Criterion Five: Engagement and Service Core Component 5b: The organization has the capacity and the commitment to engage with its identified constituents and communities.

---

	Community Diversity Efforts Although much remains to accomplish, great strides have been made at UMKC in the area of diversity and equity for our constituents and communities.
At some schools, recently implemented initiatives are too new for thorough evaluations of outcomes. For example, in 2008, the School of Pharmacy [SOP] created and filled the position of Manager for Diversity and Outreach Initiatives, a position that will address the recruitment and retention of African Americans, Latinos and Native Americans. In the same year, the SOP hosted a Minority Student Reception to increase awareness about our program. These initiatives have established benchmarks for measuring their success. The Division of Diversity, Access and Equity [DAE], which reports directly to the Office of the Chancellor, is a cornerstone for these efforts and others like them throughout the two campuses, Volker and Hospital Hill. Among its core values, UMKC includes “diversity, inclusiveness and respect” and strives continuously to create a positive environment by recognizing and acknowledging personal bias and responsibility for affecting change. For the last five years, the School of Education [SOE] has embarked on a number of diversity initiatives. In 2004, Dean Linda Edwards, with the support of faculty and staff, organized the “Change Team,” with the goal of fostering a climate within the school that coincided with the University’s core values through creative and meaningful actions. Toward this end, multiple activities have taken place, including a full-day workshop with Lee Mun Wah (September 2005); a Ford Foundation Interactive Theater, “Difficult Dialogues,” presentation (September 2007); small group lunch discussion sessions after Friday monthly faculty meetings; a first meeting of a Student Change Team, leading to completion of six student focus groups to solicit school climate information. In early 2008, an SOE “town hall” focusing on social justice at the school was held. This meeting, attended by nearly 300 students, faculty and staff, produced extensive data which will provide guidance as SOE plans additional activities. The School of Computing and Engineering [SCE] is very active in recruiting women and minorities and supports several student organizations such as the National Society of Black Engineers [NSBE] and the Society of Women Engineers [SWE]. These organizations not only support current SCE students but are very active in recruiting new students into the School. The School of Law [SOL] actively recruits students from under-represented groups. Every October, SOL sponsors a Diversity Recruitment Forum. Participants are invited for a halfday event to learn more about the law school and have lunch with faculty, law students and practicing attorneys. Participants also listen to a panel of minority attorneys and attend a mock law school class. These annual events are advertised to the general public and invitations are sent to colleges, high schools and universities in the metropolitan area. In addition, our law school hosts an annual “So you want to be a lawyer” program every February. At a recent event, SOL hosted 41 potential students from under-represented groups, along with 32 lawyers, judges and teachers. Other SOL events also make a positive impact on diversity. For example, SOL houses the Jackson County Youth Court, participates in the Student Law Intern Program for minority high school students, and provides a scholarship for the Melvin B. Tolson Award winner of Debate Kansas City, the urban debate league in the metropolitan area. Our Summer Scholars Program at the School of Medicine [SOM] is a very successful recruiting tool. More than 75 high school students who participated in the Summer Scholars Program have been admitted to the six-year program. Approximately 40 have graduated and 14 are still in the program. Approximately 21 percent of all under-represented minorities presently in the medical program were previous Summer Scholars. Many others who participated in the Summer Scholars Program have entered other medical schools or gone into other health care fields. Eight summer scholars are among the 2009 applicant pool for admission into UMKC’s SOM. The Summer Scholars program is one of four highlighted programs for which the University of Missouri-Kansas City has received a Presidential Award for Exemplary Community Service. The award recognizes colleges and universities for creating and implementing community service and service learning programs that are innovative and effective within their communities. The SOM’s Health Professions Pipeway Initiative/Saturday Academy, a collaboration between UMKC and the University of Kansas, also aims to increase participation by minority youth in the health professions, and in science and math-intensive careers. Since the Academy’s inception, 250 students have participated in the program. Success is demonstrated by an increase in participation of approximately 40 percent over the past two years. Pathways to Nursing is a program in the School of Nursing [SON] designed to increase diversity in the nursing workforce. Presented in partnership with the Kansas City Health Education Committee, Pathways is an option for high school students interested in pursuing careers in the health professions. The program is presented during the summer and includes a one-week residential experience, followed by sessions held on one Saturday each month during the following academic year. The goal of Pathways is to provide academic enrichment in science, mathematics and writing and to help students prepare for the ACT examination. It also assists students with completing applications for college and financial aid. Fifty of the 54 participants who responded to the evaluation survey of the 2008 Pathways to Nursing: Male Summit indicated that the program was “Very Useful.” The success of Pathways’ academic enrichment goal is demonstrated through ACT and GPA scores. With limited slots for accepting only 40 students, we had 114 qualified applicants in 2006 and 66 qualified applicants in 2007. Our applicants represented 20 (2006) and 25 (2007) different high schools within a 60-mile radius of the metropolitan area. In conjunction with other SON recruiting efforts, Pathways has allowed us to reach out to an additional 22 high schools. In the College of Arts and Sciences, the UMKC Theatre’s world premiere of the play, Quindaro, was the occasion for numerous diversity efforts. The play is about the multiracial town just across the river in Kansas that served as the magnet for freedom-seeking slaves. A chief of the Cherokee Nation, residents of Quindaro, and Kansas City’s African-American civic leaders attended the production’s opening night. Even before the opening, the production was supported by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, a local African-American church, and the 18th & Vine Community Heritage Association. The attention generated by the production of Quindaro drew political support from the State of Kansas and the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and also led to funding for the creation of a trail through the old site and a scenic overlook.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Office [LGBT], under the Division of Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, offers a number of educational and outreach programs designed to celebrate the accomplishments of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. The excellence of our LGBT programs helped to position UMKC as one of the top 100 Best Campuses for LGBT students in the Advocate College Guide, the first comprehensive campus guide to highlight LGBT-friendly campuses. As an important service to students, LGBT created the LGBT Housing Liaison Program, which places visible and knowledgeable peers in residence halls to assist with the transition to living on campus.