EQUITY, FAIRNESS AND INCLUSIVENESS

According to the self-study report, "The University climate is generally regarded as inclusive and supportive of those of diverse backgrounds and lifestyles." The team's observations reinforce this self-assessment. Through its various policies the University is committed to the recruitment, hiring, promotion, development, and retention of minority staff, administrators, and faculty.      The campus comprises a rich and diverse community and is continually striving "to serve as a model of a pluralistic community". Among State System universities, Millersville ranks third in three areas: (1) ten percent of the students at Millersville are students of color; (2) seventeen percent of all full-time employees are of color; (3) over fifty percent of the full-time employees are women. As for faculty, "13 percent are of color, second highest in the State System after Cheyney, and 40 percent are women, slightly above the State System average of 38 percent." Millersville has the third highest proportion of employees of color in the clerical, skilled crafts, and service/maintenance cohorts in the State System.      The University has a wide range of resources to support students, faculty and staff with diverse backgrounds, experiences, and various needs. The University has surveyed the climate and will be undertaking another major survey soon. The team commends the efforts that the University is making to incorporate diversity into its leadership development programs for students.      We commend the campus for its efforts to promote diversity and social equity and encourage the campus to continue its commitment, particularly in trying to diversify all academic departments. We also call upon all members of the Millersville community to embrace fully the administration's goals of diversity and social equity, especially as the campus and local areas become more racially and ethnically pluralistic.