College of Arts and Sciences
Department/Unit Diversity Plan 2009-2010
Department/Unit: Latin American and Latino Studies
I.
Identify at least three key diversity initiatives for your department/unit keeping in mind the stated goals of the A&S Diversity
Plan
Initiative and related
Goal
Increase recruitment of
students of color.
Strategies
Continue efforts to
identify students of
color with assistance
from the Admissions
Office.
Maintain an inclusive
and welcoming climate
for all persons.
Tactics/Action
Invite undergraduate
Latino students to
declare LAS minor or
Latino Studies minor,
and graduate Latino
students to declare
LALS Graduate
Certificate.
Participate in the New
Hispanic/Latino(a)
Advisory Board,
sponsored by the ViceProvost for Diversity.
Assessment /
Measurement
Assess diversity profile
of all LALS students
and include in our
student records.
Reporting
Schedule
End of academic year
Responsible Person(s)
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
Expected
Outcome
Increase diversity of
LALS students.
LALS Steering
Committee
Increase number of
students in the LALS
programs.
LALS Program
Coordinator
Enhance retention of
students.
Hire an LALS
professor, preferably a
Spanish-speaking
minority.
Recruit more Latinos
from the community to
serve on the LALS
Steering Committee
and on the Auxiliary
Resource Group.
Collaborate with other
departments in the
hiring process to
support our
interdisciplinary
mission.
Submit request for new
faculty lines in
collaboration with the
Sociology Department,
History Department,
PAS and Caribbean
Studies, and
Department of Political
Sciences.
Requests to hire new
faculty is authorized.
Identify key Latino
leaders.
Invite prominent
Latino leaders to our
events and to serve on
the LALS Steering
Committee and on the
Auxiliary Resource
Group.
Evaluate the diversity
of our Committee, i.e.
ratio of faculty to
community members.
End of academic year
Assess diversity among
faculty.
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
Chairs of Sociology,
History, PAS and
Caribbean Studies, and
Political Science
End of academic year
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
LALS Steering
Committee
New faculty will be
hired to teach for
LALS and serve on the
LALS Steering
Committee.
Enhance LALS
community outreach.
II.
How will your unit increase diversity among faculty, administrators, staff and/or students?
Initiative and related
Goal
Strategies
Tactics/Action
Increase diversity
among faculty.
Hire an LALS
professor, preferably a
Spanish-speaking
minority.
Collaborate with other
departments in the
hiring process to
support our
interdisciplinary
mission.
Charge search
committees to identify
qualified minority
candidates.
Increase diversity
among students.
Continue curriculum
commitment to include
emphasis on diversity
and inequality.
Participate in
recruitment activities
that target minority
students.
Participate in the New
Hispanic/Latino(a)
Advisory Board,
sponsored by the ViceProvost for Diversity.
Continue commitment
to hire diverse faculty
to attract minority
students.
Assessment /
Measurement
Requests to hire new
faculty is authorized.
Reporting
Schedule
End of calendar year
Assess diversity among
faculty.
Submit requests for
new faculty lines in
collaboration with the
Sociology Department,
History Department,
PAS and Caribbean
Studies, and
Department of Political
Sciences.
Assess diversity among End of academic year
LALS undergraduate
and graduate students.
Responsible Person(s)
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
Expected
Outcome
Maintain or increase
diversity among
faculty.
Chairs of Sociology,
History, PAS and
Caribbean Studies, and
Political Science
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
LALS Steering
Committee
LALS Program
Coordinator
Maintain or increase
diversity among
students. Enhance
recruitment and
retention of students.
Hire an LALS
Community Outreach
Liaison, preferably a
Spanish-speaking
Latino(a)
III.
Continue to network
with directors of
organizations that serve
the local Hispanic
community.
Secure funding to hire
a community liaison to
assist with community
internships,
Hispanic/Latino
Coalition, Arts and
Culture Partnerships
Initiative – Downtown
Day of the Dead
Celebration, and the
Cross Cultural
Connections: AfricanAmerican and
Hispanic/Latino
Relations Initiative.
. Successful hire of
LALS Community
Outreach Liaison
End of academic year
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
Maintain or increase
diversity among staff
LALS Steering
Committee
.
If applicable, how will your unit increase curricular and programmatic diversity, and cultivate inclusive pedagogy?
Initiative and related
Goal
Add more
interdisciplinary and
innovative LALS
courses.
Strategies
Ensure LALS’s
mission to provide high
quality instruction that
stresses a greater
understanding of social
inequality and diversity
Tactics/Action
Maintain existing
curriculum.
Expand or change
curriculum as needed
to maintain currency
with social and cultural
change.
Assessment /
Measurement
Assess number of
sections of courses that
satisfy CD requirement
in Gen-Ed offered each
year, e.g. LAS 313.
Assess number of other
courses that have
Reporting
Schedule
End of academic year.
Responsible Person(s)
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
LALS Steering
Committee
Expected
Outcome
Maintain or increase
course offerings that
provide significant
content on diversity
and inequality.
New courses will
attract more students to
Expose students to
cultural differences.
Continue to co-list and
cross-list with courses
offered by other
departments.
Broaden curriculum to Continue to promote
include courses on
the LALS Study
diverse cultures outside Abroad Program in
the USA and within its Panama.
borders.
significant diversity
and inequality content.
Assess number of
study abroad
opportunities available
to LALS students.
our program.
End of academic year.
Develop collaborations
that support the
Memorandum of
Understanding signed
by the Rector of the
Universidad de
Guanajuato and UofL
Administrators.
Encourage
collaboration with ISA
Study Abroad Program
in Guanajuato (monthlong, semester-long,
and year-long) and
student internships.
Invite faculty and
artists to give LALS
Heritage Lecture and
other cultural events.
Encourage faculty to
give presentations and
classes in Guanajuato.
Keep records of
student and faculty
participation in this
exchange.
Maintain or increase
number of courses and
study abroad
opportunities.
LALS Steering
Committee
Provide scholarship
opportunities for
students.
Promote exchanges
with Universidad de
Guanajuato.
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
End of academic year.
LALS Program
Coordinator
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
Maintain LALS
program’s focus on
diversity.
LALS Steering
Committee
Add additional foreign
student internship sites.
LALS Program
Coordinator
IV.
How will your unit improve the satisfaction, retention and graduation rates of students from under-represented groups?
Initiative and related
Goal
Create and implement
an exit survey for
graduating students.
Improve retention and
graduation rates.
Strategies
Create a survey sheet.
Provide meaningful
service-learning
opportunities.
Increase diversity of
faculty.
Tactics/Action
Assessment /
Measurement
Interview graduating
seniors and MA and
PhD students who
pursue the LALS
Graduate Certificate.
Evaluate surveys and
record data.
Engage students with
curriculum and service
opportunities relevant
to their experiences
and interests.
Assess diversity of
LALS students.
Reporting
Schedule
End of academic year.
Responsible Person(s)
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
Expected
Outcome
Increased student
satisfaction.
Address any issues.
End of academic year.
LALS Program
Coordinator
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
Maintain or increase
diversity among LALS
students.
LALS Steering
Committee
LALS Faculty
Improve advising and
mentoring.
Hire an additional
LALS advisor.
Secure funds to hire an
additional LALS
advisor.
Maintain student
records.
End of academic year.
LALS Program
Coordinator
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
LALS Program
Coordinator
Enhance retention of
LALS students.
V.
How will your unit create or maintain a welcoming environment in which diversity, social justice and provision of academic
opportunity are intrinsic values?
Initiative and related
Goal
Continue to sponsor
cultural events.
Continue to provide
Lewis Scholarships and
Fellowships to UofL
students and faculty.
Strategies
Encourage faculty,
students, staff, and
community to attend
LALS co-sponsored
events.
Announce these
Scholarships and
Fellowships on the
LALS website.
Tactics/Action
Assessment /
Measurement
Purchase advertising in
Al Dia Spanish
language newspaper.
Keep track of attendees
at events.
Reporting
Schedule
End of academic year
Maintain LALS
webpage, Facebook,
and bulletin board.
Form sub-committees
for selection process.
Responsible Person(s)
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
Expected
Outcome
Increase interest in
LALS programming.
LALS Program
Coordinator
Evaluate Lewis Scholar End of academic year
and Fellow reports.
LALS Steering
Committee
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
Increase student travel
and faculty research
abroad.
LALS Steering
Committee
Continue to hold the
Annual LALS
Showcase in April.
Celebrate the successes
of our LALS graduates,
interns and their site
supervisors, Panama
and Lewis Scholars
and Lewis Fellows, and
Organize a showcase
that highlights the
achievements of our
students, faculty, and
Program in general.
Document the event.
End of academic year
LALS Program
Coordinator
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
LALS Steering
Committee
Generate recruitment,
increase retention, and
create a sense of pride
among LALS students
and faculty.
our donors, Mr. and
Mrs. Lewis.
LALS Program
Coordinator
VI.
How will your unit ensure that its administrators, faculty, and staff take advantage of diversity education opportunities provided
by UofL?
Initiative and related
Goal
Encourage dialog
relevant to diversity.
Strategies
Maintain welcoming
and inclusive
environment at the
LALS office.
Tactics/Action
Greet everyone who
comes to the LALS
office with openness
and warmth.
Give new recruits gifts
of posters, newsletters,
brochures, chocolate,
and t-shirts.
*At this time, the
LALS Program has one
Director, one Program
Coordinator, and one
Student Assistant. The
Program has no faculty
of its own.
Assessment /
Measurement
Assess the number of
new recruits each
semester.
Reporting
Schedule
End of academic year.
Responsible Person(s)
Expected
Outcome
Director of Latin
American and Latino
Studies
Increase recruitment to
LALS academic
programs.
LALS Steering
Committee
Increase participation
in LALS co-sponsored
cultural events.
LALS Program
Coordinator