The Strengthening VCU’s Climate and Inclusion initiative is structured around six essential goals that drive the work and ensure progress toward a more inclusive and engaged campus.
1. Establish accountability and transparency of university responses to campus activities and events.
Establish a website to house information on previous and ongoing VCU efforts and initiatives.
Publicize an inventory of last academic year’s actions and plans for the current academic year.
Notify the VCU community of this initiative to increase public awareness.
October 2024
2. Implement a Culture and Climate Work Group and Advisory Council.
Strategy 1: Identify and appoint the Culture and Climate Work Group.
Strategy 2: Identify and appoint an Advisory Committee comprised of stakeholders.
Strategy 3: Identify and appoint a project manager.
September 2024 - Completed
3. Examine and refine existing codes of conduct, values statements, employee and student rights, responsibilities policies, and core competencies.
Strategy 1: Examine and refine existing codes of conduct and other items outlining behavioral expectations.
Strategy 2: Examine and refine the student code of conduct to increase clarity and adherence to behavioral expectations.
Strategy 3: Examine and refine the faculty handbook to increase clarity on behavioral expectations.
Strategy 4: Explore options for addressing incidents that do not meet behavioral and community expectations.
October 2024
4. Inventory existing and planned training and learning best practices and identify areas of training and learning needs.
Strategy 1: Identify best practices for strengthening campus climate.
Strategy 2: Identify gaps in learning opportunities and programming where training is needed.
November 2024
5. Implement training and learning opportunities to strengthen campus climate, increase constructive dialogue, inclusivity, and decrease bias and intolerance.
Strategy 1: Provide learning opportunities to enhance cultural humility and understanding of cultural differences.
Strategy 2: Enhance constructive dialogue and communication skills of students, faculty, and staff.
Strategy 3: Reduce and mitigate identity-based bias, including bias based on cultural and religious identity.
Ongoing
6. Develop and implement a plan for reporting and measuring the impact of programming and learning initiatives.
Strategy 1: Develop an evaluation plan including measures of process, outcome, and impact.