Maryland's Public System of Higher Education

Recommendation

Actions

Indicators

A. Increase numbers and proportions of under-represented minority undergraduates

1. Prepare an annual report comparing current indicators with baseline data to show growth

a. # of undergraduate students, first-year students by year of high school graduation, and entering transfer students, disaggregated by race/ethnicity

B. Increase the number of underrepresented minority students entering immediately after high school

1.Increase and enhance partnerships with high schools to align curricula and to improve instruction at the K-12 and higher-education levels.

a. # of partnerships

b. # of schools in each partnership initiative

c. Evaluations of partnership initiatives

2. Host teachers, counselors, and administrators from schools with large minority populations.

a. # of activities for school representatives

b. # of schools participating

c. Evaluations of activities

3. Expand and enhance college-readiness programs and promote them to the community.

a. # of programs

b. # of student participants disaggregated by race/ethnicity

c. Program evaluations

4. Offer bridge programs that provide summer academic enhancement, especially in mathematics and science, to incoming freshmen.

a. # of bridge programs

b. # of student participants disaggregated by race/ethnicity

c. # and % of program participants who matriculate at the host institution immediately after high school disaggregated by race/ethnicity

d. 1^st and 2^nd year retention rates of program participants compared to retention rates of non-participants

e. Program evaluations

5. Provide community outreach programs to minorities underrepresented in specific disciplines.

a. # of programs

b. # of participants disaggregated by race/ethnicity

c. # and % of minority participants pursuing higher-education majors in targeted disciplines

6. Enhance marketing and recruitment efforts targeting minority students.

a. # of new marketing strategies

b. Evaluations of marketing plans, materials, and activities

c. Evaluations of recruitment plans, materials, and activities

C. Increase the number of minority students who transfer from community colleges.

1. Enhance quality and increase number of services provided to transfer students.

a. # and types of services

b. # and % of students receiving services disaggregated by race/ethnicity

c. Evaluations of transfer-student services

2. Increase partnerships and 2+2 programs that connect community colleges and four-year institutions, especially the HBIs.

a. # of programs linking community colleges and USM institutions

b. # of new programs linking community colleges and USM institutions

c. # of programs connecting community colleges and USM HBIs

d. # of new programs connecting community colleges and USM HBIs

D. Increase the number of underrepresented minority non-traditional students.

1. Increase participation in off-campus degree programs and credit courses.

a. # of courses offered

b. # of students enrolled disaggregated by race/ethnicity

2. Increase distance or online course offerings.

a. # of courses

b. # of students enrolled disaggregated by race/ethnicity

E. Ensure that underrepresented minorities have sufficient financial resources (e.g. grants, scholarships, fellowships, on- and off-campus jobs).

1. Analyze the relationship between student financial aid and persistence.

a. Ratio of students receiving aid to students with need disaggregated by race/ethnicity and level

b. # and % of students with unmet need disaggregated by race/ethnicity and level

c. # and % of departing students citing financial problems as a reason for leaving the institution disaggregated by race/ethnicity and level

2. Increase institutional financial assistance provided to low- and moderate- income students.

a. Amount of need-based financial aid awarded

b. # and % of students receiving institutional need-based aid disaggregated by race/ethnicity and level

Recommendation

Actions

Indicators

A. Increase retention and graduation rates

1. Analyze MHEC's annual report on trends in retention and graduation rates to show increasing retention and graduation rates for underrepresented minority undergraduates

1. # and percent of persisters after each year, disaggregated by race/ethnicity
2. # of full-timeundergraduates, disaggregated by race/ethnicity
3. # and % of degree recipients, disaggregated by race/ethnicity

B. Improve campus climate.

1. Communicate high expectations for student performance, leadership, and service.

a. Inclusion of expectations in all new-student orientations and seminars

b. # and % of students disaggregated by race/ethnicity in mentoring programs

c. # and % of students disaggregated by race/ethnicity in service-learning programs

d. # and % of students disaggregated by race/ethnicity in learning communities

2. Improve student satisfaction.

a. Results of student surveys (e.g., Student Satisfaction Inventory) disaggregated by race/ethnicity

b. Responses of program completers disaggregated by race/ethnicity

c. Responses on alumni surveys disaggregated by race/ethnicity

3. Support student and faculty scholarship on minority issues.

a. # of institutional and external grants received

b. Total amount of grants and other funding

c. # and % of faculty research collaborations disaggregated by race/ethnicity

d. # and % of faculty with additional released time for scholarship disaggregated by race/ethnicity

e. # and % of student-research experiences disaggregated by race/ethnicity

4. Enhance student participation in major decision-making (e.g. shared governance).

a. # of students participating in the development of institutional policies and procedures, disaggregated by race/ethnicity and level

b. # of students members of other key committees

5. Provide financial resources for minority-student associations and their activities.

a. Amount of funding provided disaggregated by association

b. Annual report on associations and their activities

C. Address diversity issues throughout the curriculum.

1. Ensure that the curriculum reflects the contributions of diverse groups.

a. # of courses focusing primarily on minority groups

b. # of courses that highlight contributions of minority groups to discipline under study

c. Program reviews

d. Accreditation studies

e. Student Learning Outcomes Assessments

f. Student evaluations of courses

g. Department chair and/or faculty-peer evaluations

2. Enhance academic-advising programs.

a. Academic-advisement plans disaggregated by race/ethnicity

b. Student surveys (e.g., Student Satisfaction Inventory) disaggregated by race/ethnicity and level

c. Transcript review disaggregated by race/ethnicity and level

D. Broaden institutional responses/approaches to retention and graduation issues.

1. Promote full-time enrollment of undergraduate students.

a. Amount of institutional aid in the form of campus work-study programs disaggregated by race/ethnicity

b. Revised marketing and orientation materials encouraging full-time enrollment

c. % of full-time undergraduate students compared to % of part-time undergraduate students disaggregated by race/ethnicity

2. Monitor academic performance of underrepresented undergraduate students on an ongoing basis

a. Academic-progress reports disaggregated by race/ethnicity

b. Review of deficiency lists disaggregated by race/ethnicity

c. Grade point averages of students whose performance is monitored disaggregated by race/ethnicity

3. Implement integrated student-performance monitoring systems.

a. # of systems implemented and reports generated

Recommendation

Actions

Indicators

A. Increase enrollment and graduation rates of minority students in graduate and professional programs

1. Prepare an annual report showing how much numbers and proportions of underrepresented minority postbaccalaureate students are increasing

1. # and % of graduate and professional students, disaggregated by race/ethnicity
2. Annual retention rates, disaggregated by race/ethnicity
3. # and % of graduate and professional degrees awarded, disaggregated by race/ethnicity
4. Time to degree, disaggregated by race/ethnicity

B. Develop networks that lead to increased graduate and professional-school enrollment of minority students.

1. Implement research-opportunities programs for undergraduate students underrepresented in certain fields of graduate and professional education.

a. # of student participants disaggregated by race/ethnicity

b. # and % of participants matriculating in post-baccalaureate education compared to # and % of non-participants disaggregated by race/ethnicity

2. Enhance linkages (formal & informal) with a network of doctoral and research institutions to increase the numbers of minorities enrolled in doctoral and other professional degree programs

a. # of faculty-targeted activities

b. # of student-targeted activities

c. # of formal partnerships

d. # of faculty exchanges

e. # of student participants disaggregated by race/ethnicity

f. Evaluations of linkages

C. Increase minority students' knowledge of careers available to completers of graduate and professional degrees.

1. Provide career advisement that targets minority students.

a. # of career-advisement activities

b. # and % of advisement contacts disaggregated by race/ethnicity

c. Report on declared majors disaggregated by race/ethnicity

2. Provide career-development activities featuring minority role models with advanced degrees.

a. # of activities

b. # and % of participants disaggregated by race/ethnicity

c. Evaluations of activities

3. Provide graduate and professional school preparation workshops, seminars, and other activities (such as graduate and professional school admissions test preparation and graduate and professional-school visits)

a. # of activities, categorized by type

b. # and % of participants disaggregated by race/ethnicity

c. Evaluations of activities

Recommendation

Actions

Indicators

A. Increase faculty and staff diversity

1. Analyze USM Data Journal and Maryland demographic data annually to assess achievement of Goal IV

1. # and % of faculty and staff by level, disaggregated by age, gender, and race/ethnicity
2. Demographic data for Maryland working-age adults, disaggregated by age, gender, and race/ethnicity

B. Increase/ maintain minority faculty and staff retention

1. Implement strategic recruitment plans that establish objectives for expanding applicant pools to include qualified minorities.

a. Report on plans developed and implemented

b. # and % of minority faculty/staff disaggregated by race/ethnicity

2. Enhance marketing efforts to recruit minority faculty and staff applicants.

a. Report on efforts and strategies, delineating enhancements

b. # and % of applicants disaggregated by race/ethnicity

3. Provide briefings and programs (e.g., campus-based action teams) that highlight institutional commitment to diversity.

a. # of briefings and programs provided

C. Increase/ maintain minority faculty and staff retention.

1. Provide support, such as mentoring and discussion groups, to minority faculty and staff.

a. # of support activities

b. # and % of minority faculty and staff who received support disaggregated by race/ethnicity

2. Identify factors leading to minority faculty and staff attrition.

1. Survey instrument developed and administered

b. Exit interviews conducted

c. Analysis of survey results

3. Develop and implement, when necessary and feasible, strategies responding to factors that mitigate against retention of minority faculty and staff.

a. Strategies developed and implemented

b. Survey of minority faculty and staff to determine effectiveness of strategies

4. Establish career development programs that provide opportunities for existing employees to progress in their careers as they master new knowledge and skills.

a. # of employees promoted disaggregated by race/ethnicity

Recommendation

Actions

Indicators

A. Develop and/or disseminate model strategies that have resulted in increased recruitment, enrollment, retention, and/or graduation rates of minority students.

1. Sponsor a conference on successful minority-achievement strategies

a. Conference implemented

b. # and % of USM institutional presentations during conference

c. # and % of USM faculty, staff, and students attending conference disaggregated by race/ethnicity

2. Develop and implement a plan for faculty and staff exchanges within the System.

a. Plan developed and implemented

b. # and % of minority faculty participating in exchanges disaggregated by race/ethnicity

c. # and % of minority staff participating in exchanges disaggregated by race/ethnicity

d. Evaluations of exchanges

B. Use existing infrastructures to facilitate minority achievement.

1. Provide annual minority achievement reports to the Board of Regents Education Policy Committee, the Academic Affairs Advisory Council, and the Student Affairs vice presidents.

a. Reports on agendas each year that show institutional and systemwide achievement of the Strategy and of each Goal

2. Elicit support annually from the graduate and research deans for summer-research collaborations for minority undergraduate students.

a. Topic on agenda each year

b. # of research placements, tied to collaborations, of USM minority undergraduates at USM institutions other than their home institutions

3. Review the current use of USM minority-achievement funds, and revise the approach to these funds to meet additional goals and objectives.

a. Review completed

b. Revisions made when feasible and appropriate

4. Provide a minority-achievement conference report as well as a minority-achievement report annually to the Diversity Network.

a. On agenda annually

5. Distribute annual MHEC report "Trends in Retention and Graduation" to the Board of Regents annually

a. Summary of MHEC report presented

6. Provide data on faculty/staff diversity to the Board of Regents annually

a. Faculty/staff demographic data from the "USM Data Journal" presented