Annual Report 2015-2016

Download a PDF version of the Annual Report

The Commission met three times this year.  During the Fall meeting, the Commission approved a new 5-Year Strategic Plan.  In the winter, the Commission hosted a workshop aimed at promoting diversity through departmental self-study reviews.  Finally, the Commission hosted a spring meeting to review progress on the strategic plan and to wrap-up the year.

The major accomplishments this year are reiterated in the committee reports (see below), but in summary are:

• Adopted a new five-year strategic Plan
• Hosted “Lessons Learned About Diversity and Inclusion at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS)” by Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin.
• Added a diversity and inclusion statement to all calls for faculty/staff award nominations. This can be found on the MSU Today homepage.
• Co-Hosted and/or promoted several on-campus speakers.
• Presented Faculty Award to Dr. Anne Camper.
• Presented Student Awards to Darby Lacey and Katherine Stocker.
• Collected a fourth round of responses for the annual “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Self-Study” from all academic departments and many units at MSU-Bozeman.
• Executive Committee met with three member groups to improve communication.

In the future, the Commission looks forward to continuing its work toward the discovery and elimination of institutional barriers to the success of women.  It will also provide leadership in inspiring women to become better leaders, problem solvers, and innovators who make meaningful contributions to MSU, the State of Montana, and the society at large.

The following information about additional progress made this year:

            Committee Reports

                      Communications Committee

                      Recognition Committee

                      Assessment Committee

           Accomplishments/Progress on the Strategic Plan

Communications Committee Report

Committee Members:

• Chair: Deb Redburn – Communications Specialist, EHHD
• Lindsay Downs
• Celia O'Connor
• Nilam Patel

Accomplishments

• Created a Facebook page where we post PCOSUW events and related articles on diversity, equity, and gender.
• Kept the web site updated with current events, awards, and minutes of meetings
• Created and printed rack cards for all members to have on hand.
• Helped publicize faculty and students awards
• Created a flyer to help publicize the invitation to the speaker series event with department heads featuring Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin
• Updated the PCOSUW Power Point presentation with current information

Potential Goals for 2016-2017 and beyond

Strategy/Activity

1.2 #3—Publicize policy review portal—through MSU HR, let new employees know at New Employee Orientation and Benefits meeting and New Faculty Orientation

2.1 #2—Identify strategies to disseminate diversity mapping—if we move ahead with diversity mapping--

• let student organizations and MSU administrators/faculty/staff know the information is available;
• create a periodic newsletter to club presidents with topics on diversity and equity;
• publish the diversity mapping project on the PCOSUW web site

2.1#3—Identify point people on every MSU campus to facilitate information sharing as it relates to efforts around diversity, equity and inclusion---

• Seek out content across the university—need to establish a two-way channel to share information
• Publish on web site
• Post on MSU Today
• Post on Facebook

3.1#3—Broadly advertise and encourage all administrators, faculty, staff, and students to attend inclusion trainings provided by appropriate campus units such as DAOE, OIE and other similar units

• Create flyers, emails to advertise
• Advertise on web page, Facebook, and MSU Today

3.2#1—Disseminate award opportunities and solicit nominations via MSU Today, PCOSUW web site and listserv

• Publicize on MSU Today
• Put on web site and Facebook
• Work with communication associates in colleges to send out information either in emails to their colleges or in weekly newsletters (such as EHHD’s Tuesday Times)

3.2#2 Work with communications committee and office to develop strategies for branding and outreach to publicize commission.

• Can we shorten the name of the commission?
• Keep power point current
• How can we make the community aware of the commission?
• Work with MSU’s Marketing/Communications to see if the commission can have a branded MSU logo

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Recognitions Committee Report

Committee Members:

• Chair: Betsy Danforth--Director, MSU Women’s Center
• Marilyn Lockhart--Director, Center for Faculty Excellence
• Ariel Donohue—Senior Diversity and Inclusion Officer

• Anne Camper—Associate Dean, Engineering; Founding Chair, PCOSUW

• Meta Newhouse—Faculty, Art; Chair, Women’s Faculty Caucus

• Joyce Herbeck—Professor, Education

 Accomplishments

• Created and subsequently worked with Julia Heard to add the following statement to MSU’s for all faculty/staff award nominations on the MSU Today homepage:
  • “In the interest of retaining, supporting, and recognizing women and diverse community members of Montana State University, and in the interest of inclusiveness, the President’s Commission on the Status of University Women encourages the nomination of a diverse pool of deserving faculty and staff for these awards.”

• Chose faculty award winner Dr. Anne Camper
• Created presentation “Implicit Bias Trap” for the Center for Faculty Excellence
• Presented “Implicit Bias Trap” during “How to Write a Winning Nomination for Student Scholarships and Awards” by Ilse-Marie Lee to faculty members in October.
• Chose student award winners Darby Lacey and Katherine Stocker

 Future committee initiatives 

• Continue to prepare and distribute calls for faculty/staff and student PCOSUW Award nominations.
• Follow up with individuals and departments about the call for nominations (we had a lower number this year—especially for the faculty/staff awards).
• Strategic Plan 3.3 -  Work again with the CFE on presentations about implicit bias and inclusive nominations.

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Assessment Committee Report

Committee Members:

• Chair: Becca Belou – Planning and Analysis
• Jennifer Clark
• Erin McCormick
• Graham Austin – Associate Professor, Business
• Kandi Gresswell – Associate Registrar
• Abigail Richards – Associate Professor, Chemical and Biological Engineering

Accomplishments

The Assessment Committee collected a fourth round of responses to the Annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Self-Study from all academic departments and many units at MSU-Bozeman, with the purpose of understanding what the challenges and successes involving diversity and equity are on campus. The Assessment Committee updated the content and website for the Self-Study Supportive Feedback, found here: http://www.montana.edu/president/universitywomen/self-study-feedback.php.

The Provost’s Office sent out the Academic Department Self-Study  and  PCOSUW  leadership sent out the Unit Self-Study, in an electronic format (Qualtrics).  During the next year, the Assessment Committee will assess the fourth round of studies to determine any progress, analyze and disseminate other diversity and equity metrics, and work to identify issues and barriers in place on campus that prohibit success. The feedback document will be updated with any new issues that may arise, and the committee will brainstorm other ways that the PCOSUW can help address any needs around campus.

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Accomplishments/Progress on the Strategic Plan

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