OIIE values shared governance to advance and implement diversity initiatives and institutional
priorities for inclusive excellence.
Accessibility Advisory Committee
The purpose of the Accessibility Advisory Committee is to help create an inclusive,
welcoming campus environment that meets the needs of students, faculty, staff and
visitors with disabilities at TU.
The Key Goals Are:
- Assess the campus environment and climate for accessibility that provides equal opportunity
for participation in Towson University programs, services and events;
- Serve as an advisory board regarding recommendations and resources for meeting the
needs of persons with disabilities at Towson University;
- Ensure key administrators remain informed of emerging disability issues on campus
that may warrant policy changes;
- Foster collaboration across divisions/departments/units to promote an inclusive, welcoming
climate and achieve appropriate accessibility;
- Promote educational programs and training to increase disability awareness and understanding
of disability-related issues.
| Member |
office |
| Angela Scott, Chair |
Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity |
| Nathan Barker |
Office of Human Resources
|
| Patricia Bradley |
Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity |
| Karen Eskow |
College of Liberal Arts |
| Bob Giordani |
Office of the Provost |
| Ashley Hoover |
General Counsel and Legal Affairs |
| Gerald Jerome |
College of Health Professions |
| Barbara Menges |
Office of Human Resources |
| Pamela Mooney |
Parking and Transportation Services |
| Elizabeth Neville |
College of Education |
| Sara Slaff |
General Counsel and Legal Affairs |
| Robyn McCray |
Accessibility and Disability Services |
| Matt Wynd |
Office of Technology Services |
Subcommittees
Digital Accessibility Subcommittee
As part of the Accessibility Advisory Committee, the Digital Accessibility Subcommittee
will work on digital accessibility issues.
The charge is to consider digital accessibility tasks and challenges including:
- forming recommendations for the President’s Cabinet on digital accessibility topics
affecting the majority of campus
- drafting policies regarding digital accessibility
- confirming updates to the TU Accessibility Strategic Plan prior to publishing to the
university website
- participating in high level planning for digital accessibility standards expressed
by the University System of Maryland
- participate in information gathering and response to any university level official
digital accessibility complaints
Members:
- Matthew Wynd, Chair - Office of Technology Services
- Jackie Durbin - University Marketing and Communications
- Greg Primrose - Student Affairs
- Arthur Smith - Strategic Parternships and Applied Research
- Dave Vatz - Athletics
- James Brandenburg - University Advancement
- Lauren Gates - University Advancement
Council of Diverse Student Organizations
The Council of Diverse Student Organizations was established to promote a stronger
sense of shared community. They will inform the university administration of the needs
of under-represented groups, including identification of the challenges such groups
encounter. The council will advise regarding the kinds of programming and services
necessary to enhance the intellectual and social life of under-represented students.
The group is comprised of (but not restricted to) students from diverse affinity groups
and organizations.
The Key Goals Are:
- Encourage collaboration and communication between multicultural student organizations
- Enhance the leadership experience for students
- Coordinate and encourage inter-group planning
- Support and promote unity among all students on campus and
Address the needs of under-represented groups.
Diversity Action Committee
The Diversity Action Committee is composed of a cross section of members of the academic
and administrative divisions of the university and representatives of the student
body. The committee exists to support the institution's Strategic Diversity Goals
and makes appropriate recommendations for the success of campus-wide diversity initiatives
to the University Diversity Council.
The Key Goals Are:
- Identify barriers that may hinder diversity initiatives.
Support diversity throughout the curriculum and in campus events and activities.
- Commit to recognizing, appreciating, and celebrating the individual and collective
achievements of TU's diverse faculty, staff, and student body.
- Facilitate and promote ongoing opportunities for public discourse relating to diversity.
- Support the implementation of university-wide initiatives in support of TU's Strategic
Diversity Goals.
- Collect, assess, and disseminate data on campus climate and attitudes toward diversity.
- Coordinate institutional efforts to address diversity and inclusion.
Work Groups
Campus Climate Work Group
The Campus Climate work group of the institutional Diversity Action Committee will
support the establishment and maintenance of a campus climate that is welcoming and
inclusive by:
- Reviewing existing data sets related to campus climate and making recommendations
of future climate study needs.
- Developing a multicultural conference for faculty and staff.
- Developing and implementing programming for cultural competency across the campus.
Education and Scholarship Work Group
The Education and Scholarship Work Group of the institutional Diversity Action Committee
has a mission to:
- Increase diversity and inclusiveness across the curriculum, in individual courses,
and in extra- and co-curricular settings.
- Encourage diversity and inclusiveness in faculty teaching, scholarship/creative activity,
and service, and the involvement of undergraduate and graduate students
In order to accomplish these goals, it is necessary to encourage and support increased
diversity and inclusiveness in the composition of the students, faculty, staff, and
administrators of colleges and departments, with particular attention to underrepresented
racial minorities. The committee will fulfill its mission by:
- Review and recognize evidence of each college’s and unit’s diversity and inclusiveness
efforts through mission and/or vision statements, how each department/program addresses
diversity and inclusiveness through its curriculum, and how faculty address diversity
and inclusiveness in individual courses as well as within their scholarship, creative
activity, and service. These materials will be reviewed by the Office of the Provost
and the Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity.
- Review and recognize what specifically is being done by academic units and individual
faculty to increase the enrollment, involvement, and graduation of students from underrepresented
groups.
- Review, recognize, and share, as appropriate, the strategies and programs currently
employed by colleges and departments to support diversity and inclusiveness and support
the assessment of programs.
- Coordinate with the Office of the Provost to review current best practices in faculty
recruitment and retention.
- Promote faculty involvement in TU's annual Multicultural Conference.
Representation Work Group
The Representation work group of the institutional Diversity Action Committee will
support the university’s ability to seek and maintain fully represented populations
within the student body, and faculty and staff bodies by:
- Supporting implementation of new and existing outreach efforts to increase representation
of underrepresented groups of students, faculty, and staff.
- Promoting access, retention, and success of students, faculty, and staff from underrepresented
groups.
Hate/Bias Work Group
The Hate/Bias Work Group provides a coordinated multi-disciplinary university response
to hate crimes and/or bias incidents by:
- Meeting on a periodic basis to review reported instances of hate crimes and/or bias
incidents;
- Identifying any patterns, trends, or upsurges in hate crime and/or bias incident activity;
- Advising TU's University Diversity Council of such patterns and making recommendations
related to action-oriented steps to address identified patterns; and
- Supporting the implementation of university-wide initiatives to curtail hate crimes
and bias incidents.
Religious Staff Coordinating Council
A variety of faith communities are represented on campus through support staff assigned
to the university. Our campus ministers advise religious student organizations as
well as provide personal ministry in counseling, theological discussions, and support
students in other areas. In addition, several campus ministers lead discussions on
contemporary issues and sponsor guest speakers or social events.
Campus Ministries is supported by the Center for Student Diversity and made up of two types of membership: The Religious Staff Coordinating Council
(RSCC) and Interfaith Campus Ministry Association (ICMA).
Student Advisory Committee
The Student Advisory Committee consists of students from each college who have been
selected to serve as the voice of a diverse undergraduate and graduate student population
and as a liaison between students and the Office of Inclusion & Institutional Equity.
The key goals are:
- To facilitate communication and relationships between students, faculty, staff and
administrators.
- To participate in focused event planning and workshops.
- To foster increased awareness and visibility of the Office of Inclusion & Institutional
Equity.
- To be actively engaged in improving the Office of Inclusion & Institutional Equity and TU student spirit as a collective whole.
University Diversity Council
The University Diversity Council facilitates the establishment and maintenance of
a diverse, inclusive and equitable campus environment.
The Key Goals Are:
- Setting Priorities for resource allocation to address issues, concerns, and/or problems
that may negatively impact the campus climate;
- Conducting periodic climate assessment, including problem-solving based on results
of survey data;
- Providing Structure for the development and implementation of an institutional action
plan consisting of measurable short and long-term goals;
- Monitoring Outcomes to track the development and maintenance of college-level, department-level,
and unit-level goals to support the institutional action plan;
- Determining Expectations to provide clear guidelines and feedback to colleges, departments,
and units; and
- Working closely with the Diversity Action Committee in cross-campus collaboration
to review/approve goals that facilitate and advance diversity and inclusion.
| COMMITTEE MEMBERS |
| Patricia Bradley, Chair |
Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity |
| Sara Arnold-Garza |
Cook Library |
| LaVern Chapman |
Office of Inclusion and Institutional Equity |
| Vernon Hurte |
Student Affairs |
| Steve Jones |
Office of Human Resources |
| Ben Lowenthal |
Administration and Finance |
| Gilda Martinez-Alba |
College of Education |
| Maman (Deguene) Ndiong |
SGA President |
| Melanie Perrault |
Office of the President |
| Sara Slaff |
General Counsel and Legal Affairs |
| Cynthia Cooper |
Office of the Provost |
| Sean Welsh |
University Marketing and Communications |
Work Groups
University Diversity and Inclusion Awards Work Group
The University Diversity & Inclusion Awards recognize individuals and departments
that have made efforts to foster greater awareness, understanding and advancement
of diversity and inclusiveness at Towson University.
The Key Goals Are:
- Developing tools for marketing the University Diversity & Inclusion Awards Program;
- Ensuring that marketing tools are posted and/or distributed across campus;
- Collaborating campus-wide to secure nominations for six award categories (student,
faculty-general, faculty-research, staff, academic and administrative department);
and
- Overseeing the review of nominations and selection process.