Implementation Plan

The strategic plan challenges us to build a model inclusive community in Pamplin; one that challenges the status quo and promotes the diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) of all its constituents. Building an inclusive community starts with embracing diversity in all its forms, therefore, we will continue to enhance the diversity of our faculty, staff, students, advisory board members, and the external partners with whom we work. We recognize that even when our intent is to be inclusive it is difficult to practice the necessary inclusion skills if we rarely interact with individuals whose perspectives and lived experiences differ from our own. We acknowledge these efforts require effective college systems, but also individual effort to create a community where individuals with different perspectives demonstrate respect for others and attain the necessary skills to engage in meaningful and courageous conversations about diverse issues.

InclusiveVT is the institutional and individual commitment to Ut Prosim (that I may serve) in the spirit of community, diversity, and excellence. The following goals were established in alignment with the InclusiveVT institutional goals. Pamplin identified opportunities to advance InclusiveVT institutional goals and developed metrics to measure progress. Levels were determined using benchmark data and guidance from the following: The Virginia Tech Difference: Advancing Beyond Boundaries Strategic Plan, Partnership for an Incentive-Based Budget (PIBB), University Data Commons (UDC), and industry-specific knowledge and insight.

Metric: Reorganize and centralize Pamplin’s DEIB efforts to advance college performance

Level: Ensure Pamplin’s critical DEIB systems, policies, procedures, and practices are contextually appropriate and in alignment with the university’s infrastructure (e.g., VT Office for Inclusion and Diversity)

Level: Ensure Pamplin’s key leadership evaluate and approve Pamplin’s critical DEIB systems, policies, procedures, and practices

Actions:

• Reorganize and centralize DEIB efforts under a renewed organizational structure – The Office for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB).

Metric: Percent of underrepresented minority full-time teaching & research faculty

Level: Achieve 10% tenured faculty

Level: Achieve 20% tenure-track faculty

Level: Achieve 10% non-tenure-track faculty

Actions:

• Continue Future Faculty Diversity Program (FFDP) engagement. Accept at least 5 URM Future Faculty Diversity Program participants, annually.
• Develop leadership succession plans and identify/develop promising leaders who can address future leadership needs. Special focus on achieving representational diversity in leadership roles.
• Develop customized recruitment strategies for departments with marginal URM and women T&R faculty representation.
• Encourage all T&R search committee members to take Diversity Advocate training.
• Engage the Office for DEIB in all T&R faculty searches (e.g., to offer support and best practices to search committees, participate in final interviews, offer post-interview follow-up with candidates to provide cultural perspectives – if applicable). Level of involvement will depend on rank and scope of the faculty position.
• Search planning include developing a target list of, and outreach to competitive URM and women faculty, doctoral job market candidates, and industry professionals (at least 10) for the given T&R position.
• Generate greater awareness of Pamplin’s Faculty Inclusive Retention Strategy.
• Continue collegial check-ins with URM and women employee groups for qualitative evaluations of climate.

Metric: Percent of women full-time teaching & research faculty

Level: Achieve 50% tenured and tenure-track faculty

Level: Achieve 50% non-tenure-track faculty

Actions:

• Continue Future Faculty Diversity Program (FFDP) engagement. Accept at least 5 URMFuture Faculty Diversity Program participants, annually.
• Develop leadership succession plans and identify/develop promising leaders who canaddress future leadership needs. Special focus on achieving representational diversityin leadership roles.
• Develop customized recruitment strategies for departments with marginal URM andwomen T&R faculty representation.
• Encourage all T&R search committee members to take Diversity Advocate training.
• Engage the Office for DEIB in all T&R faculty searches (e.g., to offer support and bestpractices to search committees, participate in final interviews, offer post-interviewfollow-up with candidates to provide cultural perspectives – if applicable). Level ofinvolvement will depend on rank and scope of the faculty position.
• Search planning include developing a target list of, and outreach to competitive URMand women faculty, doctoral job market candidates, and industry professionals (atleast 10) for the given T&R position.
• Generate greater awareness of Pamplin’s Faculty Inclusive Retention Strategy.
• Continue collegial check-ins with URM and women employee groups for qualitativeevaluations of climate.

Metric: Percent of underrepresented minority or underserved students in the entering undergraduate program (freshmen and transfer)

Level: Collaborate with the university to achieve 40% representation

Actions:

• Develop and enhance pre-collegiate programs and experiences (e.g., evaluations of current recruitment practices; develop summer pathway programs; enhance partnerships and outreach to university departments, high schools, and community organization geared toward enhancing college readiness for URM/USS high school students).

Metric: Percent of underrepresented minority students entering master’s programs

Level: Achieve 20% representation

Actions:

• Evaluate scholarship model for URM/USS undergraduate and master’s students.
• Develop pathways to master’s and doctoral programs (e.g., alumni pathways;formalize partnerships with local D.C. metro area organizations – e.g., Amazon HQ2; continue partnerships with the PhD Project network).

Metric: Percent of underrepresented minority students entering doctoral programs

Level: Achieve 20% representation

Actions:

• Develop pathways to master’s and doctoral programs (e.g., alumni pathways;formalize partnerships with local D.C. metro area organizations – e.g., Amazon HQ2; continue partnerships with the PhD Project network).

Metric: Percent of underrepresented members on alumni advisory boards

Level: Achieve 15% underrepresented minority members on emerging and recent alumni boards, and the Pamplin Society

Level: Achieve 40% women members on emerging and recent alumni boards, and the Pamplin Society

Level: Achieve 100% of alumni advisory boards developing DEIB plans

Actions:

• Develop a DEIB alumni engagement plan. Develop short-term and long-termpriorities.

Metric: Ensure students graduate with cultural humility knowledge and practical skills to thrive in a pluralistic society

Level: Design measurable undergraduate and graduate learning goals to enhance student cultural humility knowledge and practical skills

Level: Identify assessment tools and collect meaningful data that evaluates student cultural humility knowledge and practical skills

Metric: DEIB articles accepted in Pamplin Elite Journals

Level: 5 accepted articles per year

Actions:

• Establish mini grants for faculty conducting research on DEIB issues.
• Establish and leverage pre-existing forums for faculty to present and promote DEIB research (e.g., advisory board meetings; alumni reunions; Hokie Talks; corporate visits).

Metric: Enhance climate for employees and student populations

Level: Increase response rate of the Virginia Tech Employee Climate Survey to 75% for employee groups

Level: Achieve 75% workplace satisfaction as reported in the Virginia Tech Employee Climate Survey

Level: Increase response rate of the Virginia Tech Student Climate Survey to 60% for undergraduate and graduate students

Actions:

• Develop initiatives to increase participation in the Virginia Tech Employee and Student Climate Survey (e.g., e-campaigns; seek employee and student ambassadors; offer incentives).

Metric: Enhance experiences for employees to develop cultural humility knowledge and practical skills

Level: Achieve 80% of employees complete an annual educational component from one of three entities: university, Pamplin, external organizations

Actions:

• Develop efforts and incentives for employee groups to complete a cultural humility education component, annually. Determine what qualifies as a cultural humility education component.
• Require cultural humility education during new hire onboarding processes (e.g., VT’s Diversity in the Workplace module).