At Winthrop University in the College of Arts and Sciences, diversity, equity, and
inclusion areessential to our academic mission and institutional identity. We value and see others
as whole people. Our faculty, staff, and students work together to create a community
where people of all races, ethnicities, genders and gender identities, sexualities,
socioeconomic classes, cultural backgrounds, nations of origin, ages, religions, political perspectives,
abilities, and body types can truly thrive.
The College of Arts and Sciences presents the IDEA Award each year to Departments
who demonstrates ...
Stated commitment to DEI A consistent record of commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and
related initiatives that impact the students, department, college, university, and/or
broader community
Work to support DEI A consistent record of success in diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts and related
initiatives that impact the students, department, college, university, and/or broader
community
Commitment to improving DEI from within dept. Innovative approaches to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion within the department,
in areas such as recruitment, retention, promotion, academic, and other programming
activities
Upcoming plans and partnerships Innovative plans for future diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, particularly
plans developed in partnership with other University programs
Why Biology?
At the department level, Biology developed a DEI Committee in 2022 spearheaded efforts
such as hosting DEI events to foster open discussion about DEI goals and issues, sharing
resources with faculty, and collaborating with the student success committee
With the student success committee, they worked to organize departmental events to
foster relationships with faculty, as one faculty member found in their research that
all students - with a stronger trend with Black and African American students - are
more likely to reach out to faculty after such an event
The Biology Student Success Committee will be helping with de-aggregating data from
a few different annual surveys that contained probes for student feedback on DEI efforts
to help guide departmental DEI efforts
Additionally, Biology created a clear plan about what their future goals were in the
department related to DEI efforts.
Honorable Mentions for 2023
English
The courses are highlighting works from individuals in underrepresented populations
Hosted a podcast with DEI focused episodes
Mass Communication
Reviving the Native American Film festival
Have worked through an annual review process to integrate DEI-related assignments
into virtually every course
Political Science
5 out of 10 of the University-Level Professional Development Workshops were led by
faculty from Political Science
They helped to organize the Sexual and Gender Equality (SAGE) Week in 2023
Social Work
Hosted a Reach and Practice (RAP) Series that highlights social issues faced by vulnerable
populations
Had an honoring outstanding Black Social Workers award
