Inclusiveness at UWRF
"Diversity must move from being thought of as the responsibility of a few designated individuals to being understood as a shared endeavor across campus constituencies."
- Pedersen et al., Making a Real Difference with Diversity: A Guide to Institutional Change
In order to live up to our institutional core value of inclusiveness, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls addresses issues of diversity on a number of levels including:
Institutional Accountability
Institutional accountability for inclusiveness at UWRF is provided by several professional offices and committees including:
Excellence
In order to make informed decisions regarding our strategic planning goal of fostering a culture of inclusiveness, we must look beyond anecdotal evidence by collecting and basing actions upon meaningful data. Three instruments UW-River Falls is utilizing in our assessment efforts are the Multicultural Awarness Project for Institutional Transformation (MAP IT), the Equity Scorecard, and the Campus Climate Assessment Tool.
Community Outreach
UWRF staff and students serve as members of the River Falls Diversity Awareness Committee, chaired by River Falls Mayor Don Richards. The River Falls Diversity Awareness Committee plans and facilitates the downtown portion of Unity in the Community, the annual campus and city wide celebration of diversity. The committee also addresses city wide issues of diversity and served as the driving force behind River Falls joining the Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities. To view a picture of the sign provided to River Falls by the National League of Cities in recognition of joining the Partnership for Working Toward Inclusive Communities and a sign recognizing UWRF's goal of fostering a culture of inclusiveness, click here.
Curricular Programs
There are several excellent academic programs at UWRF whose content focuses on issues relating to inclusiveness. These academic programs include:
Strategic Planning
"Foster a Culture of Inclusiveness" has been identified as one of ten strategic planning goals for UWRF as part of our current strategic planning, Living the Promise 2007-2012. The Faculty Senate Diversity Committee is in the process of reviewing the tasks and initiatives created under this strategic planning goal. This review is guided by Making a Real Difference with Diversity, a guide to institutional change published by the American Association of Colleges and Universities. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this guide, please contact Blake Fry, Special Assistant to the Chancellor, at 715-425-3711.
In addition to our institutional level strategic plan, UWRF has been actively engaged in the UW System strategic plan for diversity entitled Plan 2008: Educational Quality Through Racial and Ethnic Diversity.
Support Services
The University of Wisconsin-River Falls offers numerous outstanding support services that promote inclusiveness by working to close the achievement gap between students from varying backgrounds. These support services include:
Student Organizations
Student organizations are at the heart of co-curricular life at UWRF . Several of these organizations strive to promote inclusiveness at UWRF by either directly addressing issues of diversity, representing the interests of students from varying backgrounds, or sharing the rich cultural diversity of our student body. Some of these student organizations include:
