We realize that there is a lot that needs to be done surrounding access, equity, diversity, and inclusion (AEDI) initiatives and therefore we created the Inclusive Excellence Plan (IEP) to hold us accountable and transparent as we work to place AEDI at the core of Arcadia’s path forward. The IEP is a roadmap that is organized around the five goals we have set in place. The goals are highlighted below and under each goal is an action we have already completed, an action in progress, and what we are looking to accomplish next. These actions listed here are not comprehensive, so please feel free to ask a member of the Council on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion to learn more.
Completed Action: We raised staff awareness with programs such as Teaching Civility in the Workplace and Race and Cultural Diversity in American Life and History.
Action in progress: Keynote speaker series from within our own faculty will facilitate discussions amongst staff around the subjects of Gender identity and Teaching of colonialism in the Arcadia Abroad classroom .
Upcoming Action: CEDI members are getting trained to in turn train members of the entire college. Both our overseas staff and members located in the United States are pursuing these training sessions.
Completed Action: Reviewed the array of student support services, with particular attention to student affinity groups, and can make recommendations
Action in progress: We are creating action plans to improve our array of student support services. Moreover, we are developing the website to better reflect the student experience and inform prospective students
Upcoming Action: Provide effective support/intervention and outreach for students to engage with faculty and staff, both individually and in small group settings, especially when dealing with issues related to discrimination and inequity
Completed Action: In 2020 we created the Council on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (CEDI) as seen today, an organization within Arcadia dedicated to realizing the goals of the IEP.
Action in progress: Inventory of existing systems (Portal, Application, Web Forms) to ensure that they account for and reflect the diverse student populations with which we engage. For example, we now account for pronoun choice from students.
Upcoming Action: Identify rubrics needed to ensure access, equity, diversity and inclusion are woven into our day-to-day work.
Completed Action: We’ve made transparent the academic requirements for applying to our programs. This invites and supports students of diverse backgrounds and academic skill sets. One example of this change is adding both a “recommended” as well as a “for consideration” GPA to include students that otherwise may rule out the program entirely.
Action in progress: We are restructuring our need-based scholarship program to cultivate the combination of access, equity, diversity, and inclusion in the Arcadia Abroad community.
Upcoming Action: CEDI will start taking more of an active role in the decision making process of the need-based scholarships.
Completed Action: We created an Academic Inclusivity Mission Statement. It was developed collaboratively by a cross-functional team of faculty and staff.
Action in progress: Implement changes to orientation and in-country support systems.
Upcoming Action: Faculty overseas will hold teach-out experiences containing content around AEDI discussions and how they are being thoughtful toward this content while also providing a cross-cultural point of view.