Campus administrators are currently asking for feedback from students, faculty, and staff on CSUSM’s new Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan.

The need to develop a strategic plan for diversity and inclusion was outlined in the Diversity Mapping Project, which was conducted at CSUSM in 2015.

The DISP Work Group, made up campus representatives, has been developing a draft of the plan since Fall 2015. The current draft includes two parts; goals and objectives and action steps.

Phase one of the plan calls for the review of the goals and objectives portion of the document. In order to provide feedback, separate Town Hall forums will be available for students, faculty, staff and administrators to attend. Feedback may also be submitted online at http://www.csusm.edu/equity/strategicplan/.

“As we develop a plan that every student, faculty, staff and administrator can see themselves a part of, I ask that you engage deeply in the review and input process. I want to hear from you about where you see yourself in this plan and what might be missing,” said President Haynes in an email sent out by the Office of Communications.

Dr. Delores Lindsey, a retired CSUSM faculty from the Educational Administration and Leadership program in the School of Education, is the facilitator of the Town Hall forums and is an expert in cultural proficiency.

“Diversity is about diversity of thought, of experience and of opportunities that we bring together. That’s what this strategic plan is about, and that’s what our town hall forums are about,” said Dr. Lindsey. “We want to get those diverse perspectives, feed that information back into the strategic plan, so that it is truly an inclusive plan that we are creating.”

According to the website, “all of the feedback recorded during the Town Hall forums or though this website will be organized by topic, with personal identifiers removed. The DISP Work Group will then organize into small work teams, each assigned with a strategic goal, to review all of the feedback, summarize and make recommendations about appropriate edits and revisions.”

During the summer, the revised goals and objectives portion will then be presented to President Haynes and the Executive Council for finalization.

The next phase of review will be dedicated to the action items portion of the plan and will be conducted by the vice presidents, who will work to develop a review process that is appropriate to their division.

By December of 2016, each vice president will share their revised action steps with President Haynes and the Executive Council. From there, a final version of the Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan will be submitted for approval by President Haynes.

“I hope that you will take time to review the draft goals and objectives, participate in the forums and provide your input and feedback,” said President Haynes. “We are all advocates for diversity and inclusion, and our collective work and commitment to this plan will realize our vision for Cal State San Marcos as a place that models best practices within a context of social justice and educational equity.”

The next Town Hall forum for students will be on Tuesday, April 20 at 12 p.m. in the Cross-Cultural Center (USU 3400). Additional forum dates and more information on the Diversity and Inclusion Strategic Plan can be found on http://www.csusm.edu/equity/strategicplan/.