PRINCIPLES/GUIDELINES/PROCEDURES:

Guiding Principle #1: Overall Commitment to Diversity

The Board values the perspectives, educational benefits, and robust exchanges of ideas that are encouraged by the effective facilitation of diversity within OUS and seeks to promote and support initiatives that sustain best practices in diversity efforts.

Actions – The Board, the Chancellor, and campus presidents will identify opportunities and promote expectations for diverse representation, inclusion, and engagement throughout OUS programs and activities.

Guiding Principle #2: Commitment to Workforce Enhancements

The Board values workforce diversity and encourages opportunities for the employment and advancement of diverse faculty and staff within OUS.

Actions – In periodic reports to the Board, the Chancellor and campus presidents will identify strategies and progress toward the enhancement of workforce diversity.

Guiding Principle #3: Commitment to Equity in Student Success

The Board is committed to providing equitable opportunities for students to succeed and to efforts to close achievement gaps among underserved populations.

Actions – In periodic reports to the Board, campus presidents and representatives of OUS student-related committees will identify strategies and progress relating to student success among diverse populations.

Guiding Principle #4: Commitment to Welcoming Campus Environments

The Board values the importance of campus environments in the attraction, recruitment, and retention of diverse students, faculty, and staff.

Actions – In periodic reports to the Board, campus presidents will a) identify campus climate challenges and successes, b) discuss measures taken to promote welcoming campus environments, and c) describe the possible impact of these measures on student success.

Guiding Principle #5: Commitment to Vendor and Contracting Enhancements

The Board is committed to vendor and contracting practices that encourage and promote participation by minority, women-owned, and emerging small businesses (MWESB).

Actions – In periodic reports to the Board, Chancellor's Office and campus representatives will provide updates on progress in vendor and contracting initiatives and practices. OUS representatives will identify and incorporate into project proposals opportunities for outreach to promote engagement and seek bids from MWESB contractors.

Guiding Principle #6: Commitment to Continuous Feedback

The Board values the feedback and insights of numerous stakeholders in advancing diversity efforts.

Actions – The Board will include attention to diversity issues within its strategic planning efforts and will solicit ideas, innovations, and standards from the Chancellor and campus presidents that best align with institutional and state priorities. Further, the Board will seek input periodically from representatives of Oregon's diverse communities.

Guiding Principle #7: Commitment to Key Goals

The Board values both quantitative and qualitative diversity-related evidence to inform decisions and planning.

Actions – The Board directs the Chancellor and campus presidents to provide reports and updates pertaining to diversity achievements and challenges not less than once every biennium. To assist and inform the Board, each OUS institution will identify key diversity considerations relating to students, faculty, and staff each biennium. Campus leaders will identify and prioritize key goals that take into account fiscal resources, enrollment management considerations, curricular planning, workforce diversity efforts, and specific institutional data and environments. The Chancellor's Office will identify and prioritize key goals pertaining to diversity issues for its units as well. The Board will evaluate annually the Chancellor and campus presidents on elements relating to the identification of, and progress toward, key goals and actions in all areas of this policy and will utilize the guiding principles in Board self-assessments.