Statement of Purpose Campus Diversity Advisory Board (CDAB)

Purpose:

The Campus Diversity Advisory Board (CDAB), formed in the fall of 2005, is charged with formulating a series of recommendations for a campus-wide strategic diversity plan focused on the identification, recruitment, enrollment/hiring, retention, and success of all members of the Fisher community which includes the students, faculty, staff, senior administration, alumni, and Board of Trustees (here after known as the Campus Community). Our recommendations will reflect the values articulated in the Concise Mission Statement; the Basilian Motto; and the Fisher Creed.

Definition for Diversity:

Diversity work reflects a set of conscious practices that assume acceptance and respect for others. Diversity work moves beyond the acknowledgment of people's differences. The following core definition of diversity guides the work of the Campus Diversity Advisory Board:

“Differences among groups of people and individuals based on age, ethnicity, gender, geographical area, language, race, socio-economic status, physical and mental abilities, sexual orientation, spiritual practice, and other human differences.”

Mission:

Our mission is to make recommendations that enhance St. John Fisher College’s reputation as a welcoming and culturally competent campus.  

Vision:

St. John Fisher is a fair, accepting, respectful, and productive campus that promotes and embraces diversity and fosters the exploration of differences in a safe, positive, and nurturing environment.

Goals:

• To increase diversity among students, faculty staff, administration, alumni, and the Board of Trustees.
• To develop a culture where the students, faculty, staff, and administration understand, respect, appreciate and work effectively with people from diverse backgrounds.
• To encourage the campus community to value diversity and become knowledgeable about and sensitive to preparing its members to work and live within diverse and inclusive domestic and global environments.

Roles:

• The Board shall suggest actions and make recommendations to ensure that pedagogy, field and clinical experiences, co-curricular initiatives, and assessment are aligned and consistent with national, state, and College standards and based on current research and best practices as well as on exemplary models and policies that define the broad categories of human diversity.

• The Board shall be committed to equity and fairness in the treatment of all members of the College and make concerted efforts to ensure access to opportunities, resources, and success.
• The Board will collaborate with campus and/or community groups in their recommendations of diversity-related initiatives and programs.
• The Board, when making recommendations, will examine the human, fiscal, technical, curricular, and cultural capital (e.g. the strategies, partnerships, internal/external collaborations, pedagogy, funding, programs, training opportunities, and systems of accountability) needed to support, incorporate, and center diversity within the College’s academic core values.    

Diversity Model: Inclusive Excellence Change Model:

CDAB affirms and recognizes the Inclusive Excellence Change Model which cites diversity as a critical component of a comprehensive strategy needed to achieve institutional transformation. Inclusive excellence is at the core of Fisher’s academic mission to “prepare individuals for lives of intellectual, professional, and civic integrity, in which diversity and service to others are valued and practiced.” (2003 Concise Mission).
The Inclusive Excellence Model includes four critical and interdependent components:

• Access, Equity & Success (Identify, Recruit, Enroll/Hire, Retain, & Graduate)
• Campus Climate
• Curricular Transformation
• Learning & Development (e.g. Intergroup Dialogue, Cultural Competency)
  —American Association of Colleges and Universities

Organizational Structure:

• The Board is convened by the President and Provost of the College and chaired by the Dean of Multicultural Affairs and Diversity Programs.
• The Board shall share their recommendations with the Provost of the College for review and guidance and the President and Board of Trustees for approval.
• The full Board shall meet at least once a month during the academic year. The work groups also shall meet once a month.
• The strategy group--- which consists of the work group chairs, the general chair, and a small number of other designees--- will meet as needed. 
• The Board shall operate on a consensus basis.  In the event consensus cannot be reached, the Dean of Multicultural Affairs and Diversity Programs shall contribute a reasonable resolution.

Composition:

The College Diversity Advisory Board (CDAB) will draw upon the multiple perspectives and experiences of the College Community, as well as Rochester area community members and experts in the field of diversity, especially those in higher education. The Board will engage in a collaborative process with all individuals and groups within the College’s organizational structure and within the context of the College’s Strategic Plan. The process will include opportunities for discussion and active participation and on-going review, as well as analysis of information related to diversity in higher education settings.

CDAB is comprised of students, faculty, staff, trustees, and alumni of the Fisher community. The minutes, agendas, and other pertinent information are available on CAMPUS DIVERSE, the Board’s Blackboard site. Additional resource information can be found at the Office of Multicultural Affairs’ website.

The following administrative offices, academic departments and community partners shall be represented on the Committee: Office of Multicultural and Diversity Programs, Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunities Program, Admissions and Enrollment Management, School of Education, School of Nursing, School of Business, School of Pharmacy, Human Resources, School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Student Life Division, Students, Support Staff, Technology, Library Services, Alumni, Board of Trustees, and designated Community  partners.