On the heels of the recently released Campus Climate Survey results, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh leaders are eager to move forward with a crucial inclusive excellence plan.

The survey, which was a 22-month process, is just the beginning for UW Oshkosh. Earlier this year, the University launched the campuswide survey to gauge campus climate. Results of that survey were tabulated and studied and will serve as guiding principles as UW Oshkosh furthers its inclusive excellence efforts.

“I think we have made significant strides, but we still have some distance to go to transform our University,” said Sylvia Carey-Butler, who leads the University’s Division of Academic Support of Inclusive Excellence and the recent survey effort on campus. In total, about 3,000 participants, made up of faculty, staff and students, took the survey.

Along with Carey-Butler, Liz Cannon, director of the LGBTQ Resource Center, and Stephanie de Montigny, associate professor of anthropology, served as Campus Climate study co-chairs. Ashley Thompson, assistant professor of psychology, assisted in the quantitative analysis. Several other committee members were involved in the effort.

At its core, inclusive excellence is the recognition that a community or institution’s success is dependent on how well it values, engages and includes the rich diversity of students, staff, faculty and alumni. The University has incorporated the tenets of inclusive excellence into programs and services for students; training and support for faculty and staff; its Strategic Plan; campuswide surveys; town hall meetings; visiting scholar programs; and fireside conversations at the Chancellor’s residence.

UWO is committed to diversity and inclusion, Carey-Butler said, and recognizes that it is the responsibility of all University stakeholders to ensure everyone matters.

“At UW Oshkosh differences are expected, acknowledged, celebrated and treated with dignity,” Carey-Butler said.

In its recently published Strategic Plan—a guiding document that takes UWO through 2021—University leaders identified three goals to “Build an Inclusive and Supportive Institutional Environment.” One of those states: “Increase equity, diversity and inclusion across every level of the University.”

“We are not where we want to be,” Chancellor Andrew Leavitt said. “But we are taking steps to improve the campus climate and experiences of students of color on campus.”

“This is important work in the history and life of our University—and we need everyone involved,” Leavitt said at the Campus Climate Survey open forum, which was held in mid-October. “We’ll address issues that have been identified and we’ll solve them.”

Inclusive excellence shifts the responsibility for diversity and inclusion to everyone on campus, as opposed to one individual or department shouldering the responsibility. It defines diversity to include disability, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, race/ethnicity, religion, nationality, age and other social dimensions that are part of the community.

Ameerah McBride, director of Equity and Affirmative Action, leads the University’s efforts to attract a diverse staff.

She has instituted changes in hiring practices to ensure job postings are placed in publications and sources targeting diverse applicants. McBride also has created staff training programs covering topics, such as Unconscious Bias and Title IX. She also hired a civil rights compliance coordinator, Aaron Abram.

It’s important for UWO to lead these efforts in the community, McBride said.

“We are the largest comprehensive university in the area, and we should take a leadership role,” she said. “We need to fully commit to this and not just set lofty objectives.”

Initiatives leading UWO’s inclusive excellence efforts include a redesign of the Titan Advantage Program that provides college access for many students who might otherwise not be admitted, Carey-Butler said.

Through TAP, students can earn four credits in just six weeks during the summer prior to their freshman year. It includes workshops, special events, tutoring and advising, helping students get a strong start to college.

“I believe a lot of students of color who don’t do well here, don’t do well not because they aren’t capable, but because they don’t feel welcome or a part of things,” Carey-Butler said. “We are working hard to change that not by separating them but by assisting them–and we are having success.”

Diverse student groups have participated in “getting to know you” receptions with Leavitt and his wife Karen at the chancellor residence. Carey-Butler said those events have helped create connections for these students and helped them feel welcome at UWO. Participants so far have included Native American, African American, Asian and Hispanic students. Further chats with LGBTQ, women and veteran students are planned.

Moving forward at UW Oshkosh, a campus climate work group will continuously look at the recommendations—and address concerns, Carey-Butler said.

The recommendations for moving forward include:

• Prioritize diversity in hiring practices.
• Raise campuswide awareness regarding the availability of existing efforts and services. Expand services.
• Raise campuswide awareness regarding existing training opportunities and the importance of training. Expand training for University employees and students and explore ways to increase participation.
• Increase participation in future campus climate study surveys.

Read the full Campus Climate Study report and view the full list of recommendations (p. 41).