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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	What Students Say The National Survey of Student Engagement [NSSE] has been administered at UMKC since 2000. Beginning in 2007, the administration of the survey moved from every year to every other year to allow for the introduction of the Noel-Levitz Student Satisfaction Inventory (SSI). First-year students and seniors are invited to participate in NSSE at the beginning of the winter semester. We typically have a response rate of between 37 to 40 percent. NSSE measures student responses to five national benchmarks of effective educational practice: Level of Academic Challenge, Active and Collaborative Learning, Student/Faculty Interaction, Enriching Educational Experiences [EEE], and Supportive Campus Environment [SCE]. [For details about our NSSE results, visit the Resource Room.]
Based on the racial climate audit cited above, and some of the NSSE responses, we know that much remains to fully achieve our mission to create a “highly diverse faculty, staff and student body.” Nevertheless, we have made progress, as evidenced by responses to two of NSSE’s benchmarks: EEE, which relates to learning opportunities in and out of the classroom that augment academic programs, and SCE, which recognizes that students perform better and are more satisfied at colleges that are committed to their success. Both of these benchmarks include questions related to issues of diversity, inclusiveness and the quality of relationships at the University. Results from our 2006 survey revealed that the percentages of both our first-year and senior students who responded positively to those questions was greater than the percentages of similar cohorts at other urban universities or at our Carnegie Peer institutions. Retention Presentation Retention by Gender and Ethnicity UMKC Faculty Of the 499 full-time tenured and tenure-track faculty at UMKC in Fall 2005 only 22 were African American and only seven were Hispanic. During that same semester, 22 percent of all of our first-time students were African American and Hispanic freshmen. This was a significant gap between the percentage of our students who are from minorities and the percentage of our faculty who are from minorities. These statistics, the audit and the region’s changing demographics led us to re-examine our strategies to identify, recruit and retain highly qualified, talented, and diverse faculty for positions in all academic fields. In addition to the programs and initiatives we have developed to achieve our diversity goal, many of which have been described above, we have also reorganized our administration in recognition of diversity of all of our constituencies. Previously called Diversity in Action and Diversity and Equity, our Division of Diversity, Access, and Equity [DAE] was formally reorganized in February 2007 through the creation of a new position: Deputy Chancellor for Diversity, Access and Equity. As a result of the reorganization, the reporting structure for DAE’s leader moved from the Vice Chancellor of Administrative Services to the Chancellor. DAE combines the efforts of the former Diversity In Action and the Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action offices. Within DAE, the Affirmative Action Office [AAO] functions as the Equal Employment Opportunity office responsible for monitoring and coordinating the faculty and staff recruitment process to assure compliance with search procedures, University policies, and legal and regulatory requirements. Working with DAE and AAO, UMKC’s deans, department chairs and search committees are responsible for ensuring that equal opportunity is given to all candidates to further the University’s goal of identifying and recruiting diverse, qualified and talented faculty.
Division of Diversity, Access and Equity: Our policy is to provide equal opportunity regardless of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, veteran status or disability status in all education, employment and contracted activities. DAE works to insure equal opportunity and non discrimination in employment and education activities. Students, faculty, staff and others are safe to seek resolution of issues related to reasonable accommodations, harassment and discrimination without fear of retaliation or intimidation. The office independently collaborates with UMKC units to resolve issues in a very private manner. Everyone at UMKC is expected to be accountable for advancing the goals of UMKC’s equal opportunity/affirmative action program.
Faculty diversity is a vital part of our mission. According to a FY2008 demographic study by UMKC’s Office of Institutional Research, Assessment, and Planning, the ethnicity of our instructional faculty was 75 percent white, 10 percent Asian/ Pacific Islander, 7 percent African American, 6 percent Hispanic, and 2 percent American Indian/Native American. We have made important strides toward strengthening diversity at UMKC. Nevertheless, we need to do more, and we remain committed to developing additional opportunities for improvement. Faculty Recruitment