The Office of Admissions sponsors visits to campus by minority students from different high schools or educational agencies. Approximately 25 groups are sponsored each year. Admissions continues to collaborate with Alumni Services and the Black Colleagues Association to establish meet and greets for admitted minority students in the Chicago area.
Birds Eye View was added for students from traditionally underrepresented groups. The sessions were introduced during Summer Open House programs for students and staff to share their perceptions of the campus climate and what it’s like to attend this predominately white institution.
Faculty and staff have started the Breaking Barriers initiative to address the declining number of women and minorities enrolled in criminal justice sciences majors and occupations.
Career Path Chats with minority faculty members and students are held at the Julia N. Visor Academic Center, a division of University College.
The Civil Rights Movement Trip provided by the Leadership and Service unit of the Dean of Students Office hosted its seventh trip in January 2010. The itinerary included numerous activities to increase students’ understanding of the connection between leadership and social justice. Rob Miller and Lisa Floyd accompanied more than 40 students to Dayton, Ohio, for the Civil Rights Movement Trip. A highlight of the trip included a stop at the John Parker House, a National Historic Landmark and the site of a stop on the Underground Railroad.
Several theme dinner events are planned with various student groups in conjunction with the Association of Residence Halls. The Cultural Dinner Series is supported by Campus Dining Services.
The Cultural Career Network Program focuses on students of diverse backgrounds to further advance diversity to students who desire to make connections with employers and gain knowledge of available internship and career opportunities. The program prepares students for the workplace in areas of networking and career awareness.
The Cultural Career Program Network Information Session Let CCNP Give You the Business was conducted during the Giving You The Business-CCNP Orientation/Workshop. An INROADS Internship information session was also held. The program hosted several networking dinner tables at the Career Center Annual Networking Dinner to educate students on the appropriate attire for interviews, career fairs and the workplace.
The Dean of Students Office sponsored monthly cultural programs to celebrate historically underrepresented student populations.
The full-time staff in the Dean of Students Office participated in social justice and cultural competency training facilitated by faculty of the Social Justice Training Institute.
The Dean of Students Office collaborated with the ISU Black Colleagues Association to host a tailgate celebration at a Homecoming football game. It continues involvement in the Minority and Friends Network at Oshkosh Placement Exchange and recently sponsored 43 students on a Civil Rights Movement Trip to Memphis.
The First Look Program is an annual program for admitted University Need students (first generation, low income, racially diverse). Students are brought to campus, participate in conference-type seminars during the day, attend a social event at night and get a first look at life at Illinois State.
The First Pre-College Program is a collaboration between the Diversity Advocacy Office and the Office of Admissions to increase the enrollment of minority students at Illinois State.
Greek Success is a program designed specifically to support the academics of selected members of the Illinois State Greek community. As a participant, a chapter works collaboratively with the Julia N. Visor Academic Center with University College and Greek Affairs within the Dean of Students to raise overall academic standards and efforts within the chapter.
The Intercultural Retreat Weekend targets student leaders from diverse backgrounds and aims to engage students in critical discussions on issues dealing with diversity, provide opportunities for students from diverse backgrounds to interact and learn through team building, and provide leadership training.
The Julia N. Visor Academic Center is a division of University College that provides services and programs designed to assist students in their pursuit of academic excellence at Illinois State. Programs include GPA 911, an initiative that helps students with poor academic progress alert grades to get back on track. The Success 102 program provides a continuation of support for students who were enrolled in success 101. Club Success is an intrusive voluntary support program for students on academic probation. The program has demonstrated effectiveness in helping students return to good academic standing.
Steve Klay accompanied students on Alternative Winter Break to Jaibon, Dominican Republic. Sponsored by the Leadership & Service unit of the Dean of Students Office, 24 students and two staff lived and volunteered with Orphanage Outreach teaching English, constructing the second floor of a classroom and helping with labor at the orphanage.
Rick Lewis and Tammy Hansen, Dean of Students Office, accompanied more than 45 students to Atlanta, Ga., for Alternative Spring Break focused on service and social justice. The project included stops at the MLK Center, packing and shipping textbooks to African countries and cleaning the neighborhood in the Auburn Avenue District.
Rick Lewis, John Davenport, Angela Davenport (Dean of Students Office), Arlene Hosea (Campus Dining Services), and Monica Overton and Shanay Bridges (Student Counseling Services) advised and attended the Breaking Down the Barriers leadership retreat with more than 30 ethnic minority students in Tiskilwa.
The Minority and Friends Network is an annual program held during the Oshkosh Placement Exchange and co-founded and co-sponsored by University Housing Services.
The University Police Department continues its engagement with the Minority and Police Partnership of which it is a founding and charter member.
The Multi-Ethnic Cultural and Co-curricular Programming Advisory Committee is an advisory and programming group which sponsors or co-sponsors events that promote and celebrate the diverse cultures that make up the campus community.
The Passages Fall Orientation schedule includes a number of programs targeting underrepresented groups and discussing diversity issues. The schedule includes Preacher Moss’ End of Racism Comedy and Lecture Tour, Meeting and Social for Non-traditional students, Academic Success – Visor Style and Kick-off’ Que for Students of Color.
University Housing is a participant in the Safe Workplace Program, providing GLBT candidates with information about employers who provide safe places to work.
The Safe Zone website was updated to provide supplemental resources to support GLBT students and their family members.
Student Counseling Services has an internal Diversity Committee charged with monitoring and enhancing adherence to the departmental value statement regarding diversity and carrying out the recommendations from the cultural competency audit process.
Student Support Services, a division of University College, is actively involved with approximately 250 first-generation and low income students, providing individualized, intensive academic assistance including educational planning, career advisement, academic counseling and preparation for graduate and professional school.
Residence Hall staff members reach out to underrepresented students in order to help them navigate the university and become acclimated through the Outreach Program.
The Umoja Student Development Corporation, affiliated with Manley High School, has been bringing minority students to Illinois State on pre-college trips since 2005. The purpose is to expose disadvantaged minority students to college life to encourage them to pursue college.
University Health Services supports the Women’s Health Clinic.
The University Program Board allocated specific dollars to fund diversity-focused programming including Global Children Outreach Benefit Gala, Herman Boone lecture, Invisible Children display and lecture, The Listening Project, Anthony Rapp lecture, Preacher Moss lecture, Hunger Banquet and Joel Cohen lecture.
The Visor Insider Printing Program, coordinated by the Julia N. Visor Academic Center, provides limited printing within the Visor computer/study lab at no charge for selected undergraduate students with demonstrated financial need.
The Women’s Mentoring Network was created to provide support and information to nontraditional female students beginning or returning to college after an interruption in their formal education.
You Can Do ISU is a recently created open house for low income/first generation students and their family members to learn how financial aid can make college education a reality
