Annual Report to the Faculty Senate

Charter Committee on Diversity

                                                          2005/2006

Committee Chairs:  Salome Raheim, faculty co chair, fall 2005

                                 David Manderscheid, faculty co-chair, spring 2006

                                  Maggie Hogan, staff co-chair

Committee members: Faculty: Raheim Manderscheid, Nicole Nisly

Terrell Portman, Rachel Williams

Staff: Hogan, Diane Hauser, Diana Leventry, Carlos Serrato

 Students: Allison Harvey (fall semester only) John Mikelson, Jeff Scudder (spring semester) Leighton Smith, Corey Stoglin

The charge to the Committee:

1) Advise on the formulation, review, and application of policies and guidelines that    promote and support the full contributions of all of the University’s diverse faculty, staff and students.

2) Consider and recommend actions that will help support and fulfill diversity-related commitments made by the University under the University of Iowa Strategic Plan and other University programs, plans, and policies.

3) Provide a forum to which faculty, staff and students may refer questions and recommendations concerning University diversity-related policies and procedures.

The Committee met nine times; 9/26/05, 10/5/05, 10/31/05, 11/18/05, 12/12/05, 1/23/06, 2/20/06, 3/20/06, 4/17/06, and 5/15/06.

The Committee did not plan any specific activities, but Committee members did either individually or collectively participate in several diversity initiatives, programs or activities during the year among these were: the Catalyst Luncheon and Awards Ceremony, Human Rights Week, Celebrating Cultural Diversity Festival, Multi-Cultural Graduation and Recognition Banquet and the Leading and Assessing Diversity Initiatives Conference.  The committee also met with Regent Wahlert in her capacity as Chair of the Presidential Search Committee.

This was the first year of existence of the Committee.  The original faculty co-chair Salome Raheim left the committee upon her appointment as Senior Associate to the President effective 01/01/06.  David Manderscheid assumed the faculty co-chair position at the February meeting.  During the first year the Committee developed a website and a number of guests were invited to meet with the committee to provide information. These guests included representatives from: Admissions, Academic Advising, Student Services, Opportunity at Iowa, Equal Opportunity and Diversity, and the past chair of the University Diversity Committee, the non-charter status forerunner to the Committee. Scheduling conflicts prevented some of our Committee from attending most meetings.  Members most affected by this were students. During the year the Committee was contacted by representatives of a group on campus for assistance with some of its issues

The Committee worked steadily to define its mission and to acquaint members with diversity efforts on campus. The Committee plans to focus primarily on a few issues next year, mostly related to the undergraduate experience.