TCNJ

Toward a more i N c L U s i v e c O M M U N i t Y o n a u g u S T 2 8 , 2 0 1 3 , T h e 5 0 T h a n n i V e R S a R Y o F T h e R e V. d R . M a R T i n l u T h e R k i n g J R . ' S " i h a V e a d R e a M " S p e e c h , president Gitenstein used the occasion of her welcome back address to challenge the tCnJ community to make diversity a campus priority. While there is much more to be done to fully embody Dr. King's dream, the tCnJ community has made great strides in the past year. a S S e S S i n g c a M p u S c l i M a T e In the fall, the college launched a campus climate survey, entitled "Your Voice Matters: An Assessment of learning, living and Working on Campus," taken by 939 people including 582 students, 212 staff, and 145 faculty. overall, 82 percent of respondents were either "comfortable" or "very comfortable" with the campus climate. Faculty (88 percent) and students (82 percent) felt that way about the classroom climate, while 79 percent of staff responded positively about their department or work unit climate. twenty-four percent of respondents indicated that they had personally experienced exclusionary, intimidating, offensive and/or hostile conduct. irty- nine percent of those respondents said the conduct interfered with their ability to work or learn at tCnJ. e results, which have been shared with the community, will guide the college's efforts in creating a welcoming and inclusive community. F i R S T F R i d a Y i n i T i a T i V e F o R M e n o F c o l o R on the first Friday of each month, male administrators, faculty, and staff of color come together for lunch in the Atrium at eickhoff Hall. Students and tCnJ faculty and staff have the opportunity to learn about each other in a comfortable environment. As a result of this gathering, the Male empowerment program, which will help equip young tCnJ men of color with the tools they need to be successful throughout their lives, will launch this fall. i n S T i T u T i o n a l i z i n g T h e c h a l l e n g e In the months following the president's address, the college moved to institutionalize the president's challenge. Kerri ompson tillet was appointed associate vice president/ chief diversity officer to facilitate the college's efforts around diversity. In addition, the college's Strategic planning Map was revised to include "live a Culture of Diversity and Inclusion" as the underpinning of providing educational excellence. e office of enrollment Management created a full-time mentoring position for diverse student populations and first-generation students, and a tenure-track faculty recruitment policy emphasizing diversity and accountability in search committees and applicant pools. e success of this policy is already evident. twenty-five percent of new tenure-track faculty hired after the charge were African American or Hispanic, an increase of seven percent over the previous year. 4

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