Structural Diversity, Access, and Equity
Fall 2020 ReportWe continue to make progress in the area of increasing and supporting people of color in our campus community. We recognize that this is a continuous effort. We also are giving attention to strategies that support retention and success of underrepresented faculty, staff, and students.
Fundraising for Diversity Initiatives
Recently, an additional category for contributions was added to the Fund for Providence College. Donors now have the option of directing their annual fund contributions specifically to efforts and programs related to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Total contributions to date for the current fiscal year are $45,043. Of this amount, $42,345 was raised during the Friars Give annual day of giving.
Recent Financial Aid Initiatives
Nearly $29 million (35.4% of the total financial aid budget) is awarded to students of color. Three new scholarship funds aimed at first-generation and under-represented students were established recently. These include:
- A $1 million gift in scholarship money from Providence College trustee William F. Concannon ’77, ’08P and Claudia Concannon ’08P, which will help to close the financial gap for underrepresented students. An endowed scholarship fund will be used to award scholarships each year to deserving students whose financial aid package does not meet all of their demonstrated need.
- The Reverend Brian J. Shanley, O.P. Access Scholarship (directed at first-generation and under-represented students)
- Michael J. Berkeley ’85 Scholars (a donor-funded program dedicated to educational excellence, professional development, and community-building for a cohort of Providence College School of Business students of color.)
Faculty Diversity and Support of Faculty of Color
Current Hiring Data
This year, the College conducted 10 successful tenure track searches. This included three joint appointments to the Black Studies Program as part of a cluster hire, which is a best practice in higher education. It involves hiring faculty into multiple departments around interdisciplinary research topics, or clusters, with a goal of supporting faculty of color at predominantly white institutions. New hires included eight women (four of whom are women of color) and two men (both of whom are men of color).
At the current time, 66 of 302 (21.8%) of ordinary faculty, and 11 of 67 (16.5%) of visiting faculty are people of color.
Faculty hiring data for the past five years are as follows:
| Academic Year | # of Tenure Track Searches | # of Tenure Track Hires | Female | Male | Faculty of Color | Dominican Friars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016-2017 | 8 | 9 | 4 or 44% | 5 or 54% | 5 or 54% | |
| 2017-2018 | 11 | 10 | 5 or 50% | 5 or 50% | 5 or 50% | 3 |
| 2018-2019 | 10 | 8 | 3 or 38% | 5 or 62% | 2 or 25% | |
| 2019-2020 | 16 | 16 | 9 or 56% | 7 or 44% | 8 or 50% | |
| 2020-2021 | 9 * | 10 | 8 or 80% | 2 or 20% | 6 or 60% | Pending |
*Search resulted in the hiring of two faculty members as part of a cluster hire.
Support and Retention
The Division of Academic Affairs closely tracks faculty retention at the three, five, seven, and ten-year cohorts. The results are as follows:
| # Faculty (231) | 3-year Retention (175) | 5-year Retention (143) | 7-year Retention (111) | 10-year Retention (73) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 193 | 91% | 82% | 78% | 70% |
| Male | 79 | 95% | 85% | 79% | 69% |
| Female | 112 | 89% | 79% | 76% | 70% |
| Faculty of Color | 43 | 86% | 81% | 72% | 55% |
| AA Goal | 90% | 80% | N/A | 70% |
In January 2020, the Task Force for Faculty Inclusion, with representation from members across the School of Arts and Sciences, submitted a report to the Dean of Arts and Sciences, the Provost, and the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The report summarizes an assessment of the concerns, obstacles, and needs of faculty of color at the College and outlined a number of recommendations for the College to consider in support of the retention and success of underrepresented faculty. While the initiative focused on the School of Arts and Sciences, the recommendations are applicable across all schools. The goals and recommendations are in the following areas: expanding professional development opportunities aimed at promoting the success of faculty of color, creating a hospitable climate, instituting flexible and accommodating practices to promote success of faculty of color, and implementing transparent procedures with regard to faculty evaluation. While this is a comprehensive set of recommendations, a number are in progress, including:
- The development of a faculty-search online toolkit to assist search committees with guidance and resources on best practices for inclusive faculty searches.
- Each year, prior to launching a search, all faculty search committees engage in workshops to avoid unconscious bias in searches.
- Continuously, as part of orientation for new faculty, the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion provides a session on inclusive curriculum and pedagogy.
- The Division of Academic Affairs funds participation in the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity (NCFDD) Faculty Success Program, a 12-week summer program that helps tenure-track faculty learn the skills necessary to increase research and writing productivity.
- As of Fall 2021, members of the College’s Committee on Academic Rank and Tenure (CART) must participate in professional development on the topic of implicit bias in performance evaluation.
- Within the last academic year, affinity programs for faculty and staff have begun as a means of promoting dialogue, encouraging mentoring, and supporting the diversity that exists within the campus community.
- Professional development on topics such as creating inclusive departments has been offered to departmental chairs and directors.
- Academic Affairs and the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion have sponsored funding for women faculty of color to attend the national conference on Women of Color in the Academy.
- The College maintains membership in the National Institute for Faculty Development and Diversity and this academic year continues to support underrepresented faculty attendance in a Certified Productivity Coach program.
In support of increasing student diversity and retention in STEM, Providence College has received its first-ever grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI). As part of HHMI’s Inclusive Excellence grant competition, PC is one of 108 institutions (out of 354) invited to join the HHMI Inclusive Excellence Learning Community. An initial $30,000 grant accompanies PC’s participation in the learning community and will support programming that promotes inclusive excellence in STEM.
Ombudsperson
In September 2020, the Faculty Senate Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the College Committee on Shared Governance began exploring the creation of a faculty ombudsperson as a means of opening the pathway for critical dialogue. As a result, the committees are researching the role of an ombudsperson on a college campus, engaging in dialogue about the need for creating such a position at Providence College, and reviewing best practices at other institutions to inform the development of a joint recommendation for an ombudsperson who would serve faculty exclusively, or the entire PC community. This will be explored during the summer with a decision to be made during the fall semester.
Other Structural Diversity, Access, and Equity Initiatives
Providence College School of Business
The Providence College School of Business has introduced a number of diversity-related initiatives that are described here.
Diversity Initiatives in the Division of Student Affairs
Diversity of Student Affairs Staff
The division has worked purposefully over the past several years to increase diversity among the members of its staff.
• Overall:
2015: 12%
2021: 27%
• Personal Counseling:
2015: 0%
2021: 40%
Division of Student Affairs Guiding Principles
In order to support Goal 2 of PC200, A Model of Love, Inclusivity, and Equity in a Diverse Community, the Division of Student Affairs makes a strong commitment to transformative actions intended to ensure all members of the campus community feel that they matter and experience a sense of belonging.
The Division of Student Affairs is guided by the structure created by colleagues in the Office of Institutional Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, organizing planning within five distinctive, complementary categories:
- Structural Diversity, Access, and Equity
- Institutional Infrastructure
- Climate and Intergroup Relations
- Formal and Informal Curricula
- Student Learning and Development
With that framework in mind, the division will:
- Examine, create, or re-create recruitment, hiring, retention, training, and professional/paraprofessional development programs and processes that demonstrate an active, overt, and explicit understanding of the rich diversity of the human family and optimally facilitate the human flourishing of each member of the Division of Student Affairs. (Structural Diversity, Access and Equity)
- Audit, assess, and adjust existing structural and infrastructural opportunities and obstructions to the cultivation of the virtues of courage, generosity, justice, friendship, compassion, and citizenship in keeping with the extension of a loving embrace to all. (Institutional Infrastructure / Climate and Intergroup Relations)
- Explore and engineer co-curricular and extracurricular programs that foster inclusion and mutual respect — understanding the natural world, other cultures, and diverse traditions through critical thinking and engaged learning. (Climate and Intergroup Relations / Formal and Informal Curricula / Student Learning and Development)
Division of Student Affairs Diversity Action Plan
The action plan will include the following:
- A statement on the role of diversity and inclusion in student affairs, to be guided by the mission of IDEI;
- A summary of assessments that illustrate the needs of students and the division;
- A statement of priorities, clearly stated, and guided by the three charge items listed above and the assessment summary;
- Compelling, achievable, and beneficial action items for each priority;
- A delegation of responsibilities (per committee member and by office/department) towards the achievement of the plan; and
- An assessment and accountability strategy for measuring progress and success and for identifying areas in need of refinement.
Creation of Student Affairs Diversity Task Force
The Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students has recently appointed a Diversity Task Force.
- Members of the Task Force are asked to critically confront and reconcile the theological and ideological dissonance inherent to the pursuit of veritas, the integration of equitable and inclusive practices, and the invocation of the power of grace to enlighten minds, open hearts, and transform lives, yielding effective recommendations that affirm the God-given dignity, freedom, and equality of each person.
- The Division of Student Affairs Diversity Task Force reports directly to the Vice President for Student Affairs/Dean of Students, in consultation with IDEI, and has the authority to make recommendations and adjustments based on feedback received.
Increasing Diversity of the Board of Trustees
The Board Affairs Committee of the Board of Trustees continues to seek to increase diversity and the number of women on the Board. With the newest additions to the board, eight of 30 (27%) lay trustees are women; four of 30 (13%) are people of color.
