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The recent history of the college has reflected dynamic engagement with different
matters of diversity across a range of campus constituencies. In spring 2002,
in the “Grass Roots” movement, concerned students raised the awareness
in the campus community with regard to tensions around race/ethnicity, gender, and
sexual orientation. As a result, a campus working group appointed by the president
developed a plan for action, called Repairing a Community, which focused on knowledge
and skills development across the campus, including mediation training for residential
life staff; a review and evaluation of diversity policies and procedures; and efforts
to strengthen structural support for diversity initiatives, including multicultural
training for all interested staff and the introduction of new courses in the curriculum
on American ethnicities. The Grass Roots efforts together with other initiatives
have increased satisfaction levels with the climate for diversity, although there
is still progress to be made.
For the academic year ending 2005, 15 percent of the regular faculty and 10 percent of the college’s
staff identify as members of ethnic minority groups. There has been a slight
improvement in staff diversity over the past decade, from 8.5 percent in 1996 to the current
10 percent for 2005. Staff and faculty diversity still trails diversity in the student
body (24 percent) by a considerable margin. Nationally, 28 percent of administrative and
non-professional staff and 14 percent of faculty at private four-year colleges self-report
as minorities. Given these numbers, hiring diverse faculty and staff remains
a top priority of the college.
Preliminary data from the Common Ground focus group study suggest that while Smith
has made improvements around issues of diversity in recent years, a number of challenges
remain, including the level of responsibility for diversity work placed upon individuals
from under-represented groups; tensions between tradition (“that’s not
the way things are done at Smith”) and growth (“how do we want to define
ourselves as a community in the future?”); and lack of comfort with managing
conflict through civil discourse as honest and yet respectful members of a shared
community.
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Setting
the Context
External trends
Admission &
financial aid
Academic program
Student life
Diversity
Financial & other resources
Important Issues
Facing Smith
Next Steps in the
Planning Process
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