Diversity efforts unify at Iowa under new office

Students participate in the Iowa Edge, a retention program at The University of Iowa that helps first-year students of color and first-generation college students adjust to life at a large university. The Center for Diversity and Enrichment, the new name for several merged programs, offers seamless, effective services to underrepresented students at the University. Photo by Tom Jorgensen.

Even before Chelsea Ceasar began her studies at The University of Iowa this fall, she knew she’d have somewhere to turn when she had questions or concerns about navigating her first year.

Ceasar got to know staff members from the Center for Diversity and Enrichment (CDE) during her senior year of high school in Sioux City, and she says their support has continued into her first year.

“CDE is the first place I go if I have any questions, whether it’s about financial aid or my classes,” she says. “The staff members are all supportive and they’re really good listeners.”

Providing seamless, effective services to underrepresented students is exactly what CDE—the new name for several merged programs—is all about, says Marcella David, special assistant to the president for equal opportunity and diversity, and associate provost for diversity.

“CDE gives our diversity effort more coordination and more focus,” she says. “It’s an opportunity for us to be more effective and efficient.”

The University created CDE last winter, bringing together outreach and support programs previously offered through two separate offices—Opportunity at Iowa and Support Service Programs, including two federally funded programs, New Dimensions in Learning and Upward Bound.

The reorganization came after a recommendation by the Diversity Action Committee in spring 2006 that the University strengthen its central diversity efforts in order to increase the diversity of faculty, staff, and students—one of five major goals of the University’s strategic plan, The Iowa Promise.

David says the new organization allows for a more coordinated approach to increasing diversity. In the old organization, Opportunity at Iowa reported to the provost, while Support Service Programs reported to the vice president for student services. David now oversees the newly reorganized CDE, as well as the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity.

CDE offers services—from tutoring to summer programs—designed to help first-generation, low-income, and traditionally underrepresented students succeed. The center also collaborates with other UI departments, communities, and schools for pre-college student development and recruitment.

One of the initiatives is support for the Advantage Iowa Award, a recently created scholarship for underrepresented students, first-generation, and low-income students. CDE brings Advantage Iowa students together for workshops, social events, and academic assistance, providing a continuum of support throughout students’ time on campus.

Drawing on research, many of the center’s initiatives are built around helping students from minority and underserved communities develop a sense of community on campus, says Nancy Humbles, CDE director.

“We have fine-tuned our programming to focus on social connections, which allow our students to get a sense of belonging to the University community,” Humbles says. “This eventually leads to student retention.”

While CDE staff is still split between two locations—Phillips Hall and Calvin Hall—David says she hopes CDE will share a single space in the near future.

David says faculty and staff can play a critical role in efforts to recruit and retain underrepresented students, faculty, and staff. One opportunity to get involved is the Iowa-FIRST (Iowa Faculty Investing in Recruiting Student Talent) program, which connects faculty with potential students from diverse backgrounds.

Ultimately, diversity goals can only be accomplished with the support of the entire University, David says.

“Providing a warm and welcoming place for students requires involvement across campus,” she says.

by Madelaine Jerousek-Smith