Criterion One: Mission and Integrity Core Component 1b: In its mission documents, the organization recognizes the diversity of its learners, other constituencies, and the greater society it serves.

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	SAEM Retention Initiatives SAEM’s Student Life Office hosts an annual Diversity Week, for example, and exposes students to all facets of cultural difference through major programs and events that explore attitudes related to race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, disability, and ideology. Student Life also sponsors the student organizations on campus, including historically black fraternities and sororities. In addition, Student Life assisted students in the founding a chapter of Lambda Theta Phi, which is a co-ed organization for Latino college students and the first chapter of the fraternity to be founded in Missouri.
The International Student Affairs Office [ISAO] directs and coordinates the recruitment and admission of all UMKC non-immigrant visa holders. ISAO ensures that international students have a successful and productive experience at UMKC and in Kansas City, promotes and supports cultural opportunities that benefit the UMKC community. Programs and support services include: Arrival and housing services; Host individual and family programs; Post-arrival and pre-departure orientations; Visa advising, international practical training assistance; Referral to campus services, liaison with academic advisers, quarterly newsletters; Support for the International Student Council [ISC]; and Campus nationality groups, and social and cultural programming. In addition to the basic services offered, ISAO interacts frequently with international students by scheduling field trips that provide cultural learning experiences. ISAO also works closely with the International Student Council [ISC], which includes more than 15 nationality organizations, to offer cultural training opportunities to community residents. Many of the more than 50 programs sponsored by SAEM’s Residential Life are designed to increase awareness and celebrate the diversity of our students and the global community. The office’s Resident Assistants live in the halls and are available to answer students’ questions or concerns and represent the diversity of our student population. All of our CAs are required to participate in one collaborative program per month outside of Residential Life, many of which include partnering with Multicultural Student Affairs, Student Life (and their diverse programs), and the Women’s Center. Residential Life also sponsors two social justice coordinators who plan diversity programming and serve as resources to students and staff. Residential Life also sponsors special Diversity Empowerment Workshops; Safe Space training; international cultural events (such as the Japanese Culture Night); and periodic inservice and special training in which students and staff are exposed to more in-depth training and cultural experiences. SAEM’s Counseling, Health and Testing Center [CTC], which administers 13,000 tests annually, offers Assess for Success. It is a program that provides low-cost assessment for learning and attention disorder diagnoses that meet Americans with Disabilities criteria for accommodations in the classroom or work settings. In addition, specific training is provided to CTC employees who test people working in a second language. All CTC staff is regularly trained in cross-cultural counseling and cultural awareness. When we rank applicants for our national matching for doctoral interns each year, a strategy is used to heighten the probability of having a diverse representation in our three interns. CTC has hired a staff psychologist to engage in on-site consultation and programming for the African American History and Culture House and to facilitate the center’s Multicultural Training Seminar for interns. CTC also offers various support groups for international students, LGBT students and women’s groups. SAEM’s Multicultural Student Affairs Office [MSA] helps minority students integrate into the academic and social systems of campus life. MSA plans activities and events throughout the academic year, including Black and Hispanic Welcome Weeks, Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Academic Success Luncheon, College Survival Workshops and a Multicultural Graduation Reception. MSA also supports and advises minority student organizations, including TAASU [The African American Student Union], ALAS [the Association of Latin American Students], NSBE [the National Society of Black Engineers], NAACP [the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People] and NPHC [the National Pan-Hellenic Council]. MSA’s African American History and Culture House provides study and meeting areas, an art gallery, a computer lab and a TV lounge. During the past four years, the Culture House, which welcomes all races, has sponsored events such as “The Light in the Other Room” (an art exhibit), Arte Latino, and Freedom Ride to Atlanta. Members of the African-American student body are the Culture House’s most frequent visitors, but all of the Culture House activities and programs serve to fulfill the intellectual needs of anyone seeking to know more about the cultural heritage and contributions of people of African descent. SAEM’s Student Disability Services [SDS] offers programming and support services to students with disabilities, as well as disability awareness training to our staff, faculty and students. The mission of SDS is to provide reasonable and appropriate academic accommodations, which include an extended examination time, peer note takers, examinations in reduced-distraction rooms, textbooks in alternate formats, and sign language interpreters. Other accommodations may be available depending on the disability need. Our University’s construction plans always include consideration of the needs of students with disabilities. One of UMKC’s recent additions, for example, is University Way. This gateway to the Volker Campus connects Oak and Cherry streets. An existing sidewalk continues to Rockhill Road, traversing the entire campus east to west. Two elevators and a graded ramp system provide access for all pedestrians going between Oak and Cherry streets. The UMKC Women’s Center serves as an information and referral service with a reference library of books and tapes relating to women’s studies, careers and education. In an environment that fosters open exchange and diversity, the center provides UMKC and the surrounding community with programs addressing women’s and gender issues. A two-year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, awarded in 2005 and renewed in 2007 through 2010, funded the Center’s Violence Prevention and Response Project, designed to educate the UMKC community on issues of sexual and relationship violence, including prevention and response. The center also sponsors the “Young Women Leaders Program,” a year-long mentoring program that pairs a middle school girl with a college woman, a “Big Sister,” with whom she meets twice weekly to address issues related to girls’ sense of self, scholastic achievement, body image, social aggression, and healthy decision-making. During the 2007-08 academic year, seven UMKC Big Sisters worked with 14 Little Sisters from the Kansas City middle school for the arts. As evidenced by the follow-up survey and quotes from participants, the program was a success. One of the Big Sisters wrote, “I feel that both of my sisters benefited from the program. They got better at resolving conflicts and communicating with one another.” A Little Sister had this to say about the experience: “The most valuable part of the program for me was that now I have more control over the mean things that I say.”
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender [LGBT] Office was launched in July 2003 as the LGBT Initiative in order to establish a physical presence for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals at UMKC. With an LGBT Advisory Board to provide valuable guidance and direction, our LGBT Office is one of approximately 90 professionally staffed university LGBT offices or centers in the United States. The office celebrates and honors the history, culture, and achievements of LGBT people and promotes visibility of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community of UMKC. An annual fundraising event, hosted by Chancellor Morton, raises scholarship money for LGBT students with special financial needs related to their sexual orientation. At the end of each academic year, LGBT holds its Lavender Graduation at which LGBT students are honored for their achievements. In 2006, UMKC was ranked among the 100 Best Campuses in the nation for LGBT students and is listed in “The Advocate College Guide for LGBT Students,” the first comprehensive campus guide to highlight LGBT-friendly campuses in the United States. UMKC has been recognized recently by the Human Rights Campaign [HRC] as a not-for-profit leader in workplace equality.