UAF Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence (SP-IE)
Get involved!
It takes our whole UAF community to grow a culture of respect, diversity, equity, and inclusion. Please join the Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence team in making this transformation at UAF by completing the Inclusive Excellence Volunteer Form to participate in the plan's projects.
In support of UAF's Strategic Plan 2027 and as part of meeting the plan's goal #5, UAF's Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability leads the Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence.
At UAF, we value a culture of respect, diversity, inclusion, caring, accessibility, and accountability. We work every day to operationalize the equity and inclusion that we seek to advance in Alaska and beyond. Genuine equity requires continual transformation: a thorough and deep examination and shift when needed in organizational practices, norms, culture, and composition.
What is "inclusive excellence"?
"Inclusive Excellence re-envisions both quality and diversity. It reflects a striving for excellence in higher education that has been made more inclusive by decades of work to infuse diversity into recruiting, admissions, and hiring; into the curriculum and co-curriculum; and into administrative structures and practices. It also embraces newer forms of excellence, and expanded ways to measure excellence, that take into account research on learning and brain functioning, the assessment movement, and more nuanced accountability structures. In the same way, diversity and inclusion efforts move beyond numbers of students or numbers of programs as end goals. Instead, they are multilayered processes through which we achieve excellence in learning; research and teaching; student development; institutional functioning; local and global community engagement; workforce development; and more."
—"Towards a Model of Inclusive Excellence & Change in Post-Secondary Institutions," Damon Williams, University of Connecticut, and Joseph Berger and Shederick McClendon, University of Massachusetts
The concept of inequality is illustrated with a fruit tree that is bent to the left. There is more fruit on the left than on the right. Fruit is falling toward a person on the left and not the person on the right. Graphic text says, Inequality: Unequal access to opportunities.
The concept of equity is illustrated with a fruit tree that is bent to the left. There is more fruit on the left than on the right. A person on the left is reaching fruit while standing on 3 boxes and a person on the right is reaching fruit while standing on 6 boxes. Graphic text says, Equity: Custom tools that identify and address inequality.
The concept of questioning equality is illustrated with a fruit tree that is bent to the left. There is more fruit on the left than on the right. A person on the left is standing on 3 boxes and reaching fruit while a person on the right is standing on 3 boxes and not reaching the fruit. Graphic text says, Equality? Evenly distributed tools and assistance.
The concept of justice is illustrated with a fruit tree that is straightened and supported with boards and rope. Fruit is evenly distributed on the tree. A person on the left is standing on 3 boxes and reaching fruit as is a person on the right. Graphic text says, Justice: Fixing the system to offer equal access to both tools and opportunities.
Recreated from Tony Ruth's (@lunchbreath) Shel Silverstein-inspired work for John Maeda's 2019 Design In Tech Report
Core values
These are the core values that guide our activities.
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Anti-racism
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Justice
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Action
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Inclusion
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Equity
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Wellness
Shared language
Developing and utilizing a shared language around Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility (DEIA) is essential for enhancing communication by developing an understanding of purpose and meaning, and strengthening collaboration whether it is simply between a few individuals or across the larger UAF community.
Strategic plan in-depth
UAF Strategic Plan Goal 5 trailer
UAF Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence (SP-IE) - Year 1 Accomplishments
UAF Strategic Plan 2027 Goal 5 in-depth presentation
Strategic planning process
The Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence (SP-IE) was initiated with the following guiding principles and end goals in mind:
- Action-oriented to chart a clear path forward, transferring ideas into action;
- Clear strategies, goals and objectives;
- Resource/fiscal plan to support each strategy;
- Accountability through individual responsibility, reporting to leadership and university community; and
- Continuous evaluation and modification of the plan.
Six phases of Vision Navigation strategic planning
The UAF Process Improvement and Training (PIT) Crew, in partnership with Professional Growth Systems, facilitated the original planning process. The UAF PIT Crew will provide ongoing facilitation support as needed.
Plan lead:
- Kaydee Van Flein, Interim Director, Office of Rights, Compliance and Accountability
Parallel to the strategic planning process for inclusive excellence, UAF conducted it's institutional strategic plan 2027, strategic enrollment planning and prepared the 2019 accreditation plan. Additional information can be found on all of these initiatives at the following links.