• A working definition for diversity is provided.
• Conceptual framework for viewing diversity is provided.
• UNM is in a competitive advantage by virtue of its large Hispanic and Native American population.
• A list of current diversity programs has been developed, see Appendix C
• UNM has a large number of diversity program for students
• UNM has very small number of diversity programs for employees.
• Significant gaps exist in current diversity programs.

1. Paucity of diversity programs for employees.
2. Clearly defined, well-articulated and widely disseminated diversity statement.
3. Institutional commitment to disenfranchised groups
4. Organization structure that fosters diversity.
5. A single individual and unit on campus responsible for valuing and managing diversity.
• A set of recommendations for promoting diversity has been proposed, see Appendix D.
• A toolbox for conducting audits and assessing diversity has been provided, see Appendix E.

A list of future tasks has been proposed.

I.  Introduction
This working paper is divided into five sections and appendices.   Section I is the introduction and provides a brief guide on how this Working Paper is organized, the charge to the committee, a conceptual framework for viewing diversity in a complex environment, and the membership of the committee.  Section II focuses on the resources, strengths, and competitive advantages of the University.  Section III provides a brief description of the diversity programs that currently exist with a detailed list provided in Appendix C.  Section IV includes a broad discussion of the gaps that exist in the current programs.  Section V focuses briefly on the recommendations of the committee with a list provided in Appendix D.  Section V also contains a brief discussion of some tools for assessing diversity as well as tasks that need to be addressed in the future.  Finally, the last section, Appendices, includes all of the supporting documents for this report.
The charge of the Committee was essentially three fold:  1) to develop an inventory of current diversity programs and activities; 2) to determine the gaps in the existing diversity programs; and 3) to produce a five page working paper or final report on the topic of “Diversity Promotion.”  It should be noted that one aspect of the charge of the committee was to consider the entire University including the branch campuses, the broadcast media, and the Extended University.  However, due to the short time period involved between the creation of the committee and the deadline to produce a working paper, these three subsets of the charge remain to be analyzed in future work.

A. Conceptual Framework for Diversity
A working definition of “Diversity” is provided as follows:  Diversity is an inclusive term that goes beyond race and gender.  It is a philosophical belief that all forms of differences, including religion, geography, etc. are valuable and should be honored as such.  Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action are federally mandated compliance responsibilities imposed on the institution that requires that we be colorblind and color aware respectively.  Diversity is a voluntary belief system that indicates we value all forms of diversity, not just color and gender.  Diversity is also a goal to be attained that empowers each individual group to be heard and participate equally in whatever activity, process, department, or administrative structure one chooses to engage in.  Please review the content of this report with the understanding that the committee utilized the description of diversity as herein described.
Appendix A below provides a conceptual framework for understanding and managing diversity in complex organizations.  Table 14.1, taken from Cox's (1993) book entitled Cultural Diversity in Organizations, describes briefly three types of organizations; monolithic, pluralistic, or multicultural.  Figure 14.1 provides a framework for guiding organizational change for managing and valuing diversity.  Finally, Figure 1 depicts a conceptual framework for managing diversity from a monolithic or homogeneous to a multicultural organization (Muller & Haase, Hospital & Health Services Administration, 39:4, Winter 1994).  This should assist in determining where UNM is currently and where it aspires to be in the future.
 

B. Members of the Committee
A complete list of the members of the committee is provided in Appendix B.  It should be noted that the makeup of the committee included primarily 10 faculty and staff members from the main campus and one external community member.  The committee discussed adding other members, for example replacing the external community member who was unable to participate, but due to the short timeframe, no additional members were added.

II.  UNM’s Resources, Strengths, and Competitive Advantages.
 The University is uniquely positioned to embrace the diversity of the people in its geographical region, the second most ethnically diverse state, and to build a model and strong institutional culture that reflects this advantage.  UNM’s human resources and programmatic endeavors are its competitive advantage because they reflect the unique historical and cultural legacy of the state.  However, the committee believes that the institutional structure and climate of UNM has not yet realized this potential because, organizationally, we have much work to do to become a truly “diversity-friendly” and multicultural institution.  The following conditions have yet to be achieved:

a. espouse and practice a philosophy of valuing people’s uniqueness and diversity by institutional leaders, e.g. senior management and governing officials need to demonstrate their support
b. proactive institutional policies and programs to enact this belief and philosophy in contrast to the current reactive/compliance-oriented nature of policies and programs.
c. the racial, ethnic, and gender mix of various administrative, faculty, staff and student groups need to reflect the state’s demographic mix.
d. full structural integration of UNM’s administrative, faculty, staff, and student groups wherein the proportion of racial, ethnic, gender, and other diversity groups in senior management and governing officials reflect the rest of the state of New Mexico or the region.

III.  Current Diversity Programs
A. Overview of Existing Programs
Members of the committee spent a considerable amount of time compiling a list of existing diversity programs at UNM.  This list is provided in Appendix C below.  However, it should be noted that while the list is extensive, it does not include all diversity programs on campus.  An all-inclusive list would have required additional time and resources not available to this committee.
The list is divided into three parts.  The first part includes a list of diversity programs for UNM employees, both faculty and staff.  The second part is a list of diversity programs for students, while the last part is a brief list of student cultural programs (celebrating specific events or dates). Again, the members of the committee wish to emphasize that the diversity list is not complete and should not be viewed as an exhaustive list.
 A review of the list suggests that the vast majority of the diversity programs on campus are focused on students, while little exists for faculty and staff.  The list is further divided into subcategories that include the name of the program or project, the funding source or sources, the constituency it serves, the commitment or support the program receives, the effectiveness of the program, the sustainability, the marginalization of the program, and a brief description of each program.  Obtaining this additional information will enhance the assessment of our current diversity efforts.

IV.  Gaps in Diversity Programming.
 A significant number of gaps were identified within the existing diversity programs at UNM.  The most obvious gap is the paucity of diversity programs for employees, particularly faculty and staff.   Programs for employees comprise less than one page, whereas programs for students required seven pages.  The University should develop programs to support diversity and diversify the faculty in all ranks and the staff at all levels.  It is critical that the faculty and staff be more representative of the student population it serves.
 Another major gap is a clearly defined, well-articulated and widely disseminated statement on diversity.  The statement should include the position of the University and the top administration.  It should also include a specific set of goals with measurable objectives.  The objectives should be communicated often to community and the community should have an opportunity to provide input.   Once this is done, 3 to 5 diversity priorities should be identified and the institution should focus all of its energies and resources behind these priorities.  Moreover, a timeline, preferably in increments of one year, should be established to accomplish the priorities with clear lines of accountability.  Once the period of time has elapsed, the priorities not accomplished should be evaluated to determine if they should be kept or other institutional priorities should be added from the list previously developed.
 The third gap is the lack of institutional commitment to disenfranchised groups.  These include ethnic minority groups, women, the disabled, veterans, gay/lesbians, etc.  The University needs to evaluate how to value the diversity of all of these groups.  These groups should then be consulted to determine what types of programs are appropriate for their particular needs.
 The fourth gap is a lack of organizational structure that fosters diversity.  For example, a reward system should be developed and institutionalized to reward administrators and other managers for progressing toward and/or achieving diversity goals.  Moreover, the structure should also have sufficient resources, both human and capital, to achieve its mission.  Often, institutions develop goals and disseminate objectives widely; yet the resources needed to accomplish the objectives are either rarely provided or ignored.
 The final gap that exists is that there is not a single individual or unit on campus that is responsible for valuing and managing diversity.  Currently, diversity promotion is done in isolated pockets throughout the university like the Division of Student Affairs, where a large number of student-focused diversity programs reside.  The University should create a top-level administrative unit whose sole purpose is to promote and manage diversity.   Since UNM has never done a comprehensive diversity audit, there may other gaps will be uncovered once an audit is completed.
 In order to meaningfully promote diversity, the University must commit itself to a comprehensive, long term, in depth effort to reevaluate fundamental institutional underpinnings such as its use of language, values, and communication between and among its diverse groups as well as management systems and its organizational policies and programs.

V. Recommendations
 A list of recommendations developed by the committee is provided in Appendix D below.  The recommendations are grouped into three broad areas: representation in the organizational structure and climate; recruitment, retention, and employment programs; and resource issues.  Examples of organizational structure or climate issues include hiring and retaining Hispanics, Native- and African-Americans, and women in middle and top levels of administration, developing policies that value diversity, or including diversity in the curriculum.  Recruitment and retention programs would involve salary set-aside programs for minority faculty, dual career programs, or programs to retain key faculty or administrators.  Resource issues include identifying the necessary personnel and money to carry out and achieve the diversity goals.
A.  Diversity Assessment Tools
 In Appendix E, the committee has provided several diversity assessment tools, i.e., questionnaires, checklists, and opinionnaries.  The toolbox also includes information for conducting focus groups and interviews along with tools for pinpointing diversity-related problems and training needs for managerial and non-managerial staff.  It is recommended that the University immediately undertake a comprehensive diversity assessment to understand its current state of affairs as it relates to diversity.
B.  Future Tasks
In the future, the Task Force, and more importantly the University, needs to identify diversity as a major priority.  Once this is done, a message with specific goals should be developed and communicated to the university and greater community.  The primary focus of the message should be that diversity is valued and is a high priority for the institution.  This message should be communicate often to the community.  Next, the University should commit the necessary resources to accomplish the goals.  Finally, an evaluation system should be put in place to measure the effectiveness of the programs in place.  The evaluation system can also be used as a management tool to provide valuable information on effectiveness of each program.
Lastly, the members of the committee strongly urge the central administration of the University to create a unit on campus to oversee all diversity programs.  Furthermore, the office should be headed by senior level administrator reporting to the President of the University.  The office should also be provided with the appropriate resources to carryout the diversity mandate established by the administration and campus community.

 APPENDICES

Appendix A

Conceptual Framework
 
Appendix B
 
List of Committee Members
Planning Committee on Diversity Promotion

1.   Vi Florez, Dean of Education (Member, Strategic Planning Task Force and Liaison to committee)
2.   Lee Francis, Associate Professor of Native American Studies, Director Native American Studies
3.   Roberto Gomez, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Associate Dean, Office of Cultural & Ethnic Programs, Medical School, Health Sciences Center
4.   Cheryl Learn, Associate Professor of Nursing, Acting Director of Women's Studies
5.   Ricardo Maestas, Committee Chairperson, Executive Affairs Officer
6.   Helen Muller, Professor & Chairperson of Organization Studies, Anderson Schools of Management
7.   Shaime Okunor, Assistant Professor, Director African American Studies (Invited, but unable to participate)
8.   Matthew Padilla, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs
9.   Anne Thomas, Director Office of Equal Opportunity
10. Eliseo "Cheo" Torres, Vice President for Student Affairs (Member, Strategic Planning Task Force and Liaison to committee)
11. Laura Valdez, New Student Orientation Manager, Dean of Students Office
12. Maggie Werner-Washburne, Associate Professor of Biology
13. Judy Zanotti, President New Mexico First (Invited, but unable to participate)

 Appendix C
List of Diversity Programs

 Appendix D
List of Recommendations

A.  Organizational Structure and Climate
1.  Conduct a comprehensive diversity audit that assesses the entire university’s commitment and work toward creating a multicultural organization.
2.  Create a position and unit, preferably reporting to the President, that will be in charge of recruiting, reviewing, retaining, and hiring a diverse workforce, both faculty and staff.
3.  Expand diversity awareness, mentoring, promotion, etc. programs for staff because they are almost non-existent.
4.  Expand diversity awareness, mentoring, promotion, etc. programs for faculty because they are almost non-existent.
5.  Develop an organizational structure that will foster structural integration of diversity and places diversity as its highest priority with appropriate accountability mechanisms.
6.  Create a campus-wide committee on Diversity Promotion, which should include administration, faculty, staff, and students that is appointed by and reports to the President.
7.  Develop a reward structure for administration, faculty, and staff that values and promotes diversity.
8.  Develop an evaluation and assessment system to measure accountability for diversity promotion.
9.  Ensure that all diversity programs implemented are accessible and equitable.
10.  Develop a campus-wide committee of faculty, staff, and students to examine diversity in the structure of the University and in the curriculum at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
11.  UNM must review all current policies and procedures to insure that they promote diversity and assist in producing a diverse workforce, rather than hinder the process.
12.  Gather information on the branch campuses, the broadcast media and the Extended University.

B. Recruitment, Retention and Employment
13.  The University must take a proactive approach to recruiting a diverse workforce.
14.   Develop diversity awareness and skills development training programs for administration, faculty, staff, and students.
15.  Develop a reward system for recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce.
16.   Develop a Salary Set-Aside Program to hire a diverse pool of faculty and staff.
17.  Develop a dual career hiring program to attract and retain dual career employees.
18.  Develop ESL courses for non English speaking employees.
19.  UNM workforce, especially at middle and top administrative levels should reflect the racial makeup of the State of New Mexico and, therefore, programs to effect this must be implemented.
20.  UNM should have a Native American, African American in its top administration.
21.  Develop mentoring programs for faculty, staff, and students to recruit and retain a diverse workforce.
 
 C.  Resources
22.  Commit institutional resources, i.e. financial, human, technological, etc, to insure campus diversity goals are achieved.
23.  UNM administration must make “valuing diversity” one of its highest priorities and must communicate frequently and consistently this message to the university and broader community.
24.  UNM must look past the current federal standards for underutilization of staff and develop long-term goals for bringing the demographics of its employees and students to reflect that of the state is serves.
25.  Develop diversity programs for Veterans.
 
 

 Appendix E
Instruments to Assess Diversity