Cleveland State University
PA-5: Assessing Diversity and Equity

Cleveland State's commitment to Inclusive Excellence is reflected in the Cleveland State University Diversity Plan: Pursuing Inclusive Excellence, which was ratified by the CSU Board of trustees in September 2016. Written by the President's Council on Diversity, the plan reinforces how inclusion and diversity enhance the University's performance in eight strategic areas: Enhance Undergraduate Education; Enrich Graduate Education and Research;Pursue and Enhance Programs of Distinction; Promote Engaged Learning to Connect Students to Real-World Experiences;Maintain a Steady Budget Model; Stabilize Revenue through Increasing Enrollments; Create Leadership Development Opportunities;Improve the Physical Environment of the Campus.

Each goal is accompanied by a primary indicator for measuring success, which is tracked through an online metrics dashboard. The dashboard is updated each semester to track our progress.

Additionally, CSU is a member of the Commission on Economic Inclusion. The Commission on Economic Inclusion has collected data and reported on the status of diversity and inclusion in Northeast Ohio for sixteen years using the Diversity & Inclusion Organization Assessment. Each year CSU submits data for this assessment. The results of the D&I Organization Assessment function as a barometer of inclusion in our region and provide us with a tool and benchmarks for examining our diversity and inclusion efforts compared to similar institutions.

Every five years, CSU also conducts a Campus Climate Survey on Race Relations and Diversity to help to understand attitudes and experiences of CSU staff.

CSU continues to make progress toward applying practices of diversity and inclusion as tools for institutional excellence. The University’s accomplishments in this regard have been affirmed in several ways:

CSU is one of the most racially and ethnically diverse student bodies among Ohio universities with 36 percent of students who are African American, American Indian, Asian, Hispanic, Pacific Islander, multiracial, or residents of countries outside the United States.

CSU has received the Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) award from INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine for two consecutive years in 2014 and 2015.

CSU was designated as a “Hall of Fame” institution by the Greater Cleveland Partnership’s Commission on Economic Inclusion for best-in-class achievement in Senior Diversity Management.

The metrics in the diversity dashboard are used to inform hiring practices, student recruitment, and diverse supplier initiatives.

We are currently in the process of conducting a climate assessment. Results of the survey will be used to inform the President, the Vice President of University Engagement, the President's Diversity Council, and the Diversity Councils.

In April, CSU celebrates the accomplishment of the Diversity Council by having an annual Diversity Council Recognition. Attendees learn about the diversity initiatives in each of our nine colleges and to celebrate diversity at CSU. The President selects two colleges to be recognized for their achievements relating to inclusion and diversity. Results of the climate survey are also shared at the recognition event and on our website.