~ by Pryce Jamison, Cabrini University Loquitur
RADNOR, PA – Dr. Angela Campbell is clear about the work of her office. “Mission and DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging) are inseparable – you can’t have a mission and not have an equitable, inclusive and racially just environment,” she said. “If you don’t have that environment, you’ve lost the vision of what Mother Cabrini was all about.”
As changes continue to occur within positions and departments, she understands she must ensure that all initiatives are integrated with the school’s core values and represent diverse voices.
“There should be DEI and mission goals in every area of the institution and that’s part of my work,” Campbell said. “DEI lives and breathes in every center and every sector.”
The Current Look
Cabrini’s DEI Advisory Council has five working groups to help sustain long term success regarding institutional diversity: the Culturally Academic Curriculum and Education Working Group; the Transparency and Reporting Working Group; the Policy and Auditing Working Group; the Cultivate a Welcoming Campus Climate Working Group; and the Fundraising and Partnerships Working Group.
What’s really powerful about the council is that it went from a task force to being a council,” said Campbell. The importance of going from a “task force to a council is that it will continue to influence perpetuity in DEI – that it’s not just a one-and-done or reactionary response.”
The Council is composed of students, faculty, staff, alumni and board, totaling 20 representatives.
We are engaged in conversations about faculty and staff of color. Recruitment and retention – that is our key priority in the DEI Advisory Council.
Sending out the National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climate surveys last year to students was also a driving force that allowed students to give their perspectives. The data is now in for the DEIB to examine.
Today, December 8th, there will be a ‘Walking the Talk in DEI’ event on campus. The results of this survey will be discussed with students along with the comparative data with other institutions. The survey aimed to focus on what can be improved within six NACCC topic areas: appraisals of institutional commitment, impact of external environments, racial learning and literacy, encounters with racial stress, mattering and affirmation and cross-race engagement.
According to Campbell, the DEI Advisory Council is also working on a strategic plan for the 2022-23 school year, as well as a racial bias incident reporting system that will be vetted through another working group in the council.