Skidmore College
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Skidmore College is committed to being an inclusive campus community and, as an Equal Opportunity Employer, does not discriminate in its hiring or employment practices on the basis of gender, race or ethnicity, color, national origin, religion, age, disability, military or marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression*, domestic violence victim status, predisposing genetic characteristics or prior arrest or conviction record or any other category protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

*Gender identity and expression, while protected under Skidmore College policy, are not currently protected under federal, state, or local laws.

http://www.skidmore.edu/hr/eeo_diversity/index.php and http://catalog.skidmore.edu/content.php?catoid=15&navoid=1020#Statement_of_Nondiscrimination

The following webpage has detailed information regarding our Bias Response Team including our Bias Response Protocol, Response flow chart, and various reports: http://www.skidmore.edu/bias/. Examples of actions taken range from community alerts to planned conversations and programming to actions involving our Integrity Board.

Our Discovery Tour is one example of our recruiting programs for students from underrepresented groups. The Tour showcases academics, student life, and interculturalism over a two-day visit to campus, and all travel arrangements and costs are provided by our Admissions Office. Our Opportunity Program also supports several programs to recruit students from underrepresented groups.

Our Just in Time Inclusive Hiring Workshops are mandatory for all faculty hires. There are a total of four workshops that coincide with the various stages of the search process, and the search chairs must attend all four workshops. Each search committee must also include a Diversity Advocate, who must attend a Diversity Advocate orientation and must also attend all four Just in Time workshops. The responsibility of the Diversity Advocate is to assist with identifying potential sources for a diverse applicant pool and assist with outreach to potential applicants prior to the search. During the search, the Advocate raises awareness about unconscious assumptions and bias throughout the selection process; helps develop interview questions that will shed light on a candidate’s experience with diversity; consults with other search committee and department members to maintain awareness of the goal of promoting diversity; makes oneself known to candidate as the diversity advocate and be available to answer questions about the department, the institution, or the area; proactively insures that diversity and commitment to values of inclusive diversity are both considered as positive qualifications in the consideration of candidates; and offers guidance and support for recruiting a diverse faculty. Each interview also includes an Ambassador – an individual outside of the search process who volunteers to meet with the candidates to answer any questions about the Skidmore community and the larger Saratoga Springs community.

While the above process is optional for staff hires, all staff hires must involve our Assistant Director for Equal Employment Opportunity and Workforce Diversity (ADEWD) at various points in the hiring process to enhance inclusiveness. For example, there must be a conversation with the ADEWED about including HR sourcing & personal outreach venues to encourage diverse pools. Discussions with the ADEWED about potential candidates are also mandatory at multiple points throughout the interviewing process. We are currently in the process of revisiting our staff recruitment process in collaboration with other institutions in our region in order to recruit and retain more staff members from underrepresented groups.

Some examples of programs to support student, staff and/or faculty from underrepresented groups include our:
• Office of Student Diversity Programs (OSDP) promotes cross-cultural understanding and positive relationships in support of student success and an inclusive campus community. OSDP programs are grounded in an understanding of diversity that includes people of all races, ethnicities, sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions, socio-economic classes, religious and spiritual traditions, ages, and abilities. The office fosters student leadership and personal engagement by providing support, access to resources, and increasing campus awareness of diversity. OSDP does this by advocating for students, creating spaces for cultural celebration, promoting leadership development and providing opportunities for education and reflection.
• Office of Student Academic Services supports the development of knowledge, intellectual skills and practice, personal and social values, and transformation in all Skidmore students. Our Academic Counselor and Coordinator of International Student and Scholar Services and our International Student and Scholar Advisor are located in this office, and they, along with other members of the office, work on a variety of issues with international students and scholars, including helping them understand legal matters relating to study in the United States. The office also provides English as a Second Language (ESL) support and works with students to make the most of the resources that exist at Skidmore and in the local community.
• Opportunity Program provides educational opportunity and support to students who have strong potential but would be excluded from higher education due to academic and economic disadvantage.
• First Generation Network to connect first generation students with faculty mentors who were also first generation students.
• Center for Leadership, Teaching, and Learning is dedicated to the support and advancement of research-based teaching and learning practices, and to the professional development of all members of the campus teaching community. The Center's primary mission is to promote effective and creative learning environments in which all of our diverse teachers and students can excel. Our overarching goal is to cultivate Skidmore faculty members as leaders in teaching and learning on campus and in the national conversations.
• Staff Advisory Group serves as a liaison between members of the staff, President’s Cabinet, and Human Resources, providing another vehicle for communication of interests, concerns, and issues. Participants create avenues whereby Skidmore College staff members may meet and connect with one another across divisional lines, gain and share information, provide input in certain matters, work on projects, receive recognition, and grow professionally. The goal of the Skidmore Staff Advisory Group is to promote a positive and collaborative work environment through activities that include receiving and sharing information; providing input as requested relating to Skidmore’s institutional priorities and strategic goals; helping to improve the College climate for staff members by engaging in discussions, providing input and suggestions, and working on various campus projects; and encouraging staff colleagues to participate on College standing and ad hoc committees.
• Counseling Center that offers confidential and professional mental health services to students struggling with a variety of social, emotional and psychiatric problems.
• Employee Assistant Program (EAP): EAP is an employer-sponsored benefit providing short-term counseling services to individuals and their families when personal concerns interfere with work performance, personal happiness, or good family relations

While we don’t have a program with this as a sole aim, we have programs that support this goal and we continue to pursue and encourage our students to participate in programs that do have this as a primary objective. Examples include:
• The C3 Undergraduate Fellowship Program that provides rising juniors and seniors from the Liberal Arts Diversity Officers Consortium (LADO – Skidmore is a member) colleges with paid and mentored graduate-level research experience and training toward applying to and succeeding in graduate school.
• The Institute for the Recruitment of Teachers (IRT), which empowers talented underserved and underrepresented future educators to teach and serve as leaders in American education because diversity is essential to excellence.
• The National McNair Scholars Program and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute
• Skidmore’s Opportunity Program supports and tracks students continuing on to graduate school.
• The Skidmore Scholars in Science and Mathematics program (S3M) annually identifies up to eight scholars with demonstrated financial need who exhibit a passion for and exceptional promise in science and/or math. The program promotes diversity by encouraging traditionally underrepresented groups in the STEM disciplines, including first-generation college students, to pursue a course of study as well as careers in science and math.