Chapter 6: SMSU as a Distinctive Organization

Appreciating Diversity

The recognition of and appreciation for the importance of diversity is found at every level within the University system, and the University continues to revise its understanding of the term. For example, in 2002, the Board of Governors approved the following as the University’s official statement regarding diversity: 

Missouri State University is a community of people with respect for diversity. The University emphasizes the dignity and equality common to all persons and adheres to a strict nondiscrimination policy regarding the treatment of individual faculty, staff, and students. In accord with federal law and applicable Missouri statutes, the University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, or veteran status in employment or in any program or activity offered or sponsored by the University. In addition, the University does not discriminate on any basis not related to the applicable educational requirements for students or the applicable job requirements for employees.

Daring to Excel, however, incorporates broader views of the term, as suggested by the HLC’s diversity statement:

Diversity is comprised of the multiplicity of people, cultures, and ideas that contribute to the richness and variety of life. It broadly encompasses a mixture of similarities and differences along a multitude of dimensions including, but not limited to, values, cultures, concepts, learning styles, and perceptions that individuals possess. According to the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, diversity “is represented in many forms, such as differences in ideas, viewpoints, perspectives, values, religious beliefs, backgrounds, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, human capacity, and ethnicity of those who attend and work in the organization.” 

Daring to Excel also explains the importance of diversity and the values associated with it on the University campus:

Diversity is central to providing and retaining a quality educational environment. As a public affairs institution, Missouri State University is deeply committed to developing educated persons equipped to contribute to the interdependent world in which we now live. The ability to adapt easily to rapid economic, social, and cultural changes is imperative. Skills and competencies to deal with diverse cultures and societies have not only become necessary to function in today’s workplace, but they also enrich one’s life and work.

Daring to Excel summarizes:

As a result of these values, Missouri State is committed to creating physically and psychologically safe environments where students, faculty, and staff will be valued for both their similarities and differences. Differences should be viewed as valued resources for academic, cultural, and personal development. A challenging atmosphere which fosters the exploration of issues from multiple perspectives will enhance intellectual exploration as well as personal, professional, and institutional growth.

Positive evidence of the appreciation of diversity appears in much more than these official statements. It exists also in the development of curricula and in the on- and off-campus experiences in which students, faculty, and staff engage. One measure of the University’s diversity can be found in the 258 student organizations recognized by the university. These groups range from the Bisexual Gay & Lesbian Alliance to the Young Americans for Freedom. In keeping with its core mission to create educated persons, Missouri State is strongly supportive of the free and open expression and examination of ideas, viewpoints, values, and beliefs. Another example of intellectual diversity at Missouri State is found in the 150 major areas of study and 43 graduate programs. Throughout these programs and activities, Missouri State practices and policies demonstrate that faculty, students, and staff respect all individuals. Diversity initiatives, planning, and activities are found in every college and department on the campus.

Missouri State is located in southwest Missouri, a region that until recently has been fairly homogenous. However, during the past two decades the area has experienced an increased influx of new residents representing ethnic and cultural diversity – especially those of Hispanic background. These demographic realities have influenced the types of students enrolled at Missouri State, yet they have not prevented the institution from working to increase ethnic and cultural diversity on campus. The University has made significant strides in planning for the enrollment and retention of minority students. As a result, enrollment of minority students has increased 33.8% over the past nine years, growing from 840 in 1995 to 1,124 in 2004, an improvement of 284 students since 1995, reflecting an overall percentage increase from 5.1 to 5.9 percent. The Minority Student Recruitment Team and the Office of Multicultural Student Services contribute to this recruitment and retention by engaging prospective students, sponsoring events that focus on minority students, and supporting the needs of minority students (Performance Measure 37). The Graduate College also has a strong outreach to diverse students. The graduate student profile for fall 2004 consisted of 6.5% international students from 56 countries and 93.5% U.S. students from 47 states, 82% from Missouri representing 102 counties, and 5.1% minorities.

Missouri State also enrolls many first-generation college students who contribute to the diverse student body. The TRIO Program provides financial assistance to some of these students. The fall 2004 semester enrollment included 683 students who were veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces. Of those, 404 received veterans’ benefits through the Veterans Administration (VA). According to the VA regional office, Missouri State has more students receiving veterans’ benefits than any other institution in the state. The fall 2004 semester enrollment included 4,233 students who were 25 years of age or older. These students represented 21.9 percent of the University’s total enrollment. 

Reflecting another aspect of appreciation for diversity, the University during the past ten years has seen a steady increase in the number of employees with disabilities. Approximately 2% of the full-time University workforce identify themselves as persons with disabilities and receive appropriate employment accommodations. Further, in an effort to improve the campus climate for persons with disabilities, the University through the Office of Equal Opportunity has received grants providing training to faculty on working with persons with disabilities, and a Title III grant, which includes a section on Assistive Technology for persons with disabilities. The Disability Services Office supports these efforts.

In addition to the number and types of students enrolled and the faculty and staff hired, several initiatives show that Missouri State appreciates and supports diversity. This evidence is presented below in five major areas: curriculum, events, services, hiring goals, and faculty environment. In the process, these materials respond to the 1995 NCA Self Study and 1995 NCA Site Team reports. The Self-Study and the Site Team reports included two concerns regarding diversity—one about faculty and administrators, and the other about students and curriculum. The Site Team also made several suggestions regarding diversity.

Regarding students and curriculum, the 1995 Site Team report stated as a concern, “The lack of a required curricular component that promotes knowledge and understanding of multicultural environments is inconsistent with the university mission statement in the 1995-96 Catalogs.”

Following up on this concern, the Site Team suggested

1. The University should add a multicultural curricular component to the General Education to provide common knowledge and understandings for students.
2. Given that the University produces more teachers in Missouri than any other institution and that the classrooms of the future will be highly diverse, the College of Education should consider adding a component to the professional education curriculum that specifically addresses multicultural, gender fairness, and disability sensitive needs in the classroom.
3. University programming should invite more minority cultural performing groups and speakers of note.

In keeping with the mission, and in response to these concerns and suggestions, the Self-Study Steering Committee finds that the University now actively “promotes knowledge and understanding of multicultural environments” through several aspects of University life. The revised General Education curriculum, requirements within specific program areas, such as Education and Business, activities on campus, and numerous support services demonstrate that knowledge of multiculturalism and diversity are promoted at Missouri State, not only among students, but also among faculty and staff.

Curriculum

The curriculum includes a wide variety of diversity issues:

• The general education program that existed in 1995 was changed dramatically and implemented in 1997. Rather than requiring a single multicultural component that all students must take, the new program includes several specific category goals in keeping with the public affairs mission (“Goals for Learning in General Education,” Undergraduate Catalog, pp 80-81.) One of these goals, for example, states that “all graduates will … understand the sources and expression of diverse values throughout the world including ethical, religious, political, and economic values as well as social and cultural priorities.”
• Through the three areas of inquiry in the General Education Program (Natural World, Culture and Society, and Self-Understanding), each of which includes multiple course options, students are exposed to many areas of diversity.
• Additionally, all students, except those who transfer with more than 24 credit hours, must take IDS 110 (or UHC 110), Introduction to University Life. This course has been redesigned to include a multicultural component and a diversity goal. All students, including transfers, must take GEP 397, Public Affairs Issues for the 21^st Century, and many sections of this variable topic course contain multicultural emphases.
• The College of Education and the Professional Education Unit have incorporated diversity learning into the education curriculum through both requirements and options. The 2005 NCATE self-study annual report, as well as the unit’s continuous accreditation since 1995, responds to NCATE’s diversity requirements in several ways:

  Criteria and Core Components supported in this section include 1a, 1b, 1c, 2a, 3a, 3c, 4a, 4b, 4c, 4d.

  • With course syllabi indicating multicultural component for courses in the PEU
  • With a new diversity requirement to be reflected in the fall 2005 catalog, through general education, program specific, or elective hours
  • With many education students placed in field experiences (part of the introductory methods course [SEC 302] for middle school and secondary education) at Central High School in Springfield and at Monett, Missouri, two schools with ethnically diverse (Hispanic) student populations. Candidates in all the sections have orientations on Hispanic culture, supervised by an Hispanic American.
  • Through meaningful discussions with African-American leaders from the St. Louis area regarding the University’s sponsorship of a charter school. Strategies discussed include the hiring of an    African-American faculty member to coordinate the effort, scholarships for minority students to attend the University’s teacher education program, and the establishment of endowed chairs supported by third parties.
• The College of Business Administration has implemented the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Globalization requirement. In their official manual, the AACSB states that

“Present day curricula will prepare graduates to operate in a business environment that is global in scope. Graduates should be prepared to interact with persons from other cultures and to manage in circumstances where business practices and social conventions are different than the graduate’s native country.”

The Assurance of Learning section specifies for both undergraduate and graduate education that one of the critical components is multicultural and diversity understanding. Each school incorporates this requirement into their curriculum in the manner they feel best suits them. At Missouri State, the globalization requirement is incorporated as a component of many classes rather than having specific mandatory courses designed to meet the requirement. At the undergraduate level, eleven courses have been identified as including an international component. The majority of these courses are requirements for business students in all areas and departments. At the graduate level, twelve courses were so identified, and six of those are required for all MBA students. Also, students who want to emphasize international business may select from several courses that have this focus, available to both undergraduate and graduate students, in the areas of management, marketing, finance, and accounting..         

Additionally, approximately 30% of the MBA population is composed of international students. During the past five years, international students have enrolled from dozens of different countries. Thus, students going through the program are exposed to and interact with a variety of different cultures through small group discussions and team projects. Some of the courses such as Organizational Behavior use structured exercises to utilize the international resources of the students.

• The area-studies programs, which have increased in number since 1995, support continuing knowledge of diversity content. These interdisciplinary programs include African-American Studies and Gender Studies, which were present in 1995, as well as the more recently created Native-American Studies, Latin-American Studies, Middle Eastern Studies, and Asian Studies. Each of these area studies programs provides opportunities for students to engage in concentrated studies in the history, culture, art, language, and religions of different cultures. One sign of the growth in this aspect of the University’s curriculum is the hiring of an African-American Studies faculty member, who teaches three additional sections of AAS 100, Introduction to African-American Studies, each semester; currently, the four sections offered each semester are filled, enrolling 250.
• Colleges and academic departments also focus on diversity issues. Accreditation reports including diversity requirements from many departments can be found at the online Accreditation Library.

Events

In addition to aspects of curriculum that support increased knowledge and appreciation of diversity, a number of events on campus encourage an understanding of diversity among students, faculty, and staff, as well as among the larger community. These events illustrate how the University since 1995 has worked to “promote knowledge and understanding of multicultural environments” among students while also improving the quality of life for minorities within the community. Minority performers and speakers of note have been and continue to be brought to campus, with the community invited to most events. The annual New Student Convocation Address, for example, listed below, usually meets the University’s mission as it simultaneously exposes students to multicultural environments and addresses public affairs. Other events have included

• “Good Community Fairs” in 1996 and 1997
• New Student Convocation Addresses:
  • Alan Page, Associate Justice, Minnesota Supreme court, August 25, 1996
  • Wilma Mankiller, Former Principal Chief, Cherokee Nation, August 24, 1997
  • Author Elie Wiesel, August 22, 1999
• Public Affairs events involving diversity:
  • Address to the Coalition for Change in Springfield, Marc Rusa, Immediate Past President, Kansas City Harmony, August 21, 1996
  • November 21, 1997, Community/Campus Address, Ada Deer, Former Undersecretary, Bureau of Indian Affairs March 10, 1998
  • Senator Bill Bradley, Feb. 21-22, 1998
  • Emerson Niou Lecture, April 15, 1998
  • F.W. de Klerk Lecture, March 9, 1999
  • Fred Soto Lecture and Workshop on Diversity, October 4, 2000
  • Dr. Jocelyn Elders lecture, October 28, 2000
  • “The 1921 Tulsa Race Riots & Call for Reparations” film viewing & panel discussion, November 14, 2000
  • John Two-Hawks, lecture and performance, November 10, 2001
  • Trail of Tears Exhibit, January 28-March 26, 2002
  • Nikki Giovanni, lecture and poetry reading, “Diversity as Art: Art as diversity,”  February 2002
  • Geri Jewell, disability performance, April 30, 2002
  • Erland Satybehov and Eskandar Firuz, lectures on Islam, April 2004
  • “We are One” Exhibit, art by Fang Chen and Luba Lukova, February 27 2004-March 19, 2004
  • Shannon Lanier and Jane Feldman lecture, “Jefferson’s children: The Story of One American Family,” March 4, 2004
  • Native American 2^nd Annual Powwow, November 20-21, 2004
  • The first Public Affairs Conference, April, 2005. Several sessions provided opportunities for students, staff, faculty, and the public to discuss topics such as diversity and tolerance, religious extremism, China and Chinese culture, and differences in rural and urban beliefs.
• Women’s History Month
• Hispanic Culture Month
• International Student Services Events:
  • International Student Festival & Awards
  • International Education Week, Nov. 13-19, 2004. Highlights included international films, student discussion of world travel, diversity dialogue on War, Religion, and Nationalism, and the sale of handicrafts from developing countries through the Ten Thousand Villages organization, which provides vital, fair income to Third World people by marketing their handicrafts and telling their stories in North America. International Education Week is a joint initiative of the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education and is part of an effort to promote programs that prepare Americans for a global environment and attract future leaders from abroad to study, learn, and exchange experiences in the United States.
• Activities of the Multicultural Resource Center and Minority Student Services, regularly reported in the Center’s newsletter, The Source
• Diversity Dialogue Series
• Disability Awareness Week.

Services

The University also provides numerous services for students to assist them in their academic, leadership and psychological well-being. These services promote the retention and success of students with diverse needs and interests. The personnel providing these services recognize the needs and diversity of backgrounds of the students they serve.

• Office of Multicultural Student Services provides continual focus on the importance of a multicultural educational experience and an appreciation for cultural diversity throughout the university community. The staff and the programs of this office are committed to the promotion of equality and respect for differences. Among their efforts have been a “Diversity Dialogue Series” and diversity presentations in IDS 110, “Introduction to University Life.”  
• International Student Services assists students in areas such as immigration, advisement, and passport and tax issues.
• The Minority Student Recruitment Team assists the recruitment and retention of minority students.
• Disabled Students Advisory Committee advises the Disability Services Office on any area of campus accessibility.
• Veterans Services assists veterans in receiving and maintaining benefits and succeeding in university life.

• Academic Advisement for Undeclared Majors
• Developmental Reading and Study Skills (IDS 118)
• Introduction to University Life (IDS 110 or UHC 110)
• Study Away Programs
• Individualized Majors
• Honors College courses
• The Learning Diagnostic Center
• Adult Student Services

In addition to these services for students, the University offers several scholarships for minority students. These include

• Martin Luther King Memorial Scholarship
• Tolerance Advocacy Scholarship
• Jim Ferguson Scholarship
• International Students Activities Scholarship
• Fran and Cliff Whipple Scholarship
• Hutchison SGA Centennial Leadership Scholarship

Hiring Goals

The second area of concern regarding diversity in the 1995 Self-Study and 1995 Site Team report stated, “The University does not exhibit a sense of real commitment to diversity as evidenced by the absence of an articulated plan. The absence of women and minorities in administrative roles and minorities in faculty was cited as a concern in 1985 and remains a concern.”

Since 1995 the University has made significant strides in its efforts to increase diversity through the hiring of women and minorities in faculty and administrative roles. As Table 6.1 shows, from 1995 to 2005, the number of women in faculty and administrative positions increased from 211 to 313. Female administrators in the EEOC category of “Executive/Administrator” increased during the same period from 17 to 26, while the number of males at that level decreased from 43 to 41. From 1993 to 2004, minority employees more than doubled in number, increasing from 123 to 254. Among these minority employees, faculty increased from 54 to 56 (Performance Measure 1).

While the Steering Committee acknowledges that the University has not yet met its goals in hiring of minority faculty members, plans for increased diversity continue to be developed and implemented.

Plans for improving diversity through hiring have included

• The long-range plan, Countdown to the Centennial, stated, “The Office of Equal Opportunity will continue to monitor all selection activities as outlined in the University Affirmative Action Plan. It is recommended that the University increase minority recruitment activities for all levels of employment. Further, the University must continue to work with the campus community and the public sector to improve the environment for minorities in the Springfield Area.”
• Affirmative-action hiring goals for each unit and the University as a whole have been and continue to be created each year. The Equal Opportunity Officer meets with Deans and Vice Presidents to review hiring plans.