ACTION PLAN FOR DIVERSITY

2007 – 2008


Goal: To enroll and graduate American Indians and other minorities in proportion to their representation in the state's population.  In measuring the outcome of this goal it is expected that the students would originate from the State of Montana and that the proportional representation would apply both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  Further, it is expected that the minority students would have comparable levels of achievement with non-minority students.


Proposed Action: Review the marketing material to ensure it reflects UM-Helena's goal to embrace diversity on campus.

Responsibility: Admissions and Marketing

Timeline:  Begin Fall 2007 and update each marketing piece as it comes due.

Proposed Action: Market our unique trades programs to tribal communities with appropriate materials and communications.

Responsibility:  Admissions and Marketing along with Trades Faculty who can provide information and the Career Services Coordinator

Timeline:  Begin Fall 2007; Focused marketing Spring 2008 and again in Spring 2009

Goal: To increase the employment of American Indians and other underrepresented minorities in administrative, faculty and staff positions to achieve representation equal to that of the relevant labor force.

Proposed Action: Include the statement "Women and Minorities encouraged to apply" to all searches.

Responsibility: Human Resources

Timeline: Begin with next round of searches and employment advertisements, Fall 2007. On-going.

Proposed Action:  Advertise with newspapers, tv, and radio stations that will reach a variety of  populations within and across the state.

Responsibility:  Human Resources

Timeline: Begin in Fall 2007 with next round of search and employment advertisements, Fall 2007. On-going.

Goal:  To enhance the overall curriculum by infusion of content which enhances multicultural awareness and understanding. 

Proposed Action: Create the following courses and designate as “Diversity” Courses:  Introduction to Latin American Studies; Montana Tribes; Race and Minority Issues; Cultural Competency in Healthcare; Montana Literature including Montana Indian writers (Currently a special topics course)

Responsibility: Office of Academic Dean, Faculty, and Academic Standards Committee

Timeline:  Create and get approval for at least one course from this list per semester, beginning in Fall 2007.

Proposed Action: Increase the number of courses designated as "Diversity" courses by adding diversity material to the following established courses and then designating as “Diversity” courses.

BUS 105 Introduction to Business; BUS 200 Small Business Entrepreneurship; BUS 205 Business Ethics; BUS 246  Business Law I; BUS 260 Management; BUS 261 Human Resource Management; BUS 263 Legal Issues in Human Resources; HR 100T Human Relations; HR110T Career Development and Human Relations; PHIL 101 Ethics; PSYC 101 Introduction to Psychology; PSYC 121 Organizational Pyschology; PSYC 214 Introduction to Marriage and Family; and PSYC 220 Social Psychology.

Responsibility: Office of Academic Dean and Accounting and Business Faculty and General Education Faculty

Timeline:  Starting with Spring 2008 begin adding diversity information to 100-level classes; in Fall 2008 add information to 200- level classes. Obtain diversity designation as material is added and approved.

Proposed Action: Include some kind of diversity/awareness training for faculty and staff on campus as part of our institutional commitment to diversity.

Responsibility: Leadership in each area to provide one training session per academic year for 2007 and 2008

Timeline: Begin training in Spring 2008

Proposed Action: Develop educational programming outside of the classroom that focuses on celebrating ethnic, cultural, religious, economic and sexual orientation diversity to include at least one monthly activity. For example, UM-Helena will sponsor a Diversity Day with speakers, seminars and posters; will celebrate Montana’s Native American Heritage Day; will sponsor a brown bag lunch with “diversity” at UM-Helena as topic; and so on.

Responsibility:  Diversity Committee and Enrollment Services to include student organizations

Timeline: Begin in September 2007 and continue monthly throughout academic year; evaluate the programming and process in September 2008.