Diversity Plan Assessment 2021-2022

Enrollment Narrative

Jefferson Community and Technical College’s mission is to transform lives and communities through educational excellence in an inclusive environment that opens doors for all students.

Key URM Enrollment Initiatives:

• Evolve502, a last-dollar scholarship for Jefferson County Public Schools’ graduates, launched with the class of 2021, and creates affordable access to KCTCS Colleges. In Fall 2021, the College enrolled 585 Evolve Scholars (52% URM and 66% Pell eligible).
• Jefferson’s cultural audit analyzed the experiences of students and employees. The findings are driving initiatives such as the development of a Black Male Initiative, creating more identity-specific organizations, and requiring diversity, equity, and inclusion professional development for all employees.
• Summer Bridge experiences focused on URM first-time students are leading to increased college readiness and a successful first semester followed by continued enrollment.
• The Jefferson County Public Schools’ DORMS (Decision, Organization, Ready, Meet, Study) conference for rising URM graduates and their parents was hosted on Jefferson’s campus and will be an annual event to help prepare families to successfully maneuver the college transition.

In Fall 2021:

• 62% of credential-seeking students were eligible for the income-based Pell grant.
• 21% of credential-seeking students have dependent children.

Source: FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid)

Spring 2021 My Jefferson Survey Student Data:

• 18% identify as LGBTQ-IA.
• 19% are non-native English speakers.
• 65% report they do not have extra money after paying bills.
• 61% are employed 20 or more hours per week

n = 851, Response Rate = 14%, Margin of Error +/- 3.0 at 95% CI

Source: Jefferson Community and Technical College Office of Institutional Effectiveness, Research, and Planning

Opportunity

• URM enrollment counts for 35.3% of total enrollment for the Fall 2021.
• Fall 2021, Black students account for 20.0% of the total enrollment.
  • Per IPEDS data, Jefferson serves more African American/Black undergraduates than any other College in the Commonwealth.
• Hispanic student enrollment has increased from 4.8% in Fall 2013 to 10.0% in Fall 2021.

The diversity of the student body lends itself to a rich representation of student identities in the classroom. Examples of opportunities to engage outside the classroom include topical programs and events such as:

Words Mean Things, Voter Suppression, Safe Zone Training, Cultural Appreciation vs. Appropriation, Hispanic Heritage Month, Bystander Training, Open Mic, Current Events Discussion Series, Friday Films, Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Day of the Dead Celebration, Free Speech vs. Hate Speech, Canvas Painting, Trivia, Women’s History Month and Black History month events.

Student organizations such as Crosswalk (founded for LGBTQ+ students), Black Student Union, and the LatinX Student Union provide ways for specific identity groups to engage and experience belonging.

Success

• Graduation rates continue to grow: the College’s URM graduation rate increased from 5.8% in 2012 to 16.7% for academic year 2021-22.
• In academic year 2021, Jefferson awarded 1,127 credentials to URM students and 2,045 credentials to low-income students.

Impact

• Jefferson has worked diligently to ensure the faculty reflects our student body. As of Fall 2021, URM employees account for 17.1% of full-time management and 14.3% of FTE (Full Time Equivalent) faculty.

Strategies

Opportunity

#1 - Create URM Enrollment Task Force

1. How did you implement this strategy with fidelity? (500 words or less)
   • Fidelity is defined as faithfulness to the implementation of the committed strategies demonstrated by continued loyalty and support. Evidence of fidelity may include, but would not be limited to the following: dedicated staff, specific examples of student or staff participation, data collected on strategy inputs and outputs, participation rates of students, dedicated funding, development of implementation timetables and milestones achieved, and narrative descriptions of the implementation process.

In January 2021, Jefferson participated in a cultural audit which was conducted by Dr. Damon A. Williams, Chief Catalyst, and his team at the Center for Strategic Diversity Leadership & Social Innovation (CSDLSI). After months of listening sessions, surveys, and internal reporting, the consulting team analyzed the experiences of students and employees at the college. Findings were compiled and reported to all members of the Jefferson community in September 2021. Jefferson’s President then appointed an Inclusive Excellence Task Force to review the materials and make action recommendations.

In early October, the President announced the Task Force membership, which included:

• Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Reneau Waggoner
• Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Laura Smith
• Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dr. Randy Davis
• Assistant Vice President, Office of Belonging and Community Engagement, Danielle Sims Brooks replaced by Tamara Russell
• Assistant Vice President for Institutional Research, Effectiveness, and Planning, Dr. Brittany Inge
• Professor of English, Stacy Taylor
• Professor of English, Marlisa Austin
• Associate Professor for Respiratory Care, Dr. Kyle Mahan
• Department Chair for ESL (English as a Second Language), Victoria Lyalina

The Task Force began work immediately and the first step was to garner broad-based input. In late October, a survey was sent to all faculty and staff asking how they would prioritize the consultant's recommendations and seeking any other comments or feedback for the Task Force. Based on the survey results and analysis of the audit findings, the Task Force created 15 short-term recommendations and began a list of long-term recommendations. The short-term recommendations were shared with the college community with requests for participation in the next phase of the process. Faculty and staff selected recommendations that interested them and were then assigned to one of the 15 committees. Across the committees, there were 20 faculty, 20 staff, and 4 board members actively involved. The committees began working in Spring 2022 to develop implementation plans based on research and best practices to activate the recommendations.

The Task Force was responsible for serving as a resource to and participating with committees. The Task Force met regularly to discuss committee progress, help provide direction, and ensure communication to faculty, staff, and college board members to keep the work on every agenda as a priority.

2. How would you describe the effectiveness of this strategy?
   • The institution shall provide an analysis of the effectiveness of each strategy with a sufficient level of detail. If a strategy was not fully implemented or implemented at all, a thorough analysis and justifiable explanation of why this did not occur should be provided.

In early Fall 2021 the Task Force was established and charged to develop recommendations that could be implemented in a short-term period and present those to the President by December. The Task Force was comprised of representatives who understood the big picture and were committed to helping lead change that would create an inclusive college culture. There was representation from academic leadership, student affairs leadership, institutional research, and both general education and technical education faculty.

The Task Force was effective in seeking input from the college community to help expand buy-in and convey that Inclusive Excellence is the work of the entire college, not a singular Task Force. The Task Force was committed to providing leadership for expansive work that represented the ideas and needs across the college community. Evidence of effectiveness includes 110 faculty and staff (22%) responses to the initial survey requesting input. The survey asked:

1. Please rank the relative importance of each recommendation.
2. What other recommendations do you have to support DEI efforts at Jefferson?
3. In addition to this survey, what other ways would you like to see the college determine DEI priorities?
4. What questions or concerns do you have regarding Diversity and Inclusion at Jefferson Community and Technical College?

The Task Force was also effective in meeting the request to present short-term recommendations in December 2021. The recommendations were:

1. Create a committee to recommend a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) / antiracism statement (to be included in strategic plans, college communications, hiring ads, and syllabi).
2. Include DEI in College Strategic Plan, which may mean working with college constituents to fully integrate DEI into college planning and infrastructure.
3. Require each program and department to identify a DEI Continuous Improvement Action on their Area Review Cycle Assessment (ARCA). Identify guidelines for and ways to support (using diverse faculty and staff input) DEI initiatives and actions on ARCAs for Fall 2022 planning.
4. Conduct equity analysis related to student success.
5. Conduct equity analysis of employees across hiring/pay/promotion/tenure/leadership.
6. Review current policies and practices employed by the Human Resources department to increase hiring diverse faculty and staff.
7. Revise the My Jefferson Climate Survey to include questions about employee lived experiences.
8. Develop and support strategies for retaining diverse faculty.
9. Commit financial support for Jefferson Leads (employee mentor program).
10. Create DEI Allyship Advisory Committee.
11. Create college committees representative of diverse identities, such as LGBTQ+, Latinx, and differently-abled.
12. Rebrand the Multicultural Center as more inclusive, particularly for LGBTQ+ students and English Language Learners.
13. Engage external community partners in the College’s DEI work.
14. Continue to build DEI into the college infrastructure with conversations about inclusion in the strategic plan, ARCA, Distribution of Effort Agreements (DOEAs), and Performance Planning and Evaluations (PPEs).
15. Create a DEI culture by requiring DEI Professional Development.

The Task Force was also effective in engaging over 40 employees and volunteers to serve on implementation teams.

3. What lessons were learned regarding this strategy and what are your next steps?
   • Each institution shall identify lessons learned from the annual review process and describes in detail how it will incorporate results from the strategy analysis into the next year to address deficiencies and either improve or continue.

The desire to implement recommendations in a short-term period and the desire to encourage broad participation are in direct conflict. When culture change is the goal, it takes time to bring the masses along the journey. A small group could have created implementation plans and activated the recommendations, but the consequence would be resistance from members of the college community who had been excluded from the decision-making process. Seeking input, inviting involvement, and being diligent about frequent communication takes time. The lesson learned is to consider these factors when defining short-term, to avoid impractical or unattainable goals.

The next steps are for the implementation teams to submit proposed plans to the Task Force by December 2022. The implementation plans will be reviewed by the Task Force and either endorsed as submitted or modified. The plans will be shared with the college community and an opportunity will be given for feedback.

The Task Force will transition into the DEI Allyship Advisory Committee. The committee will retain the original Task Force membership and allow new members to join. The DEI Allyship Advisory Committee will be responsible for ensuring the short-term recommendations are implemented and developing long-term recommendations. In addition, they will allocate the $50,000 budget the college has committed to support these activities.

Success

#2 - Provide programming and campus activities that foster a welcoming environment

1. How did you implement this strategy with fidelity? (500 words or less)
   • Fidelity is defined as faithfulness to the implementation of the committed strategies demonstrated by continued loyalty and support. Evidence of fidelity may include, but would not be limited to the following: dedicated staff, specific examples of student or staff participation, data collected on strategy inputs and outputs, participation rates of students, dedicated funding, development of implementation timetables and milestones achieved, and narrative descriptions of the implementation process.

In Fall 2021, the college experienced staff turnover in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Student Engagement. New staff members in both areas began working in Spring 2022 and have brought new energy, ideas, and visibility to the opportunities they provide for students.

The Student Engagement Coordinators work with faculty and staff to develop and promote a variety of educational and social programs to help foster a campus environment that is welcoming and inclusive. Student Development studies have shown that students involved outside the classroom are more likely to persist and have higher academic achievement than their peers not involved. Promoting a variety of co-curricular involvement opportunities helps foster an environment that invites students with diverse identities and interests to connect and gain a sense of belonging. Many of the programs and events throughout the academic year celebrated specific identity groups with the intent to demonstrate respect for students and create visible representation and appreciation for our students. Examples include Hispanic Heritage Month programming, LGBTQ programming and Black History Month events. The Multicultural Center is one of the most popular gathering spaces on the downtown campus. Many events take place in the Center to attract students in hopes they will return for connection and support. The breadth of programming includes observing cultural heritage months and opportunities for students to discuss issues around racial equity and social justice. Information about and invitations to events are shared in myriad ways.

In addition to participating in programs and events, students are encouraged to join student organizations. This type of involvement aids peer-to-peer connections outside of the classroom, the development of soft skills, networking opportunities, and much more. Following the pandemic, many of our student organizations meet in a hybrid model, offering opportunities to both online and in person students. This structure also allows for a larger presence of student life and opportunities for involvement across all six of our campus locations. As we work to reimagine student life post-pandemic, we have also worked to reestablish many of our identity-based groups on campus including the Black Student Union (BSU), the LatinX Student Union (LSU), and Crosswalk (LGBTQ+). As student life continues to grow, Jefferson seeks to grow in its understanding of our students needs and work to create more identity-based organizations.

2. How would you describe the effectiveness of this strategy?
   • The institution shall provide an analysis of the effectiveness of each strategy with a sufficient level of detail. If a strategy was not fully implemented or implemented at all, a thorough analysis and justifiable explanation of why this did not occur should be provided.

Despite the lasting challenges of COVID-19, the college strives to improve programs, opportunities and focus areas for student involvement and contribute to a sense of belonging. Through changes in staffing and the revisioning of student life on campus, we have worked to host more frequent student events, including Welcome Week and Kick-Off to Finals week. We have also worked to expand our reach of student engagement and sense of belonging across all six of our campus locations by working in unison with campus directors. With new staff members in place, we have actively held discussions regarding identity-based programming and worked to create cohesion amongst various departments to create specialized programming for Black History Month, Women’s History Month, and Hispanic Heritage Month.

Another way staff have worked to create a more welcoming and student-focused environment is by evaluating and advocating for change to policies and procedures. In the Spring of 2022, a new student organization handbook was developed to clearly communicate processes and policies for student organizations on campus. The handbook provides a step-by-step process for how students can create new student groups and clubs on campus to fit their interests and identities. Additionally, the Office of Student Engagement advocated for changes to college and system procedures that hindered the growth of student life, clubs, and organization on campus. One example was successfully advocating for an alternative way for recognized student organizations to fundraise, bank, and receive external sponsorships and funding that is easier to manage and more appealing to organization advisors and student leaders.

3. What lessons were learned regarding this strategy and what are your next steps?
   • Each institution shall identify lessons learned from the annual review process and describe in detail how it will incorporate results from the strategy analysis into the next year to address deficiencies and either improve or continue.

As we emerge from the pandemic, we have been forced to reevaluate the needs of students on a larger scale. While we have begun to transition back to in-person events, which allow our students to reconnect with peers, we are still mindful of providing hybrid meeting options that offer online students a chance to get involved outside of the classroom setting. The college continues to be aware of issues faced by many URM and low-income students such as a lack of access to computers and/or internet service. The college continues to respond by providing free desktop computers and loaning laptops to students in need.

Steps have been taken to ensure that students are well-informed of campus events and opportunities to get involved by using consistent marketing tactics including flyers, emails, the KCTCS student mobile app, campus information fairs, social media, and peer to peer recruitment. The 2022 My Jefferson Survey showed that 54.2% of students said their lack of involvement on campus was due to time constraints. In response, the college has worked to provide shorter-duration or grab-and-go style events that strive to cater to students’ busy lives both on and off campus.

Based on the cultural audit findings and survey results, we know that students are interested in identity-based programming and events. Our goal is to create more identity-based student organizations. This will also be an opportunity to create spaces where students can connect more easily with faculty and staff who have similar identities. Currently, the Black Student Union, LatinX Student Union, and Crosswalks (LGBTQ+) are working to be more visible and grow membership. There is ongoing work to revise campus policies and procedures to ensure that student organizations become more sustainable. Student organization fairs have been held to raise awareness of student life opportunities on campus.

In addition, the college is actively working to assess physical spaces and improve student-focused areas. Various departments including the Office of Retention, Student Engagement, Ready to Work, the HUB and the Multicultural Center have been meeting to discuss changes that would increase visibility, access to services, and provide identity-based areas for students to gather.

#3 - Maintain and enhance strategies to increase success of African American students.

Action Steps:

• Multicultural Center
• Black Male Initiative
• California Agents of Change Program
• 15K-Jefferson Rise Together Initiative
• KY-WV LSAMP Grant

1. How did you implement this strategy with fidelity? (500 words or less)
   • Fidelity is defined as faithfulness to the implementation of the committed strategies demonstrated by continued loyalty and support. Evidence of fidelity may include but would not be limited to the following: dedicated staff, specific examples of student or staff participation, data collected on strategy inputs and outputs, participation rates of students, dedicated funding, development of implementation timetables and milestones achieved, and narrative descriptions of the implementation process.

The Multicultural Center provides students an opportunity to strengthen their collegiate experience through cultural programming, diversity education, and developing cultural competence. The college is committed to providing an inclusive environment for all students to explore their cultural identity and advocating for traditionally marginalized students. The Center partners with other departments to improve student access to support systems by providing resources in a common space. Partnerships with faculty, Ready to Work, and the HUB (social services center) allow students to receive wrap-around services. Students also receive support from staff in the Center through coaching and maintaining relationships. In response to a recommendation in the college cultural audit the Multicultural Center is rebranding. The Center staff evaluated the previous mission, vision, and principles and adapted them to better reflect the needs of students and to align with current strategic initiatives.

With the fresh perspective of new staff, creation of new roles, and data analysis, it was evident program changes were needed to better serve students in the current environment. With Jefferson’s transition back to more in-person classes, came a need for more in-person events and programs. Focal priorities are the Black Male Initiative (BMI), California Agents of Change, and Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP). The Assistant Director and Program Coordinator of BMI serves as the overseer of the program, develops new community partnerships, and is redesigning the BMI First Year Experience course. Another new role is the Program Coordinator for the California Agents of Change Program (CACP) which provides students in the California neighborhood with more direct holistic support. The program is grant-funded by Brown-Forman. The CACP is designed to empower students to set and reach goals through strategic planning and persistence, which is no easy feat when faced with various social, political, and economic barriers. The goal is to provide students with the resources they need to be leaders in their lives, in their community, in their classes, and in their careers.

The 15K-Jefferson Rise Together Initiative began in Fall 2017. This initiative is a program for Black students who live in one of Louisville's five Zones of Hope neighborhoods (Newburg, Shawnee, Parkland, Russell, and California) and provides a variety of support services to ensure that students are poised to complete their educational goals. The Zones of Hope neighborhoods are among those with the highest unemployment and lowest college-going rates in the metro area. Due to significant staff turnover, Rise Together was not successful compared to academic year 2020-2021. With decreased student participation and staff capacity, the decision was made to shift attention toward California Agents of Change Program and the Black Male Initiative.

The Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) is a National Science Foundation grant that focuses on supporting minority students in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) majors. Jefferson’s grant allows for 14 participants. For the 2021-2022 academic year, only 5 slots were filled. The program administration requested a budget revision to hire a part-time coordinator to help fulfill the needs of the grant.

2. How would you describe the effectiveness of this strategy?
   • The institution shall provide an analysis of the effectiveness of each strategy with a sufficient level of detail. If a strategy was not fully implemented or implemented at all, a thorough analysis and justifiable explanation of why this did not occur should be provided.

Multicultural Center

The following actions provide evidence that the Multicultural Center continues to be active and a key contributor to the success of African American students.

• The mission has been revised.
• The college marketing department has designed a logo for the Center that symbolizes inclusivity and will help students identify events sponsored by the Center.
• The staff offices continue to be part of the Center, allowing for accessibility and visibility.
• Events and programs are held in the Center to encourage students to engage in the space. A few examples are Black History Month Movie Days, NCAA Basketball Bracket Challenges, Women’s History Month Movie Days, Midterm and Finals Study Halls.

Due to extensive staff turnover during the reporting period, specific tracking of student usage is not available.

Black Male Initiative

The program was conceptualized, and the staff position was prioritized during the assessment period but did not launch until Fall 2022. The assessment of effectiveness will be reported in the next cycle.

California Agents of Change Program and 15K-Jefferson Rise Together

During the 2021-2022 academic year, there was 100% turnover of staff responsible for the 15K-Jefferson Rise Together Program. The addition of funding from Brown Forman to provide a “Rise Together” experience for students in the California neighborhood was secured in August 2021. A Success Coach was hired in October 2021 to launch the program. By November 2021, this Success Coach and the Rise Together Success Coach would be the only two members of the Multicultural Center and Office of Belonging and Community Engagement team to remain. Given the circumstances, these two worked together and there was no real distinction between Rise Together and California Agents of Change as they collaborated and invited both groups of students to all activities. Fall 2021 events included Mentor Moments Series, Bellarmine College Tour, and the End of Year Celebration. Spring 2022 activities included a speaker event on Healing Racial Trauma, University of Louisville Tour, success tips sent by Rise Together student workers each Wednesday, and a Thursday Movie Series: February featuring films with a Black lead, producer, etc. March (Madness) focused on sports related movies. In Fall 2021, Rise Together students surpassed other African American/Black students residing in Zones of Hope in cumulative GPA (Grade Point Average) and semester GPA.

KY-WV LSAMP Grant

During the Fall 2021 term, workshops on career interests were held for participants. Due to staff turnover, detailed records were not maintained. In Spring 2022, the new Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion scheduled coaching sessions and workshops to help get the participants back on track with the grant's expectations.

3. What lessons were learned regarding this strategy and what are your next steps?
   • Each institution shall identify lessons learned from the annual review process and describes in detail how it will incorporate results from the strategy analysis into the next year to address deficiencies and either improve or continue.

For each initiative under the umbrella of the Multicultural Center, the turnover in staff slowed the pace of success/improvements. One significant lesson learned is that policies and procedures must be in place to assure continuity and clarity of the programs' duties/responsibilities. Furthermore, having detailed written plans and goals available will prevent the disruption of services.

Because students had more hybrid classes and stricter social-distancing regulations while on campus in 2021-2022, in-person use of the Multicultural Center was limited. This resulted in less face-to-face time with students who would previously frequent the Center and a lower number participating in virtual events. This decline reinforced the importance of in-person connections to foster community, even with increased safety protocols. This lesson is being incorporated in future planning for programs to make sure that in-person connections are provided to help maintain relationships with students in the Center.

For any program to successfully maintain student engagement, a dedicated champion is needed to lead the charge. In Spring and Summer 2022, budget revisions were requested to maximize the remaining grant funds under new leadership. The request included funds to compensate a faculty member to serve as the coordinator for the program. A faculty coordinator for LSAMP has been identified and compensation has been approved. Having focused attention on the program will allow for more frequent activities, communication with students, and accountability to the grant.

In addition, because the LSAMP program has a heavy focus on students gaining experience through internships and research opportunities, work needs to be done to help 4-year institutions consider community college students as viable candidates for research opportunities and internships. Jefferson LSAMP students applied to numerous opportunities and were denied. Some community college students are not able to relocate for a summer internship due to their personal responsibilities. Jefferson LSAMP advisors will work to improve connections with faculty at the University of Louisville to gain access to local internships and research opportunities and help improve the University’s understanding of the barriers that may prevent community college students from accessing traditional internships.

#4 - Strengthen partnerships with community groups who can assist students with non-academic issues that are barriers to success.

Action steps:

• Transit Authority of River City (TARC) partnership to address transportation barriers
• Spalding University Center for Behavioral Health (CBH) partnership to meet mental health needs
• Dare to Care partnership to provide for food insecurities

1. How did you implement this strategy with fidelity? (500 words or less)
   • Fidelity is defined as faithfulness to the implementation of the committed strategies demonstrated by continued loyalty and support. Evidence of fidelity may include but would not be limited to the following: dedicated staff, specific examples of student or staff participation, data collected on strategy inputs and outputs, participation rates of students, dedicated funding, development of implementation timetables and milestones achieved, and narrative descriptions of the implementation process.

Surveys, student focus groups, and analyses of reasons for withdrawing consistently demonstrate that student success at Jefferson is heavily influenced by non-academic factors. The top reasons stated in online withdraw forms include conflicts with employment and work scheduling, anxiety over test scores, illness, and mental health concerns. Therefore, Jefferson has worked with and solicited support from various community organizations to assist students in removing, or at least addressing, non-academic barriers to academic success. Highlighted are three particularly significant partnerships with the Transit Authority of the River City (TARC), Spalding University’s Center for Behavioral Health (CBH), and Dare to Care Food Bank.

The Transit Authority of River City (TARC) bus pass program supports students in accessing college by providing free transportation. This partnership began with a pilot study in Fall 2014 and when gains in retention were seen for those using the bus passes, the college took the program full scale in 2015 and has maintained it ever since. Most students who use this service identify with a URM population and are eligible for Pell grants. Between August 2021 and May 2022, Jefferson distributed 1,353 TARC Bus Passes to students, faculty, and staff, primarily to individuals living in Jefferson County.

Jefferson entered its sixth academic year in partnership with CBH to provide students with free counseling services. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, counseling sessions were offered virtually and in-person, with 399 counseling sessions attended during the 2021-2022 academic year. In addition to providing counseling sessions, Jefferson’s CBH therapists offered community outreach programs such as National Alcohol Awareness Month, Understanding and Healing Racial Trauma (during Black History Month), Coping with the Holidays, De-Stressing During Finals, National Substance Abuse Prevention Month, Smashing the Stigma Around Mental Health, and a free yoga class.

The HUB at Jefferson houses the college’s food pantry, a partnership with Dare to Care Food Banks. This service allows Jefferson students, faculty, and staff to receive perishable and non-perishable food items once a month at no cost. In the fall of 2016, a group of faculty and staff brought forward a proposal to develop a one-stop service center to address non-academic barriers for students, one main concern being food insecurity. In the spring of 2019, that vision was realized, and the HUB pantry space and resource area was opened. A licensed social worker was hired as the Student Success Coordinator to help students, manage the daily operation of the Dare to Care food pantry, and facilitate referrals to other community resources. The HUB Student Success Coach is also responsible for managing the Student Emergency Fund. This fund is resourced with private donations and an online application is available on the HUB website. Students can apply for up to $500 to alleviate a pressing financial burden that may jeopardize their ability to stay in school.

2. How would you describe the effectiveness of this strategy?
   • The institution shall provide an analysis of the effectiveness of each strategy with a sufficient level of detail. If a strategy was not fully implemented or implemented at all, a thorough analysis and justifiable explanation of why this did not occur should be provided.

The My Jefferson Student Survey asks students to identify barriers to success in college. In Spring 2018, out of 1277 respondents (460 URM), 22% of students identified “transportation” as a barrier to success. The Spring 2021 survey, with 851 respondents (327 URM), indicates that number has increased slightly to 22.7%. Notably, students who self-identify as an underrepresented minority identify transportation as a barrier at a much higher rate: 31.2% of URM survey respondents identified transportation as a barrier in Spring 2021. Of the 2,785 TARC bus pass recipients for the fall 2020 term, an overrepresentation of Pell-eligible (60.3%) and URM students (60.5%) received TARC Bus Passes. Although other metrics demonstrate a sizeable gap in equity between Pell-Eligible and URM student populations, the gap in retention among bus pass recipients was only 1.6%.

Jefferson students receiving behavioral health support began as a referral program requiring students to go to the CBH at Spalding and in that model, services were underutilized. However, by having a dedicated therapist on Jefferson’s campus for students and offering programs on mental health related topics, the use of this vital service significantly increased, creating demand for a second therapist to be contracted exclusively for Jefferson students. Even with the addition of the second CBH therapist, there remained a need for additional support as a waitlist reaching up to 20 students was created. Over the course of the 2021-2022 academic year, 29 students (approximately 30% URM) utilized CBH services attending a total of 399 counseling sessions.

Prior to the opening of The HUB Food Pantry, access to food for Jefferson students—both free and commercial—was limited. However, since the pantry opened, it has served many students, faculty, and staff. During the 2021-2022 academic year, 570 students, faculty, and staff utilized The HUB Food Pantry. This indirectly allowed The HUB to serve 584 children, 80 seniors, and 22 veterans. Fresh produce is also available periodically, and 279 students, staff, and faculty received fresh produce from The HUB Food Pantry. The racial breakdown of students who utilized The HUB referral services were 32% White, 54% Black/African American, 6% Asian, 2% Pacific Islander/Native American, and 6% Biracial. Only 12 students identified ethnically as Hispanic or Latino. Overall, the college racial makeup is 59% White, 20% Black/African American, 3.8% Asian, .1% Pacific Islander/Native American, 9.2% Hispanic and 4.9% two or more races.

From August 2021 until May 2022, 67 students applied for the student emergency fund and of those, 22 students received funding. Of the 67, three-quarters were URM students.

3. What lessons were learned regarding this strategy and what are your next steps?
   • Each institution shall identify lessons learned from the annual review process and describes in detail how it will incorporate results from the strategy analysis into the next year to address deficiencies and either improve or continue.

Jefferson understands the need to continue to strengthen our community partnerships and expand their scope, especially during this time where non-academic barriers are impacting students more than ever. The college plans to continue its partnership with TARC, allowing students to utilize free transportation.

The college plans to continue its partnership with CBH, giving students access to behavioral health services and providing workshops to the Jefferson community on topics of interest and to increase awareness. We have learned that to meet the demand for CBH services we need to increase the number of dedicated CBH therapists for Jefferson students. A goal for the 2022-2023 academic year is to have three CBH therapists providing office hours on campus and virtually, to help serve more students seeking behavioral health support.

The HUB Food Pantry plans to continue its partnership with Dare to Care and provide for students in need of food items. The HUB has fully expanded to the Southwest campus. Students attending other Jefferson campuses are referred by staff to local food banks near their home. Jefferson is working diligently with Dare to Care to begin expanding food pantry services to all Jefferson campuses. In addition, the need for hygiene items continues to grow. The college has secured donor funds to purchase hygiene items such as toiletries, laundry detergent, feminine products, and diapers. This is a need that has surfaced as a priority and the college advancement office is assisting with raising funds and connecting with organizations to help meet this need. This is a service targeted for growth.

Impact

#5 - Increase URM faculty to be more representative of the student population.

1. How did you implement this strategy with fidelity? (500 words or less)
   • Fidelity is defined as faithfulness to the implementation of the committed strategies demonstrated by continued loyalty and support. Evidence of fidelity may include but would not be limited to the following: dedicated staff, specific examples of student or staff participation, data collected on strategy inputs and outputs, participation rates of students, dedicated funding, development of implementation timetables and milestones achieved, and narrative descriptions of the implementation process.

This year, recruitment efforts continued to be more effective with posting faculty positions early in the spring semester 2022 (around February when enrollment and budgets are set for the next fiscal year) and not closing them out until late April. Hiring committees formed early so that applicants could be interviewed in May and offered positions by June 1st (prior to 10-month faculty going off contract for the summer) to begin work in the Fall semester.

Ads were placed in more traditional media sources and word of mouth internal recruiting was encouraged. These traditional media sources included HireTouch (which has a direct link to indeed.com and glassdoor.com), Higher Ed Jobs, Diverse Jobs in Higher Ed, and for recruiting for technical positions ads were placed in specific journals and/or websites (such as JS Firms for our Aviation Maintenance Technology faculty positions). The Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) hired a Manager of Talent Acquisition to help with the recruitment of technical positions, working with all KCTCS colleges to identify sources for trade and industry specific positions. He was able to attend industry specific job fairs across the state and met with Jefferson’s Dean of Technical Education and Chief Human Resources Officer to identify potential technical sourcing areas.

Deans and Program Coordinators were asked to alert current and past adjuncts to the posted full-time faculty positions. Overall, these recruitment efforts reached more candidates, and we were much more successful in our recruitment efforts this year. With COVID still an issue during this time, we were fortunate to be able to hire as many faculty as we brought into the organization this year. Faculty were hesitant to relocate based on the higher cost of housing in Louisville compared to where they lived. At least two URM candidates were lost for this reason. For example, one candidate was a single parent and was caring for older parents. The cost of housing has increased over the last two years and has become a barrier to recruitment.

2. How would you describe the effectiveness of this strategy?
   • The institution shall provide an analysis of the effectiveness of each strategy with a sufficient level of detail. If a strategy was not fully implemented or implemented at all, a thorough analysis and justifiable explanation of why this did not occur should be provided.

This strategy was successful in 2021-2022. There were twenty-three open faculty positions that were filled, and even though we only had three underrepresented minorities hired, we also hired three faculty members who identify as Asian. By using the methods listed above, we were able to increase our underrepresented minority faculty representation to thirty-one total. This is an increase to 17% of total URM faculty.

We were not successful in reaching our goal of increasing the number of URM faculty hired from the prior year when five URM applicants were hired. This year we were only able to hire three new underrepresented minority faculty out of a total of twenty-three for the academic year, which is about 13% using the methods stated above. The departments in which we hired new minority faculty were in FYE (First Year Experience), Nursing, and HVAC—two of which are difficult areas to attract minority faculty since they are considered technical fields. Out of the twenty-three jobs posted, there were twelve URM applicants deemed qualified from the pools. Out of these we hired three and three URM candidates turned down our offers of employment.

3. What lessons were learned regarding this strategy and what are your next steps?
   • Each institution shall identify lessons learned from the annual review process and describes in detail how it will incorporate results from the strategy analysis into the next year to address deficiencies and either improve or continue.

The adjunct pool was one area targeted to increase applicants. Out of the twenty-three new hires, fourteen had been adjuncts with the college, meaning over 60% of new hires came from within the organization. This affirms that new full-time faculty need to be cultivated and grown from inside the college through the Adjunct and Workforce Development groups.

The more we can hire minority adjunct faculty, as well as sourcing from past graduates of these programs, the better opportunity we have to hire them as full-time instructors. Human Resources (HR) is working on programs to help adjunct faculty develop a sense of belonging at the college. HR developed an Adjunct Faculty Handbook with updated information about the college and is sending them videos. We are encouraging adjunct colleagues to work on teams involved in student success strategies.

For the future, since online teaching has become so prevalent, we are looking at advertising for Lecturer positions that will allow instructors to live outside Kentucky and to take on more teaching courses (up to 7) without the other added requirements that faculty are required to fulfill. This would allow us to draw candidates from traditional urban locations with higher URM pools without requiring a location change. We will investigate these options over the next few years.

#6 - Kick off the Inclusive Excellence Initiative.

1. How did you implement this strategy with fidelity? (500 words or less)
   • Fidelity is defined as faithfulness to the implementation of the committed strategies demonstrated by continued loyalty and support. Evidence of fidelity may include but would not be limited to the following: dedicated staff, specific examples of student or staff participation, data collected on strategy inputs and outputs, participation rates of students, dedicated funding, development of implementation timetables and milestones achieved, and narrative descriptions of the implementation process.

On February 5, 2021, Dr. Damon A. Williams, Chief Catalyst, at the Center for Strategic Diversity Leadership & Social Innovation (CSDLSI) and nationally recognized DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) scholar and expert presented a 90-minute virtual session for Jefferson faculty and staff. The session featured a discussion on Inclusive Excellence, strategic diversity leadership, and the fundamentals of leading effective organizational change. Dr. Williams presented on and unpacked relevant DEI concepts such as allyship, microaggressions, unconscious bias, and white privilege. Dr. Williams also shared simple, yet effective strategies for becoming better allies to diverse and marginalized communities—helping leaders to level-up from bystander to up-stander. He shared national data and introspective stories in hopes of inspiring those in attendance. This event was the official kick-off to the Inclusive Excellence Initiative.

Being in Louisville in the aftermath of the tragic death of Breonna Taylor and the racial unrest experienced across the nation, it was critical that Jefferson take bold action to strengthen the cultural responsiveness of its systems and people. The administration recognized the need for transformational change to build a culture that could help bring healing and hope for students and employees. There had been a local and national outcry for change, fairness, and equity and this initiative was the college's commitment to respond.

Following the kick-off event, the CSDLDI team began conducting an extensive audit of the college’s current culture which is detailed as a separate strategy in this report. Throughout the study, all Jefferson faculty, staff, and students were engaged through listening sessions, surveys, and reports. Over the summer of 2021, Dr. Williams shared the initial findings with college leadership and on September 17, 2021, he presented the results and recommendations to the college community.

With the study completed, Jefferson’s president, Dr. Ty Handy, committed to following through with actions to address the needs identified in the audit findings. By the end of September, the Inclusive Excellence Task Force was established. Dr. Handy provided this charge for the Task Force:

The Inclusive Excellence Initiative Taskforce will be a one-year appointment and the responsibility of the taskforce will be to:

• Create recommendations for Dr. Handy and other college leadership as to which recommendations to implement
• Help facilitate the implementation of the of the recommendations as identified in the Inclusive Excellence Initiative
• Assist in keeping the Inclusive Excellence Initiative recommendations on the radar of college leadership
• Create a Progress Report about the Inclusive Excellence Initiative by October 2022.

The Task Force made a concerted effort to involve all members of the college community in accomplishing its charge. The Inclusive Excellence Initiative held a fixed place on meeting agendas of the President’s Staff, Faculty Council, the College Board of Directors, and College Foundation Board, making it a visible priority.

2. How would you describe the effectiveness of this strategy?
   • The institution shall provide an analysis of the effectiveness of each strategy with a sufficient level of detail. If a strategy was not fully implemented or implemented at all, a thorough analysis and justifiable explanation of why this did not occur should be provided.

The Inclusive Excellence Initiative was kicked off successfully. Engaging a nationally recognized DEI expert brought credibility to the process. Dr. Williams was influential in solidifying the need for honest reflection and transformational change. At the conclusion of the cultural audit, he provided objective feedback about institutional areas of strength and areas that needed to be addressed. His experience, along with the depth and breadth of the study, validated the recommendations he provided.

In addition to featuring Dr. Williams at two college events to bookend the cultural audit, all students and employees were engaged or at least invited to be engaged in the audit. Over 100 faculty and staff (20%) provided feedback in the process of prioritizing Dr. Williams’ recommendations and over 40 faculty, staff, and board members served on implementation planning committees.

The Inclusive Excellence Initiative will be the umbrella for all strategic actions that move the college closer to a true culture of inclusivity.

3. What lessons were learned regarding this strategy and what are your next steps?
   • Each institution shall identify lessons learned from the annual review process and describes in detail how it will incorporate results from the strategy analysis into the next year to address deficiencies and either improve or continue.

One crucial factor that must be considered when assessing this strategy is the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Faculty, staff, and students were still experiencing the isolation and hardships brought on by the pandemic. This may have influenced the perspectives and attitudes of participants during the study and the level of engagement in addressing the recommendations. The results could have been skewed positively as a result of the culture of care embodied by employees in response to the pandemic. It is also possible that results could be skewed negatively because of the state of mind of those struggling to cope with personal and environmental difficulties during COVID.

Next steps include developing implementation plans for the recommended short-term strategies. The college will need to budget funds to support ongoing growth and development of the strategies that keep Inclusive Excellence as a long-term, continuous improvement priority far beyond its initial kick off in 2021.

#7 - Conduct a cultural audit of the entire college and use results to continue needed improvements.

1. How did you implement this strategy with fidelity? (500 words or less)
   • Fidelity is defined as faithfulness to the implementation of the committed strategies demonstrated by continued loyalty and support. Evidence of fidelity may include but would not be limited to the following: dedicated staff, specific examples of student or staff participation, data collected on strategy inputs and outputs, participation rates of students, dedicated funding, development of implementation timetables and milestones achieved, and narrative descriptions of the implementation process.

In January 2021, Jefferson selected Dr. Damon A. Williams and the Center for Strategic Diversity Leadership and Social Innovation (CSDLSI) to conduct a cultural audit, which became the foundation for the Inclusive Excellence Initiative. Researchers at CSDLSI were tasked with engaging the Jefferson community in a series of listening sessions and a review of DEI capacity institutionally. CSDLSI was also tasked with clarifying where Jefferson stands on issues of campus climate and inclusion. The team would establish a clear set of recommendations to carry the college forward into becoming a more DEI-focused institution that can continue its pathway towards truth, reconciliation, and healing.

The goal of this project was to create an initial snapshot of the state of DEI at the college, as a baseline to guide change and to compare to future research efforts. The project consisted of two main research routes, a DEI inventory, and a campus-wide climate survey. The DEI Inventory had two parts: (1) Jefferson’s current strategic diversity leadership structure and functions were reviewed against best practices and the firms’ experience working with hundreds of colleges and universities. (2) Current DEI programming and initiatives were catalogued and analyzed, evaluating the mix, and considering how these could be better utilized or improved upon. In the second main research foray, Jefferson’s campus climate was assessed by surveying students, faculty, and staff about their lived, day-to-day experiences as Jefferson community members. These climate efforts were preceded and supported by a series of face-to-face dialogue sessions and interviews, which garnered qualitative information and stories about campus life.

The term “climate” is used to discuss how individuals and groups experience their membership in the campus community (Hurtado and Associates, 1998). It summarizes the inclusivity dynamics of the organization, nested in broader socio-historical context of difference in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, disability, and more factors, plus a near limitless range of social identities. While the presence of individuals of different backgrounds is diversity, climate refers to the lived experiences of those diverse individuals and groups. Diversity and inclusion efforts are not complete until they address issues of climate. To build a vital learning community, the academy must create a climate that cultivates diversity and celebrates difference while building a sense of belonging and value for all. This research project “took the temperature” of Jefferson in these regards. The firm used a well-respected, validated climate research framework, utilizing two different climate surveys, one for students and one for staff and faculty. Another key component of the research model for campus climate is the institution’s DEI strategic planning and capabilities, which drove the inventory research. These factors are under the college's control, and the inventory process evaluated the current structures at Jefferson and the degree to which they are supported with accountability, infrastructure, incentives, and resources.

Reference:

Hurtado, S., Milem, J. F., Clayton-Pedersen, A., & Allen, W. R. (1998) Enhancing campus climates for racial/ethnic diversity: Educational policy and practice. Review of Higher Education, 21(3), 279-302.DOI: 10.1353/rhe.1998.0003

2. How would you describe the effectiveness of this strategy?
   • The institution shall provide an analysis of the effectiveness of each strategy with a sufficient level of detail. If a strategy was not fully implemented or implemented at all, a thorough analysis and justifiable explanation of why this did not occur should be provided.

The cultural audit was fully implemented and completed in 2021. The level of faculty, staff, and student engagement is evidence of the research process's effectiveness. There were 250 individuals who participated in face-to-face listening sessions with the researchers. Climate survey participation yielded results from 829 students (12.4%), 101 faculty (57.1%), and 99 staff (41.6%).

The research questions and methods of inquiry produced relevant findings and a baseline of the current state of DEI at Jefferson.

There were six major categories of DEI programs by which to quantitatively examine the institution’s program inventory.

1. DEI General Infrastructure
2. Recruitment, Retention and Outreach
3. Affirming Diverse Identities and Community Building
4. DEI Training, Campus Climate Research, and Policy Development
5. Preparing Students for a Diverse and Global World
6. Multicultural and International Research and Scholarship

211 programs and initiatives were identified across the 16 submitting units, and over 50 supporting documents were uploaded for analysis. The program inventory played a key role in identifying gap areas. The cultural audit was completed in the agreed time and 9 recommendations to drive change were provided.

3. What lessons were learned regarding this strategy and what are your next steps?
   • Each institution shall identify lessons learned from the annual review process and describes in detail how it will incorporate results from the strategy analysis into the next year to address deficiencies and either improve or continue.

The key to accomplishing organizational change is for everyone to first gain a shared understanding of the vision and direction. Dr. Williams provided this to the college community through the kick-off event, presentation of the findings, and the executive report shared with all college members.

Following the final report, Jefferson’s president, Dr. Ty Handy, appointed the Inclusive Excellence Task Force to lead the college in prioritizing Dr. Williams’ recommendations, which are:

1. Develop DEI Strategy: Develop a comprehensive and aligned DEI strategy, accountability, infrastructure, and implementation framework to guide DEI activation.
2. Strengthen DEI Practices and Analysis: Continue to strengthen a culture of evidence-informed DEI practices by conducting a racial and gender equity analysis of student demographics, achievement, employee hiring, retention, and promotion to support overall strategy implementation.
3. Continue Building Diversity in Leadership and Faculty: Establish a systematic approach to increasing diversity among leadership and faculty with best practices in hiring and retention.
4. Continue Healing and Reconciliation Efforts: Develop a DEI/antiracism statement and embed into key points of the Jefferson experience.
5. Improve the Lived Experiences of Communities: As part of your DEI strategic plan, develop a specific set of strategies to enhance the lived experience of the African American/Black and transgender/non-binary/gender nonconforming communities on campus.
6. Embolden DEI: Embolden DEI leadership and accountability as a core institutional value and expectation.
7. Institutionalize DEI Training and Certification: Institutionalize the college's commitment to DEI training and professional development with a required DEI certification initiative.
8. Embed DEI and Allyship: Embed DEI and allyship as core pillars of learning and student development.
9. Develop DEI Infrastructure: Continue to develop the Office of Belonging and Community Engagement: Add 1-2 new FTE to the office.

The next step is for the Task Force to develop short-term recommendations and enlist the support of faculty and staff in developing implementation plans to activate the recommendations.

The college will need to support this change with the necessary accountability systems: financial, human, and technical resources that can empower faculty, staff, and leaders to operate in a new way. In the end it will involve formalizing these recommendations into a DEI strategic plan.