Diversity and Culture

The unit designs, implements, and evaluates curriculum and experiences for candidates to acquire and apply the knowledge,

skills, and dispositions necessary to help all students learn.

Culture and Diversity Expectations

Four governing documents guide culture and diversity initiatives within COEHS:

– UW System Plan 2008– UW Oshkosh Governing Ideas– COEHS Strategic Plan– COEHS Conceptual Framework

Plan 2008: Educational Quality Through Racial and Ethnic Diversity

• 7 Goals• Goals outlined at UW System Level• Goals further delineated at campus levels in

UW Oshkosh Design for Diversity and Governing Ideas

• COEHS initiatives contribute to plan and are tied to Conceptual Framework “Educator as Caring Intellectual”

Plan 2008 Goals

Goal 1: Increase the number of Wisconsin high school graduates of color who apply, are accepted, and enroll at UW System institutions

Goal 2: Encourage partnerships that build the educational pipeline by reaching children and their parents at an earlier age.

Student Recruitment

Student Recruitment Initiatives• Four community -based liaisons (Hispanic,

African American, American Indian, and Asian American) were hired to serve as a network for recruiting students of color

• Admissions Office hired a full-time recruitment specialist who is African American

• COEHS faculty organized campus visits for 205 English as a second language high school students from Northeast Wisconsin

• Six pre-college programs designed for students of color are offered at UW Oshkosh (COEHS students participate in projects as mentors and support personnel):– Anishinabe Teachers for Anishinabe Children Project (name change to

Indian Teachers for Indian Children)– Summer Mathematics and Reading Talent Scholars– Pre-College Enrichment Program– Young Entrepreneurial Scholars– Wisconsin Youth in Nursing– Distance Education for Summer Enrichment Opportunities

• UW Oshkosh Black Student Union hosts pre-college academic weekend campus visits

• UW Oshkosh hosts Asian, Hispanic, African American and Native American Student Leadership conference

• UW Oshkosh hosts United Students in Residence Halls High School Leadership Seminar and provides scholarships for students of color and their advisors to attend

• Hispanic students from Sunset High School in Dallas TX attend the COBA’s Business Simulation competition and meet with representatives of COEHS and Division of Academic Support. – 37 Students attended competition in both 1999 & 2000

• COEHS faculty and UW Oshkosh senior administrators have visited P-12 Milwaukee Public Schools to recruit students

• COEHS was represented at Urban Teacher World in Milwaukee

• UW Oshkosh attended local, national, and multicultural specialized college fairs, visited multicultural high schools, and sent letters and information packets to multicultural college seniors in WI, IL, MN

• The Graduate School attended National Black Grad Student Grad School Fair and American Minority Student Leadership Conference to recruit graduate students

Thirty-three students from seven tribal nations who participated in the Anishinabe Program June 24-29, 2001

http://www.coehs.uwosh.edu/anishinabe/Ans_cmp_atv/sum_participants.htm

Goals 3&4

Goal 3: Close the gap in educational achievement, by bringing retention and graduation rates for students of color in line with those of the student body as a whole.Goal 4: Increase the amount of financial aid available to eligible students and reduce their reliance on loans.

Retention/Graduation, Financial Aid

Plan 2008 Goals

Student Organizations Supporting Diverse Students

• Six student organizations– American Indian Student Assoc.– Asian Student Assoc.– Black Student Union– Hispanic Cultures United– Hmong Student Union– MEC Student Board

• Located in Multicultural Center Rodrigo Vega, Co-President Hispanic Cultures United

Multicultural Education Center• Multipurpose resource center• Shanebrook Multicultural

Library• Student assistance programs

– Microcomputer Tutorial Laboratory

– Writing Assistance Program– Math Skills Tutorial Program

http://www.uwosh.edu/acad-supp/mec/mec.html

• Chancellor has pledged $100,000 toward renovation of historic building which houses campus Multicultural Center

Scholarships - COEHS• Title VII Teachers and Bilingual Personnel Grant allowed

the following enrollments:– 26 adult paraprofessionals (primarily Hmong)– 40 inservice teachers seeking additional licensures

• Refugee Teacher Training Grants – 1999-00 8 students (Southeast Asian)– 2000-01 14 students– 2001-02 11 students

• Minority Teacher Forgivable Loans– 1998-99 $15,026 9 students – 1999-00 $ 3,852 2 students– 2000-01 $10,135 9 students

Scholarships UW Oshkosh• Minority Honors Scholarships

– 1998-99* $29,410 28 students – 1999-00 $23,400 23 students– 2000-01 $23,000 22 students

*includes Minority Freshman Achievement Awards

• Multicultural Achievement Awards– 1998-99 $1,250 10 students – 1999-00 $1.395 10 students– 2000-01 $2,750 6 students

• Assoc. Vice Chancellor’s Multicultural Awards – 1998-99 $32,500 6 students (Graduate Students)

– 1999-00 $29,250 8 students– 2000-01 $59,058 7 students

Scholarships UW System• Lawton Grants

– 1998-99 $107,779 74 students – 1999-00 $105,926 73 students– 2000-01 $119,867 73 students

• Talent Incentive Program (minorities or 1st Generation college students)

– 1998-99 $137,847 115 students – 1999-00 $108,384 105 students– 2000-01 $149,270 96 students

• Advanced Opportunity Fellowship Program– 1998-99 $33,998 16 students – 1999-00 $31,000 9 students– 2000-01 $20,895 7 students

Scholarships American Indian• Bureau of Indian Affairs Grants

– 1998-99 $65,564 21 students

– 1999-00 $82,334 20 students

– 2000-01 $68,965 20 students

• Wisconsin Native American Student Grant– 1998-99 $20,927 22 students

– 1999-00 $19,845 20 students

– 2000-01 $20,837 21 students

Goal 5: Increase the number of faculty, academic staff, classified staff and administrators of color, so that they are represented in the UW System workforce in proportion to their current availability in relevant job pools. In addition, work to increase their future availability as potential employees.

Faculty/Staff Diversity

Plan 2008 Goals

• Gender– COEHS faculty/administrators, balanced representation (27 f,

24 m) – COEHS new hires, 3 females– COEHS chairs, 67% female (4 f, 2 m)– University chairs, 38% female– COEHS administrators 75% female (3 f, 1 m)

• Racial/Ethnic Diversity– COEHS faculty/administrators, 10% persons of color (5/51)– University faculty (administrators excluded) 9.4% persons of

color (33/351)

Faculty Diversity

Recruitment Efforts• Affirmative Action Director hired• Workshops on Affirmative Action offered • All COEHS departments involved in searches met with

Affirmative Action Director to discuss means for expanding pool of candidates from diverse backgrounds

• All faculty positions are advertised directly with: – Historically Black Colleges– Hispanic-Serving Institutions– Black Issues in Higher Education– Hispanic Outlook– Specialized professional organizations

COEHS Sponsored Diversity Seminars/Lectures/Book Groups

• Faculty seminar/ Faculty College– Getting Beyond Race– Education for Indigenous Learners

• Molefi Kete Asante – Distinguished professor– “A Visit with Molefi Kete Asante” video won Award

of Merit in Wisconsin Assoc of Public, Education, and Government Channels competition

• Saturday morning reading group– So Much to Say: Adolescents, Bilingualism & ELS in

the Secondary School– Pedagogy of Freedom: Ethics, Democracy

and Civic Courage

Visiting Professors/Teachers• COEHS has hosted/co-hosted visiting professors from:

– Australia

– University of Thessaly, Greece

– University of Benin, Nigeria

– Siebold University, Nagasaki, Japan

– England

• COEHS supported the Teachers of Culture Internship Program. Teachers from Ghana spent– One week at UW Oshkosh

– Two weeks in area schools

International Collaboration

Vander Putten International Fund sponsored COEHS faculty initiatives to establish cooperative relationships with:– University of Thessaly, Greece– University of Benin, Nigeria– Siebold University, Nagasaki, Japan– University College Worcester, England– University of London, England

Graduate Assistants Bring Diversity

• Graduate Assistants frequently are international and/or minority students

• They interact with faculty and students sharing their world views, language, culture, customs, and experiences

• Employing graduate assistants supports their efforts in earning advanced degrees

• Some assistants decide to stay in the area further volunteering to serve as cooperating teachers

Learning and Respect for Diversity

Goal 6: Foster institutional environments and course development that enhance learning and respect for racial and ethnic diversity.

Plan 2008 Goals

Human Relations Requirements• 25 clock hours of direct leadership involvement with adult or

pupil members from one or more of the following designated ethnic minority groups– African-Americans– American Indians– Asian-Americans– Hispanic Americans– Pacific-Islander-Americans– Foreign born persons of color

• 25 clock hours with physically, emotionally, or cognitively disabled persons

Human Relations Assessment• Admission I

– 25 hours completed – Reflection on experience– Development of plan to complete remaining hours– Discussed during Oral Interview

• Admission II– Completion of remaining 25 hours– Reflection on experience– Clinical Teaching Evaluation– Self-assessment of Clinical Experience

• Program Completion– Student Teaching Evaluation – Self-assessment on Student Teaching – Culture and Diversity Synthesis

Urban Field Experiences• Students may student teach in major metropolitan

areas including:• Milwaukee• Racine• Kenosha• Beloit

(out of area fee waived)

• Students in early childhood, early literacy and ESL programs may select an urban clinical experience spending two weeks in Milwaukee

• Students in the Hmong Bilingual program may spend one week in the Twin Cities

Community Field Experience• Collaboration with 21st Century Learning

Center programs for families from other language backgrounds in:– Oshkosh– Menasha– Appleton– Green Bay– Berlin

Students can fulfill human relations hours by joining faculty lead study tours to:– Greece– Belize– Mexico

Opportunities to student teach exist in:– Australia– England– Ireland– New Zealand

International Field Experiences

–Northern Ireland–Scotland–Wales

http://dim-rachoul.lar.sch.gr

Students can fulfill human relations hours by joining faculty led study tours to:

BilingualMethodsmoves to

Japan

Field Experience Evaluation• Lesson and Curriculum Unit Design

specifically addresses culture and diversity

• Supervision Forms have been redesigned to specifically address culture and diversity

• Self-Assessment Tools have been redesigned to specifically address culture and diversity

• To encourage collaboration, meetings have been arranged with local school district personnel to discuss diversity concerns

Campus Awareness Activities• Sponsor four “Heritage Months” (Hispanic,

Native American, African American, Asian American)

• Host Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration, Cinco de Mayo, and Holidays Around the World

• Taste of Oshkosh/Celebration of Cultures• Residence Halls Diversity Committee sponsors

candlelight vigil to commemorate victims of hate crimes

• Annual publication of Diversity magazine• Sponsorship of a variety of performers, activists,

poets, and speakers

• Jeanette Elmer Trust is providing $5,000 per year to purchase library materials about American Indians appropriate for PK-12 student and teacher use

• First Year Experience featured Haitian American writer Edwige Danticat’s book Krik?Krak!

• 29 courses have been approved to meet General Education Ethnic Studies requirement

• English Department’s offerings have been reorganized to make ethnically diverse literature visible and central

COEHS Conference SponsorshipAnnual Events

– UW Oshkosh Special Education Conference – UW Oshkosh Language Culture and

Education Institute

Special Events– Exploring Hmong History and Culture Workshop– Gates Millennium Scholarship Conference for

Educators of Native American students– Teaching Mathematics to the Native American

Student Workshop

University Sponsored Activities• Diversity Week: Candlelight vigil to honor victims of hate

crimes, essay contest, hall events• Zuni Pueblo artists Alex & Ken Seowtewa• Tribal Elder in Residence Dorothy Davids• Native American theatre group Alter/Natives• Writer of Color in Residence Shara McCallum• African American performance artist Renae McNeal• Poetry series (African American & Hispanic)• Treaty Rights and Mascot Obligations lecture• African American dance troupe• Hmong American writer Houa Vue Moua• Haitian American author Edwidge Danticat, Krik?Krak!• American Indian storyteller Patti Lowe• American Indian writer Paula Gunn Allen• Author Jane Elliot on “Blue Eyed”

Diversity Innovation Grants12 grants totaling $27,443 were awarded in Spring 2000

– Recruitment visits for minority language students– Reservation high school math instruction– Understanding Hmong America: Twin Cities Field Experience– Video acquisition on American ethnic groups and diversity– Video taping Tribal Elder panel presentation– Writers of color residency series– Social Work reception to attract minority high school graduates– Diversity speakers series: Dr. Herman Blake– Two-day orientation session for first-year experience program– Multicultural peer mentoring– Hispanics Obtain Partners in Education– Department of Residence Life High School Leadership Seminar

Community Awareness Activities

• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day Celebration

• Oshkosh Race Unity Picnic

• Campus and City of Oshkosh jointly organized Human Relations Council in 1989 to promote an environment supporting racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity. Task groups work on projects including– Housing guidelines to eliminate discrimination– Preparing Hmong residents for citizenship

AccountabilityGoal 7: Improve accountability of the UW System and its institutions.

UW Oshkosh - Improve leadership and accountability in the implementation of this plan

COEHS - Affirms and integrates Plan 2008 Goals which are consistent with NCATE 2000 Standards, DPI’s Standards for Educators, SPA Standards, and COEHS Strategic Plan and Conceptual Framework

Plan 2008 Goals

COEHS Human Relations Committee• Functions as the advisory council on cultural

diversity examining issues, insights, and ideas related to diversity of staff, candidates, and field experiences.

• Makes recommendations to move the initial and advanced preparation programs forward

• Resources have been allocated to aggressively identify, recruit, and establish relationships with additional field experience sites

UW Oshkosh Diversity Council

Campus-wide committee charged with leading diversity efforts on campus.

Margaret Genisio - Chair

http://www.uwosh.edu/2008/home.html