Proposed Revision to 1902 - Minority Achievement, Montana University System
Board Policy:
The
Board of Regents recognizes the desirability for campus environments to promote
multicultural diversity and for the participation and achievement of American
Indian and other minority students to be, at a minimum, equal to their
representation in the state's population.
To that end, the Board pledges its cooperation with the Board of Public
Education, the Office of Public Instruction, American Indian tribal colleges,
and other American Indian and minority entities within the State and adopts the
following goals for higher education in Montana:
1. To enroll and graduate American Indians and
other minorities in proportion to their representation in the state's
population. In measuring the outcome of
this goal it is expected that the students would originate from the State of
Montana and that the proportional representation would apply both at the
undergraduate and graduate levels.
Further, it is expected that the minority students would have comparable
levels of achievement with non-minority students.
2. To increase the employment of American
Indians and other underrepresented minorities in administrative, faculty and
staff positions to achieve representation equal to that of the relevant labor
force.
3. To enhance the overall curriculum by
infusion of content which enhances multicultural awareness and
understanding.
The
following guidelines based upon recommendations from the National Center for
Postsecondary Governance and Finance should be considered:
1. State Priorities Publicly. Colleges and universities that publicly
announce goals to eliminate race/ethnicity-related differences in
achievement via press releases and other public statements in a wide range of
arenas indicate their commitment to educational opportunity.
2. Commit Discretionary Dollars. Discretionary institutional dollars spent to
recruit, retain and graduate American Indian and other minority students
communicates commitment better than federal or state categorical grant
programs. Conversely, limiting
participation in programs to eligible students according to state or federal
guidelines, or terminating programs when
external funds are withdrawn, advertises that commitment to equal
educational opportunity is optional.
College presidents are encouraged to plan for use of various strategies
to enable their institution to use a portion of their available discretionary
funds each year to support the Board policy.
3. Employ American Indian and other Minority
Leaders. Employing American Indian and
other minorities in positions of senior leadership sends a clear message about
the importance and value of cultural diversity among professional institutional
staff.
4. Collect Relevant Data. Institutions that routinely collect
information about the achievement patterns of American Indian and other
minority undergraduates, differentiated by admission status and department, are
well positioned to address popular perception and to design focused strategies
that build on success and contain failure.
5. Meet Student Needs Systematically. Institutions intent on equity will provide comprehensive and integrated support services to remove barriers to academic achievement and social integration. Institutions will take a proactive role in helping American Indian and other minority students secure financial aid based on their participation in support programs and their potential for earning supplemental income.
6. Emphasize Quality. In the past it has been common to define quality as a function of
those excluded. Institutions with the
smallest acceptance ratios excluded minorities disproportionately. Today any workable definition of quality
must include diversity, but not at the expense of rigor and excellence. American Indian and other minority students
need high quality education.
7. Collaborate With Public Schools, Private and
Parochial Colleges, Community Businesses, Tribal Agencies, Tribal Colleges and
other Agencies. A team approach will
enable communities of organizations to raise the aspirations of American Indian
and other minority students and to strengthen their academic preparation. Elementary and high school students need
demystifying campus contacts and role models and should be given adequate
financial aid information.
Articulation
arrangements should be developed between community colleges, tribal colleges
and four-year programs to eliminate unnecessary loss of transfer
credit. Organizations and businesses
influential in the American Indian and other minority communities should
motivate and provide economic support for the college bound.
8. Provide a Supportive Learning
Environment. Bridge programs, extended
classes covering required material, tutoring, learning laboratories,
collaborative study groups and intrusive advising should be provided to help
under-prepared students who are the most vulnerable to academic failure.
9. Support the Development of Culturally
Sensitive and Multicultural Faculty.
Effective institutions expand the pool of American Indian and other
minority professors by mentoring graduate students or junior faculty members
and providing them with support for additional graduate training. Such institutions also give rewards, tenure
and promotion based on evidence of good teaching--characterized by
direct student contact, caring, mentoring, sensitivity to cultural differences,
and high expectations for all students.
Institutions
also provide campus wide sensitization activities that address racism, cultural
differences and awareness, learning styles and environments on an ongoing
basis.
10. Develop and Maintain a Comfortable Social
Environment on Campus and in the Greater Community. Academically well-prepared American Indian and other
minority students have been distracted from their studies by incidents of
racism. Institutions concerned about
eliminating discrimination, harassment and low expectations for minorities,
provide special programs,
services, and facilities to help minority groups retain
their sense of cultural identity and adjust to isolation. The most effective strategy is proportional
representation.
Procedures:
In
consultation with the Office of the Commissioner of Higher Education, each
campus president or director chancellor will
develop an action plan to accomplish the System goals for multicultural
diversity. The plans are to be
submitted to the Board of Regents. The
Commissioner will establish a deadline for submission of campus action plans so
those plans can be implemented September 1, 1991. Action results will periodically be
submitted to the Commissioner who will make available such results to
interested parties and to the general public.
History:
Item 67-001-R0690,
Minority Achievement; Montana University System, September 13, 1990.
