CENTRAL WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY Board of Trustees October 21, 2021 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY – Equity Scorecard
This month CWU launched the Equity Score Card. Both a process and a data tool, it combines a theoretical framework with practical strategies to initiate institutional change that will lead to equitable outcomes for students of color. It is a change process to solve the problem of inequitable educational outcomes and it is based on research and interdisciplinary scholarship. CWU will use the Equity Score Card to assess and make meaning of disaggregated, identify structural barriers to student success and implement best practices in removing those barriers. The Equity Scorecard is a process developed by the Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California and has been in use by many universities for 20 years. The process requires us to bring individuals from across campus to inquire and make sense of their own data, in the process becoming experts on areas of inequity and how policies and practices contribute to equity gaps. Teams will use the tools provided to identify how to change institutional practices that are barriers to the success of underrepresented students and employees. This approach to investigation puts the power to identify and make change in the hands of those who work directly with students and colleagues and will help to create a culture of equity-mindedness. This fall despite a decline in overall enrollment the fall, the percent of students who are people of color has risen again -- to 42 percent. Research through the COACHE survey, a campus-wide study of employee perceptions of inclusion, and FSSE/NSSE student surveys, as well as student protests and anecdotal evidence have created a sense of urgency about the need to do more to retain underrepresented students and employees. The State of Washington has mandated that universities conduct comprehensive and robust cultural skills training to support inclusion and equity The implementation of the Equity Scorecard will inform the expansion of the objectives and outcomes identified in Theme II of the University Strategic Plan. This will be followed by college diversity strategic plans and an equity audit. Finally, throughout the 2021-2022 academic year we will use the Scorecard to assess our progress and develop recommendations by which to increase equity for students and employees of color.
Submitted:
Approved for submittal to the Board:
Jim Wohlpart President
Kandee Cleary VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
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