCA grant to complete her manuscript on women directors in Spanish cinema.
• Glenda Nieto-Cuebas was awarded a $70,000 grant from Canada's Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council to conduct research in a project titled Siglo Latinx: Early Modern Spanish Theater in the North American Context.

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January 2024

Academic Affairs Division

Faculty Cohort Hire 2024-2025

• For the fourth consecutive year, Ohio Wesleyan is hiring a cohort/cluster to continue enhancing the diversity of its faculty and curriculum and to foster innovative approaches to interdisciplinarity and pedagogical flexibility through the hiring of tenure-track faculty. This approach is unique in higher education to emphasize our institutional priorities at the outset and to attract candidates nationally through a cohort drawn to these three foci related to institutional mission and vision. This year we are hiring in the following areas: 
• Accounting in Economics & Business
• Chemistry (complete)
• Health & Human Kinetics
• Education (complete)
• English
• Neuroscience

OWU Connection

• The Ross Art Museum's fall exhibits included: Personal to Political, Celebrating African American Artists of the 20th and 21st Centuries and Move: Mobility, Migration, and Belonging. 

Library

• Added 81 new, perpetual access DEI e-book titles via our Ebook Central platform as part of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds OhioLINK received on behalf of its members. For those interested in the title list, please visit our library blog: https://library.owu.edu/blog/New-DEI-Ebook-Collection-Updated.  

International & Off-Campus Programs (IOCP)

• In October, OWU faculty and staff organized and led Leaders Across Borders (LAB), a student leadership training program in intercultural communication and conflict mediation. LAB was held at, and with the support of, the Corrymeela Center in Ballycastle, Northern Ireland. 
  • The program invited nominations from Global Liberal Arts Alliance (GLAA) institutions. From a pool of 48 nominations, 22 participants from 17 institutions representing 10 nationalities were selected. Four OWU students participated, two of whom served as peer leaders.
  • Students completed assignments and met virtually preceding the program at Corrymeela. 
  • Students are now applying the knowledge and skills they acquired directly on their home campuses. Each will report back later this semester on their assigned campus community project and then submit a summative assessment of their experience.
  • The program received over $60,000 in funding from the Mellon Foundation through the Global Crossroads Program of the Great Lakes Colleges Association (GLCA).
• Study Away Spring 2024: 28 students are on semester-long study away at programs in 11 nations, including Hungary, Namibia, and Nepal. Travel-Learning Courses (TLC) Spring 2024: 75 students are enrolled in six TLCs to the Galapagos Islands, Japan, Korea, Turkey, and the United Kingdom (2). 
• Junior Aniya "A.J." Johnson has been awarded a Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship from the U.S. Department of State. She will spend the spring semester in South Africa and Namibia participating in the program "Decolonizing the Mind: Racial and Environmental Justice." IOCP continues to promote external scholarships, such as the Gilman, through its Access Study Abroad programming.
• IOCP hosted three student information and discussion sessions focused on Identities Abroad during fall semester. These were: LGBTQIA+ Students, Students of Color/Global Majority, and Safety & Gender Abroad. IOCP mentors and returning travelers led peer discussions around their experiences and the intersection of identity and culture. 
• IOCP created additional online resources to support travelers from all backgrounds.

Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

• The DEI Campus Book Club is currently reading Hospicing Modernity: Facing Humanity's Wrongs and the Implications for Social Activism by Vanessa Machado de Oliveira.
• Completed the Fall DEI Viewing Series of the Netflix and UNESCO series African Folktales Reimagined.
• Continued to coordinate Bishops of Color and Mosaic – faculty and staff affinity groups – which meet over the semester.
• Coordinated with President vandenBerg to create a DEI Advisory Council that meets regularly with the President to define immediate and long-term needs. Thus far, there has been immediate action on a number of defined areas, particularly in space assessments around campus.
• Working with the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS) to run a full Campus Climate Assessment centering DEI that begins in late January.
• Participating in ongoing planning for the upcoming 2nd Melvin Van Peebles Symposium, which will take place in spring 2025.
• Through a partnership with Academic Affairs and Student Engagement and Success, the Council saw the development of a multipart series "What's Going On?" that centers on international global crises. This series will continue into the spring with sessions on media literacy as well as sessions on specific crises in North Africa, Central Africa, and the Middle East. In the late fall, there were sessions on the history of Palestine and Israel led by Dr. Peter Hahn and one on conflict management led by Dr. Ashley Kennard.
• Supported the development of a financial literacy series to be led by Alvin Asiamah that will center on issues such as basic financial literacy, retirement planning, and savings options when you have little to no discretionary income.
• Completed numerous programming initiatives, collaborations, and support in the fall.
  • Calabash: A celebration of African Diasporic peoples with the Department of Communication and primarily funded through the Palmer Global Scholars Program
  • Diwali rangoli making
  • Black Wall Street with Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and The Woltemade Center for Economics, Business and Entrepreneurship
  • Nelease Danzy Art Showing of her collection "Color of Expression"
  • Global Majority Block Party with OMSA
  • Big Queer Party on the JAY through OMSA
  • Latinx Heritage Month book talk and passive programming in Merrick Hall as well as attendance at lunchtime Mariachi organized by OMSA
  • Native American Heritage Month passive programming in Merrick Hall
  • Support for the Kwanzaa event held by the Black Caucus (student organizations)
  • Support and attendance at First Gen/Bishop Elevate Events

Enrollment and Communications Division

Underrepresented Recruitment of Minoritized Students

• As of Jan.12, 2024, OWU is up 38.6% (933/673) year-over-year in completed multicultural applications for fall 2024. 
• The Dr. Charles Thomas Scholarship will continue to play a vital role in yield efforts. The award will continue to meet the full demonstrated financial need for students who participate in access programs or community-based organizations.
• Search efforts have begun for 2025 and 2026. Since the search campaign launched on October 24, 2023, more than 61,000 prospects have been messaged.
• Emails, in conjunction with advertising, prompted 1,642 students to visit the custom-built microsite.
• Of those visitors, 505 answered the direct questions to become "enhanced responders" in the campaign.
• The earlier launch of search efforts will better support DEI-led recruiting and provide maximum exposure for students starting their college search.

Finance and Administration Division/Human Resources Office

• Members of the Finance and Administration (F&A) division serve on the OWU DEI Council and support DEI initiatives and programs. Staff also serve on the OWU Staff Council.
• President vandenBerg approved a request from Human Resources to change employee paid time off policies on vacation and sick time to eliminate the prior non-exempt policies to ensure that OWU paid time off policies are equitable for exempt and non-exempt staff. A revised OWU Employee Handbook reflecting this enhancement will be distributed this month. Wesleyan Council on Student Affairs members have been involved in reviewing the handbook.
• F&A staff have attended fall student events facilitated by OWU's Sisters United and WCSA during the fall semester.
• F&A leaders continue important work on defining departmental priorities and creating and updating team job descriptions.
• Human Resources is continuing to have conversations with an external compensation consultant for a proposal on a compensation project initiative to establish an equitable compensation infrastructure essential to staff retention and recruitment.
• Human Resources is continuing to expand two OWU benefit committees to include employee representation from all divisions (Insurance and Retirement Committees).
• Human Resources continues to implement employee benefits education programs.
• Human Resources continues to strengthen the new hire onboarding experience
• Human Resources continues to partner with OWU Strengths Finder Strategic Team.

Student Engagement and Success Division

Chaplain's Office

• Co-led the Leaders Across Boundaries program, an intercultural leadership and conflict management program drawing students from 17 GLCA and GLAA schools (with Lisa Ho from IOCP, Michelle Nobel from Education, and Paul Dean from Sociology/Anthropology).
• Co-planned and MC'd two programs in OWU's What's Going On? series related to the conflict in Gaza (with the Office of the Chief Diversity Officer).
• Continues leading a Queer Christian Discussion Group / Bible Study (with Counseling Services).
• Hosted speakers from Community Refugee & Immigration Services (CRIS) and Church World Service (CWS) on issues and opportunities related to Columbus-area refugees.
• Sponsored 20 students to attend the Gospel Lyres 50th Anniversary and Black Alumni Network Dinner during Homecoming.
• Is providing Bibles and other supplies for a student-led Black Bible study (in process).
• Supported and gave the invocation at Culture Fest.
• Supported Calabash.
• Supported student attendance at Diwali services in Columbus.
• Is traveling with our student fellow to the Building Interfaith Leaders Initiative gathering in D.C. in January as part of her fellowship.
• Hosted the Delaware Pride Trans Day of Remembrance Service.
• Provided supplies for the OWU Food Pantry over winter break.
• Helped plan the MLK Celebration event for 2024.
• Continued participation on the DEI Council.
• Participation in the President's DEI Advisory Group.
• Continues to provide advising for diverse student faith-based organizations and the Interfaith House.
• Collaborative attendance at and participation in DEI events sponsored by the Office of the CDO, OMSA, Bishop Elevate, IOCP, and others.

Residential Life

• Hired student programming assistants to bring a student voice to Residential Life programming, which includes DEI initiatives. Their first event was an inclusive game night focused on games accessible to and inclusive of all students.
• Assistant Director Alyssa Yoxtheimer attended the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Conference held by the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE).
• Residential Life Coordinator Mack Wade serves on the DEI Council.

Office of Multicultural Students Affairs

• Summer Bridge Program – 33 Scholars- Summer 23
• 3 - 4.0 GPA
• 19 - 3.0-3.9
• Average Term GPA: 3.31
• New Assistant Director in OMSA - Adrian Moran (she/her) - ℅ 2023
• OMSA Events:

Event	Date	Centered Population	Secondary Population	Attendance
Welcome Week Drag Show	Aug. 24, 2023	LGBTQIA+	General Education	300
SIO Involvement Fair	Aug. 31, 2023	OMSA Awareness Building
Global Majority Block Party	Sept. 14, 2023	Global Majority		300
Campus Concert	Sept. 8, 2023	University Support		520
Mariachi band on Campus	Sept. 19, 2023	Global Majority	General Education	200
Clothesline Project	Oct. 16, 2023	Women	General Education	60
National Coming Out Day	Sept. 26, 2023	LGBTQIA+	General Education
Dr. Delia Fernandez-Jones (Hispanic Heritage Month)	Oct. 5, 2023	Global Majority	Collaboration	70
Pronoun Day	Oct. 18, 2021	General Education
LGBTQIA+ History Month	October	LGBTQIA+	General Education
Badass Women Painting	Nov. 30, 2023	Women	Collaboration
The Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Asexual College Conference (MBLGTACC)	Nov. 3, 2023	LGBTQIA+	General Education	8
Trans Day of Remembrance	Nov. 20, 2023	Trans or Non-Binary	General Education
World Aids Day	Dec. 1, 2023	LGBTQIA+	General Education
Mock Convention Panel	Oct. 18, 2023	General Education		20
Finding Faith: Spirituality in the Workplace	Oct.18, 2023	General Education		20
Homecoming: Alumni & Summer Bridge Program Lunch & Games	Oct. 6, 2023	OMSA Awareness Building	Department Support	30-40
Homecoming: Gospel Lyres Concert	Oct. 7, 2023	University Support	Department Support	110
Homecoming: Black Alumni Dinner	Oct. 7, 2023	University Support	Department Support	100
Homecoming: Black Alumni Panel	Oct. 7, 2023	University Support	Department Support	100
Beechcroft High School Panel	Oct. 19, 2023	Department Support	University Support
Martin Luther King Committee	Ongoing	University Support		7
Social Engagement Task Force	Ongoing	University Support		9
SES DEI Committee	Ongoing	University Support		4
Student Org Presidents Roundtable	Ongoing	Global Majority	LGBTQIA+	7
Breast Cancer Awareness Brunch with Sisters United	Oct. 22, 2023	Women	Student Organization	40
I Know I Can College Advising Managers OWU Visit	Oct. 24, 2023	Department Support		30
GEAR Up	Oct. 25, 2023	Department Support	OMSA Awareness Building	40
Take Back the Night	Oct. 24, 2023	Women	General Education	30
Investigating Misconduct in Collegiate Athletics	Nov. 15, 2023	Professional Development
Calabash	Nov. 11, 2023	Department Support
DEI Advisory Committee w/ President vandenBerg	Ongoing	University Support
Social Engagement Task Force	Ongoing	University Support
SES Diversity Committee	Ongoing	General Education
What's Going on Programming Series	Ongoing	University Support	General Education

Department of Public Safety

• Installed a subset of new handicap parking spaces in areas of immediate need.
• Conducted a needs analysis of overall handicap parking space availability across campus.
• Began operating a new paratransit vehicle and increased overall mobility access to persons who use wheelchairs on campus.
• Sending newly hired Public Safety Officers to both Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training and Racial Equity Institute (REI) Groundwater and Phase One 16-hour courses.
• Assistant Director Christopher Mickens serves on the DEI Council and the President's DEI Advisory Committee.

Bishop Elevate

• Hired 12 first-generation student interns for Spring 2024 in the newly created Bishop Elevate First-Generation Student Internship Program.
• Attended the NASPA Student Success in Higher Education Conference. 
• Created a First-Generation Student Intern Workspace on the second floor of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center.
• Hosted a First-Generation OWU Reception on Move-in Day.
• Hosted First-Gen OWU Celebration Week 2023, featuring seven unique opportunities for engagement.
• Created two wellness-centered events with Counseling Services for first-gen students.
• Led six presentations to campus partners to introduce Bishop Elevate and generate additional support for first-gen students.

Esports

• Attempting to send students to the Aurora Series, an esports competition and educational event for students who identify with a marginalized gender identity (female, non-binary, and/or transgender) and aspire to be a part of the esports industry.

Counseling Services

• Presented to the Bridge Program Scholars and Mentors regarding college student mental health.
• Partnered with Bishop Elevate to offer workshops on Sleep/Rest and Stress Management.
• Co-led a Queer Christian discussion group with the Chaplain's Office.
• Offered a New Student discussion group as a space for all students to share experiences and encourage peer support.

Student Involvement Office 

• Fraternity and Sorority Life 
  • Worked with students to participate in the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Information Session, Sept. 19 at Otterbein University.
  • Meet the Greeks, Sept. 28.
  • Leaders in Letters (Mental Health & Greek Membership), Oct. 18.
  • Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Informational Session, Nov. 8. 
  • Leaders in Letters (underrepresented winter holidays), December.
• Student Organizations 
  • Hosted the Student Involvement Fair on Aug. 31 with over 60 student organizations including National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations.
  • Events planned by cultural, religious, and identity-based organizations: 
    • Great Mohican Pow-Wow Information Session, Indigenous People's Awareness Movement
    • Trip to Mohican Pow-Wow, Indigenous People's Awareness Movement
    • Carwash fundraiser, Black Men of the Future
    • Barbershop talks, Black Men of the Future
    • VIVA's DIA DE INDEPENDENCIA FIESTA!, VIVA
    • Onam Festivities, Hindu Students Council
    • Mid-Autumn Festival, Horizons
    • Game night, Bishops for Accessibility
    • Beauty supply store trip, Sisters United
    • Fall Retreat, Cru
    • Majorette Dance Clinic, Battling Elite Stars
    • Breast Cancer Awareness Brunch, Sisters United
    • MBLGTACC Conference, Prism
    • Conference Debrief + Book Club, Prism
    • Community Meeting "Fall is not all pumpkin spice", VIVA
    • Vigil for Palestine, Young Democratic Socialists of America
    • Panel on Palestine, Young Democratic Socialists of America
    • Community Meeting "Sexuality and Gender Identity within Latin America", VIVA
    • Diversity in Delaware Photo Campaign, VIVA
    • Kwanzaa Luncheon, Black Student Union
    • Fall 2023 Banquet, Battling Elite Stars
• Leadership Development
  • Developed the Nancy Bihl Rutkowski Leadership Fellowship Curriculum in collaboration with Erin Huffman-Richard. Incorporated DEI components into the curriculum.

University Advancement Division

Program Updates

• Welcomed more than 800 alumni and families to campus for Homecoming and Family Weekend in October.  As part of the weekend, we worked closely with the Black Alumni Network and Gospel Lyres group to successfully plan reunion events, panel discussions, and a 50th anniversary concert. This partnership resulted in the largest gathering of Black alumni in the last decade on campus. There are plans for continued engagement of this group.
• Participated in the first meeting of the GLCA Advancement DEIB discussion group, led by Annual Giving team members Acadia Caryl '22 and Makenna Daniels '15, in November. Moving forward, the group will hold quarterly meetings and rotate meeting management among participating institutions. The group will focus on diversity in external recruitment, data metrics, difficult donor situations, and inclusivity in broader conversations surrounding alumni (topics were selected via participant survey). The group aims to share resources and best practices and role-play various scenarios in these areas.

Fundraising Updates

• Documented a new $1M estate commitment from Katherine Grissom '92, bringing her total estate commitment to $2M to support OWU's work with first-generation students.

Career Connection Updates

• Ohio Wesleyan University has been awarded its third – and largest – Choose Ohio First (COF) grant, receiving $1.2M to support Ohio students pursuing degrees in the STEM fields. In addition to four-year renewable scholarships, Ohio Wesleyan's COF scholars also receive comprehensive career and support services as well as guaranteed internship and research opportunities supported by the Career Connection team. The 2024 COF grant also aids Ohio Wesleyan in its ongoing effort to recruit and support underrepresented STEM student groups, including women, students of color, and first-generation students.

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September 25, 2023

Academic Affairs Division

Faculty Cohort

• For the third consecutive year, Ohio Wesleyan pursued a cohort/cluster hire to enhance the diversity of its faculty and curriculum and to foster innovative approaches to interdisciplinarity and pedagogical flexibility.
• Academic Affairs completed the hire of nine tenure-track faculty for 2023-2024 in the following areas:
  • Biological Sciences (Microbiology)
  • Chemistry (Biochemistry)
  • Economics and Business (Entrepreneurship)
  • Environment and Sustainability (Earth Sciences)
  • Fine Arts (Art History)
  • Journalism and Communication (Mass Communication)
  • Performing Arts (Theatre)
  • Sociology and Anthropology (Criminology/Criminal Justice)
  • World Languages and Cultures (Classics)

Faculty Handbook

• Academic Affairs is implementing new requirements of the Faculty Handbook, including equity-related policies such as the importance of transparency and fairness in all faculty status matters, relevance of DEI in teaching, anti-harassment policies, and equity in parental leave. The handbook was revised with the guiding principles of  being "strategic, current, equitable, and clear."

General Education Curriculum

• A total of 442 of OWU's 448 first-year students are taking at least one Core Competency course, part of the new General Education requirements. A total of 236 first-year students are enrolled in 12 sections of the First-Year Seminar, approximately 52% of the incoming class. The remainder will take it in spring. Part of the new General Education Curriculum includes "Competency" requirements and areas related to difference, equity, and belonging that are deeply integrated into the courses and curriculum. The First-Year Seminar, which is problem-based, also incorporates DEI as integral to critical thinking and analysis both as framework and content.

Athletics Department

• The NCAA Diversity and Inclusion Week is coming up in the third week of October, and the department is working with the Ohio Wesleyan Athletic Committee (OWAC) to create a plan for the week to be led by our student-athletes/teams.

Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

• The DEI Campus Book Club read a number of books over the summer and is currently reading Making the MexiRican City: Migration, Placemaking and Activism in Grand Rapids, Michigan written by Dr. Delia Fernández-Jones.
• The Fall DEI Viewing Series is the Netflix and UNESCO series African Folktales Reimagined.
• The Council also continued training workshops in collaboration with Destiny Coleman and The Woltemade Center for the center's scholar programs.
• Continued to coordinate Bishops of Color and Mosaic – faculty and staff affinity groups – which meet over the semester. Bishops of Color will meet with President vandenBerg at the end of the semester.
• Supported the second annual Black Wall Street event in coordination with the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA), The Woltemade Center, and the OWU Connection Conference.
• Planned DEI Author Talk with Dr. Delia Fernández-Jones in coordination with the Palmer Global Scholars Institute, OMSA, Viva, and LA CASA.
• Created the first annual Calabash celebration in coordination with Palmer Global Scholars Institute, OMSA, Black Student Union (BSU), and Sisters United. The upcoming event will celebrate the cultures that make up the African Diaspora, centering those in the African continent and the Caribbean.
• DEI Grants
  • Anya Robinson and Yewoinhareg Kebede earned grants in September to support their travel to the Women Evolve Conference in September 2023 to learn about the intersections of Blackness, feminism, and Christianity.

Enrollment and Communications Division

Affirmative Action

• The division has taken steps to ensure Ohio Wesleyan is compliant and following proper procedures given the recent ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court.
• The race/ethnicity field has been suppressed from all applications.
• Counselors will continue to review applications holistically, evaluating merit and extracurricular activities to ensure we enroll a well-rounded incoming class.

Recruiting Historically Underrepresented Populations

• Ohio Wesleyan continues to make strong inroads with community-based organizations (CBOs) to boost visibility in Greater Columbus, specifically in Delaware and Franklin counties. 
• Ongoing partnerships with the I Know I Can and Chicago Scholars community-based organizations have yielded numerous students, many of whom are first-generation. 
• The Admission team continues to promote the Dr. Charles Thomas Scholarship, which has made college a reality for many students from underrepresented backgrounds.
• The team is embracing the "no stone left unturned" mantra to be as visible as possible while participating in more college fairs and high school visits year after year.
• OWU's enhanced recruitment strategy will allow counselors to travel to more than 20 U.S. states while continuing to own the University's growing "backyard" market.

Finance and Administration Division/Human Resources Office

• Staff are serving on the OWU DEI Council and supporting DEI initiatives.
• They also are participating as a planning team member for OWU Gospel Lyres Alumni Homecoming reunion and concert.
  • Collaborating with Advancement, Admission, OMSA, and Chief Diversity Officer to forge alumni/student connections at and beyond the reunion.
  • Collaborating with OWU BSU President Yewoinhareg "Yoyo" Kebede to build student and alumni engagement at and beyond the reunion to strengthen student efforts to revive Gospel Lyres and Sisters United.
• Serving on the OWU Staff Council.
  • Planning staff recognition program for spring semester.
• Pursuing compensation consultation proposal for staff compensation project initiative. Project to include market analysis to assess current staff pay to market data, establish a multiphase plan to address any market gaps identified, and create staff pay ranges/job families to strengthen OWU's recruitment efforts and improve staff retention.
• As a part of a larger benefit strategy, Human Resources (HR) is planning extensive benefits education programs for the remainder of the academic year in preparation for the next plan year.
• HR also is facilitating employee and supervisor training on the importance of performance feedback as a tool for employee performance.
• As 504 Coordinator, partnering with the Accessibility Office and Public Safety on student access issues.
• Continuing to host new hire Meet-and-Greet events.
• Continuing to partner with OWU Strengths Finder Strategic Team.

Student Engagement and Success Division

Chaplain's Office

• The office oversaw the annual Interfaith Baccalaureate Service in May for the graduating class that celebrates the spiritual journeys of students at OWU.
• It also participated in the Interfaith Leadership Summit in August.
  • Hosted by Interfaith America.
  • Seven students and two chaplains attended.
• Started the OWU Meditation Circle for students, faculty, and staff.
• Supported a student in the national Building Interfaith Leaders Initiative (BILI) Fellowship hosted through Hebrew College.
• Planning for the Leaders Across Borders Workshop in October in conjunction with Office of International and Off-Campus Programs (IOCP), which will bring together 21 students from 17 GLCA and GLAA schools at the Corrymeela Center in Northern Ireland for training in leadership, conflict management, and cross-cultural dialogue. (The program is being planned and executed by Lisa Ho, Chad Johns, and Michele Nobel.)

Residential Life

• The office provided Resident Assistant/Moderator Training for 43 students.
  • DEI training with Jason Timpson (OMSA).
  • Title IX and sexual harassment response training with Emily Paetz (Student Integrity and Community Standards).
  • Bias incident response training.
• It also provided professional staff Title IX training for three staff.

Office of Multicultural Students Affairs

• The office provided OWjL DEI Training.
• Attended the National Conference on Race & Ethnicity.
• Held the Summer Bridge Program.
  • Alumni connections
  • Drum circle
  • Hip Hop dance
  • Grad school conversations with University of Louisville faculty
• Held the Welcome Week Drag Show.
• Helped with the Global Majority Block Party.
• Created atrium decorations for Hispanic Heritage Month.
• Arranged a Mariachi Band performance.
• Provided support for students interested in the Divine Nine (collaboration with SIO).
• Planned National Coming Out Day.
• Helped with the Delaware MLK Breakfast Committee.
• Continued to provide trainings and DEI-focused events.
  • DEI training with Advancement
  • NFO: DEI-focused teaching and programming
  • DEI training for Camp Leaders and Residential Life
• Advised student organizations.
  • Black Men of the Future (primary advisor)
  • Sisters United (primary advisor)
  • Black Student Union (secondary advisor)
  • Battling Elite Stars (secondary advisor)
  • VIVA (secondary advisor)
• Participated in professional development.
  • Webinar: Basic Counseling Skills for Higher Education Professionals
  • DEI Council
  • President's Council
  • Rest for Resistance: Burnt Out Activist Club
• Provided Wrap-Around Care.
  • Purchased winter clothing (hats, gloves, scarfs)
  • Achievement Mentor Program
  • Pride flags around campus

Department of Public Safety

• Public Safety Officers attended a Mental Health First Aid course to improve overall response to mental wellness calls for service.
• Assistant Director Christopher Mickens serves on the DEI Council and the President's DEI Advisory Committee.
• The department also launched a paratransit vehicle and program in August. The vehicle is the first of its kind in recent OWU history to be dedicated to increasing access for wheelchair users and students with mobility challenges. The paratransit program received $25,000 in funding for student drivers.
• It also is sending new Public Safety officers through the Racial Equity Institute (REI) Groundwater and Phase One 16-hour course.

Student Involvement Office

• The office developed the Nancy Bihl Rutkowski Leadership Fellowship Curriculum in collaboration with Erin Huffman-Richard. Incorporated DEI components into the curriculum.
• It also hosted the Student Involvement Fair on Aug. 31 with over 60 student organizations including National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC) organizations.

University Advancement Division

Program Updates

• OWU Advancement staff has taken the lead among GLCA colleagues to incorporate the topic of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in quarterly discussion groups.

Fundraising Updates

• Shirley Paden-Bernstein made a $1 million gift to support first-generation college student scholarships, the OWU Bridge Program, and the annual giving program.
• Collectively, the Board of Trustees provided more than $1 million to establish the Rock Jones and Melissa Lollar Jones OWU Connection Endowment to honor his leadership and dedicated service to OWU. This fund supports international travel opportunities for first-generation or low-income students, removing financial barriers that may keep a student from participating in an international travel experience.
• Professor Randolph Quaye, Ph.D., was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to teach and study in Tanzania.
• GLCA awarded the University the Global Crossroads grant in support of OWU Leaders Across Borders. The program is an international cross-cultural leadership training program for OWU and other students with the goal of breaking down boundaries created by nationality, socio-economic status, faith, traditions, race, and ethnicity.
• Several grants were applied for and received in support of underrepresented students' attendance at the summer OWjL camp for talented and gifted middle school students.
• OWU has applied for a third round of grant funding from the Ohio Department of Higher Education's Choose Ohio First (COF) grant, which provides scholarship and programming support to Ohio STEM students, with a preference for support of students from underrepresented groups. OWU's latest grant request is $1.2 million and decisions are expected in December 2023.

Career Connection Updates

• OWU is participating in the Ohio Pathways to Undergraduate Computing Success. One major element of this program is to develop targeted and welcoming pathways for women by establishing women in computing student organizations, programming, and faculty and staff development. The STEM Career Catalyst is working with computer science/data analytics faculty members on this initiative.
• The OWU Connection supported first-generation experiences in Denmark and Germany to examine the first-generation experience in America compared to experiences in European countries.
• The OWU Connection supported students with over $35,000 in career, travel, research, and service grant funds.
• Representatives from the OWU Connection serve on the first-generation advisory committee.
• The OWU Connection is working in partnership with the new Bishop Elevate Office to bring connection experiences to first-generation students.
• OWU is part of a new National Science Foundation-funded consortium of 15 Ohio colleges and universities created to support students seeking to study computer science, especially women and minorities historically underrepresented in the field. Industrial partners such as necoTECH (headquartered at the Delaware Entrepreneurial Center at OWU) will be used to create meaningful job shadowing and internship experiences for students. Additionally, the grant supports student program support, faculty development, advisor workshops and training, and recruitment materials for Admission counselors.