May 3, 2014<\/p>\n
Submitted to The Daily Cardinal<\/p>\n
What accounts for the \u201crush\u201d to vote at Monday\u2019s Faculty Senate meeting
\nto approve a new UW-Madison diversity plan, FORWARD TOGETHER, developed
\nby the Provost-appointed Ad Hoc Diversity Planning Committee? The
\neffects of this new plan, both positive and negative, deserve much
\nfuller discussion than will be possible at the Senate\u2019s final meeting of
\nthe academic year.<\/p>\n
Why not give Faculty Senators and their departments, not to mention the
\ngeneral public, additional time to become better informed about the
\nplan, debate its strengths and weaknesses, and then decide how to vote?<\/p>\n
The new plan raises two concerns. One is the vastly \u201cExpanded Definition
\nof Diversity\u201d (pp. 13-14) and what it means. The other is understanding
\nthe new diversity \u201cframework\u201d called \u201dInclusive Excellence.\u201d (p. 14).
\nReading these definitions will help readers understand the reasons for
\nmy concerns.<\/p>\n
The origins of this new approach should be made known. It was developed
\nand then unveiled in 2005 by the American Association of Colleges and
\nUniversities, a Washington-based, higher education think tank, with the
\nhelp of funding from the Ford Foundation. The Inclusive Excellent
\nframework was brought to the UW System Board of Regents, which adopted
\nit in March 2009 after virtually no discussion.<\/p>\n
There appears to have been no attempt to involve UW System faculties in
\nwhat clearly constitutes a major change in their \u201cacademic and
\neducational activities.\u201d Within months, top UW-Madison officials very
\nquietly began to implement this framework without, as far as I can tell,
\nbringing this new approach to the attention of the Faculty Senate and
\nthe faculty more generally. Why top administrators adopted that strategy
\nremains a mystery.<\/p>\n
A review of the documents distributed to Regents when it endorsed the
\nInclusive Excellence plan reveals significant details about Inclusive
\nExcellence that are not brought to light in the new diversity plan. The
\ndocument, \u201cWorking Definitions for Inclusive Excellence,\u201d is most
\ninformative. Among the definitions integral to Inclusive Excellence are
\nthe following: Diversity, Compositional Diversity, Critical Mass,
\nInclusion, Equity Mindedness, Deficit Mindedness, Representational
\nEquity, and Excellence.<\/p>\n
Let me point out that the definition of Excellence is circular, meaning
\nthat the word \u201cexcellence\u201d is used to define the word Excellence.
\nRepresentational Equity calls for \u201cproportional participation of
\nhistorically underrepresented racial-ethnic groups at all levels of an
\ninstitution, including high status special programs, high-demand majors,
\nand in the distribution of grades.\u201d As indicated by the reference to
\n\u201cgrades,\u201d the focus of Inclusive Excellence is not on equality of
\nopportunity but rather equality of outcomes. Is this what the faculty wants?<\/p>\n
The new diversity plan says relatively little about several key
\nconsiderations. One is how much faculty and staff time, as well as
\nbudget resources, will be required to implement this plan; the Regent
\napproved plan stated boldly that no additional resources would be
\nrequired to implement Inclusive Excellence.<\/p>\n
Another consideration is whether and how accountability will be
\nenforced; it is not a matter of naming who is responsible for what but
\nrather how to deal with individuals and groups of individuals who are
\nnot effective in carrying out their responsibilities. Still another
\nconsideration is how programs are to be evaluated; how can UW-Madison\u2019s
\nlong tradition of not rigorously evaluating minority programs be reversed?<\/p>\n
The issues described here need to be discussed and subjected to the
\n\u201csifting and winnowing\u201d process prior to a vote on the new diversity
\nplan. To approve the plan, without understanding it, would be a
\ndereliction of our duties of the faculty as scholars and university
\ncitizens.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
May 3, 2014 Submitted to The Daily Cardinal What accounts for the \u201crush\u201d to vote at Monday\u2019s Faculty Senate meeting to approve a new UW-Madison diversity plan, FORWARD TOGETHER, developed by the Provost-appointed Ad Hoc Diversity Planning Committee? The effects … Continue reading