Council on Diversity & Inclusion

1. Council on Diversity & Inclusion Variety is the spice of life March 17, 2011

2. Introductions • Pair & Share the 3 – P’s (professional, personal, peculiar) • Who are we? • What are our roles at WCU and in community?

3. Historical Overview • Task Force on Diversity Final Report and recommendations (1995) • WCU Response (2010) to the UNC Tomorrow Report • Demographic trends and implications

4. Task Force on Diversity (1995) Goals • Create a Center for Multicultural and International Education • Enhance student’s experience and appreciation of different cultures • Encourage campus climate that is conducive to learning for diverse populations • Increase ethnic minority students on campus to 15% by 2000 • Increase culturally and ethnically diverse faculty & staff • Promote understanding of all aspects of diversity, & international education through faculty/staff development

5. The UNC Tomorrow Report (2010)Challenge for the 21st Century • Globalization • Increase access to higher education • Engage in economic transformation • Prepare for wide-scale faculty retirement in next 10 years • Increase efforts to recruit/retain high quality faculty/staff • Analyze internal workforce needs over next 5 years • Analyze worldwide demographic shifts & impact on campus workforces • Develop strategies to recruit/retain high potential talent • Manage a diverse multi-generational workforce

6. WCU’s Challenges • Boundaries of geography & rural setting • Benefits for employees are not competitive with other public state systems • Lack of performance pay options • Dual personnel system of SPA/EPA with different levels of benefits • Salary compression & equity • Limited salary flexibility due to budget restrictions for new hires & internal employees

7. WCU Response (2010) to the UNC Tomorrow Report • WCU Data on 1434 full-time employees: • 19% (270) will be eligible to retire in 5 years • 29% Senior Administrators (EPA) • 26% Staff (SPA) • 19% Faculty • 19% Non-faculty • 23% Administrative support • 16% Professional

8. Within 10 Years • 37% of employees will be eligible to retire • 218 Non-faculty positions to be filled (109 in five years) • 131 Faculty positions to be filled (66 in five years)

9. Demographics over the Decade • 20% increase in the regional population • 400% increase in the Hispanic populations • 16,000 increase in state’s Hispanic population (2006-2007) • 80,000 NC high school graduates (2006-2007)

10. WCU’s Commitment to Serve • Rural populations • Native Americans – Eastern band of Cherokee • Hispanics • African-Americans • Develop recruitment strategies to reach out to underrepresented minorities

11. WCU’s Response • Develop strategies for best practices in diversity for faculty/staff & students • Appoint a Director of Diversity position • Develop a Council on Diversity & Inclusion • Analyze workforce skills & competencies • Advocate faculty/staff professional development to address diversity and workforce needs

12. WCU’s Recommendations for Best Practices-Recruitment & Retention • Tuition reimbursement/waiver for employee spouse and dependents • Provide opportunities for trailing spouses • Support legislative changes for benefits, no-cost family health coverage for employees • Recommend performance pay options to reward work performance • Support amending state law requiring 6-month break in service for retirees • Develop a separate university personnel system allowing the UNC system to offer competitive fringe benefits & performance based pay system

13. Conclusions – Our Tasks • Build relationships • Develop annual strategic work plan • Assess EEO/AA data • Design, implement, & evaluate a Climate/Diversity Survey • Design & recommend a campus-wide diversity plan • Recommend university-wide diversity initiatives • Design, implement, & evaluate professional development on diversity for faculty, staff, & students • Follow-up for accountability based on data • Revise our work plan