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Western Washington University
Western Washington University
The Western campus viewed from the air looking out towards the islands and Bellingham bay

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Message from the President

Sabah Randhawa

So much has happened in our world since the murder of George Floyd and countless other Black lives at the hands of the police, combined with a global pandemic that has put a disproportionate health and financial security burden on communities of color. Together with everyone in the Western Washington University community, I stand with you in proclaiming that Black Lives Matter.

These recent events are a stark reminder that race determines profoundly unjust outcomes not only in our systems of policing and incarceration, but in every part of our society, including education.

WWU’s Black student organizations, along with student groups representing other oppressed and marginalized identities, have long called on this institution to focus first on making lasting change that will significantly impact the lives of Western’s current and future students. While we have made progress since Winter 2019 in our efforts to increase equity and inclusion, it has not been fast or ambitious enough. The most significant way we can acknowledge and correct the past and ongoing injustices is by accelerating the rate and scope of our own systemic change.

Below are a set of both short-term and longer-term policy, program, learning and infrastructure initiatives, along with timelines and accountability targets, to guide our collective work in making Western Washington University a place where all community members feel truly safe, supported and included.

Sabah Randhawa

July-December Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Timeline

Action Implementation/Next Steps

Hire Director of Multicultural Student Services

Complete draft position description Summer 2020 and launch search in Fall 2020 with students on search committee

Hire Retention Counselor for African American and Black students

Complete draft position description Summer 2020 and launch search in Fall 2020 with students on search committee

Structural Equity and Bias Response Team

Structure set up and Bias Response Team formed in Summer 2020. Launch Fall 2020.

DEI leadership education/training

RE-Envision 2020 virtual training package on diversity, equity and inclusion, developed by Dr. Kathy Obear, will be implemented for senior leadership in August 2020 and Academic Affairs leadership in Fall 2020.

Evaluate “Undoing Racism” from Seattle-based People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond for follow-up sessions.

Mandatory DEI training for students (in addition to sexual assault prevention training)

Launch Fall 2020

Mandatory DEI training for new and existing employees including senior leadership

Launch Fall 2020 for professional and classified staff and new faculty appointments. Discuss and pursue training for existing faculty with the Faculty Senate and the UFWW.

 

Research existing campus building namesakes, and appoint a legacy review committee for Huxley College of the Environment

Research completed by Western Libraries Heritage Resources in July 2020.

Appoint legacy review committee Fall 2020.

 

Name new residence hall after one of Western’s first notable Black graduates

Internal and ancestry research completed Summer 2020.

Seek input from Black student organizations in September 2020.

Take to Board of Trustees for review and approval in October 2020.

 

Climate survey conducted by USC Center for Urban Education

Launch Fall 2020

Sign on to the Okanagan Charter and make a commitment to become a health promoting institution.

Complete review process with the President’s Council on Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice in Fall 2020.

Ethnic Studies curriculum

The university has vetted a decision package for state funding in FY21, however, given that it’s unlikely to be funded due to the current state mandated COVID-19 budget reductions, the Provost will work with the Ethnic Studies Collective (faculty and students), and others as appropriate, to support development of curricula and programming.

Add a General University Requirement focused on African American studies and structural anti-Black racism

A Committee on Undergraduate Education Task Force is at work this summer in order to forward in the fall a recommendation to the Academic Coordination Committee (ACC) on changing the Comparative, Gender and Multicultural Studies general university requirement to a Diversity, Equity, Justice (DEJ) requirement.  Plans are that this could include one required DEJ course that would be concerned with theory, structures or forces of stratification and bias.

Expand Viking Launch for first generation, Pell Grant eligible and scholarship students

Fall 2020 and ongoing.

Annual institution-wide recognition and celebration of Black History Month, MLK Day and Juneteenth

Expand and enhance current work for Winter-Spring 2020 and ongoing.

Campus Resources

Western's
Framework for
Equity Inclusion Diversity

Goals

Advancing Inclusive Success

Increasing Washington Impact

Enhancing Academic Excellence

Learning

Traditions

Accountability

2024-25 Targets

Overall First-year Retention Rate

87 - 90%

  • Students of Color: 87 - 90%
  • Pell Grant Eligible: 87 - 90%
Overall six-year graduation rate

75 -  80%

  • Students of Color: 75 - 80%
  • Pell Grant Eligible: 75 - 80%
Overall transfer four-year graduation rate

75 - 80%

  • Students of Color: 75 - 80%
  • Pell Grant Eligible: 75 - 80%
Percent Students of color

30 - 35%

Percent Faculty of color

18 - 23%

Climate Metrics

 

Timeline of Projects to Advance Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Western

The chart below captures a list of the major projects completed, currently underway, and to be addressed at the institutional level with respect to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This is not an exhaustive list, but represents the most pressing and actionable items that have been identified.  In addition there are initiatives being implemented within academic colleges and at the department level that are not reflected here.  We invite you to check back often as projects are completed and new items are added.

Western is committed to making continuous progress on these issues—some operational, others systemic—and to acknowledging and addressing them in a way that is fully transparent about where we are with the work. 

If you have any suggestions or comments about the timeline, please share your thoughts with Enrollment & Student Services Vice President, Melynda Huskey at Melynda.Huskey@wwu.edu or Paul Dunn in the President's office at Paul.Dunn@wwu.edu

 

2017-18 Academic Year

Established Provost Faculty Diversity and Inclusion Hiring Initiative (ongoing)

Conducted HERI (Higher Education Research Institute) survey on campus climate

Created Council for Gender Equity and the Council for Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice.

 

 

Fall 2018

Hired LGBTQ+ Director

Hired full time Director in Disability Access Center

Added additional Accommodation Advisor position in the Disability Access Center

Revamped Disability Access Center website

 

Revised Discrimination Complaint Procedure

Winter 2019

Established Tribal Liaison Office/Hired Exec Director of AI/AN and First Nations Relations

Review gender-inclusive housing policies and procedures

Assess threat and safety communications protocols and apps

Investigate USDA eligibility to accept SNAP benefits to better serve students with food insecurity (Unfortunately WWU does not qualify – basic needs task force will be established in Fall 2019 to address food and housing insecurity among students)

Hold first MLK Day breakfast (on 1/21/19); Conduct future planning for MLK Day and Black History Month (ongoing)

Complete web page on policies, resources, etc. for undocumented students

Open first meditation/prayer room in Wilson Library room WL 564 (a second room has been added in the Multicultural Center as of Fall 2019)

Create hearing impairment accessibility specialist position

Expand number of gender neutral bathrooms (ongoing — currently at 70+ gender neutral facilities)

Finalize Policy on Access to Campus or Student Records for Immigration Enforcement Purposes

Develop Ethnic Studies curriculum and delivery structure

 

Spring 2019

Complete Disability Access Center and Veteran's Center construction in Wilson Hall

Hire Executive Director of Civil Rights and Title IX Coordinator(national search is underway)

Hire Director of Multicultural Student Services (Impacted by COVID-19 but ongoing)

Coordinate compliance with SB 5166, protecting students’ rights to academic accommodations for religious and spiritual observances.

Revise gender inclusive housing policies and procedures

Assess equity and inclusion training needs for University community

Operationalize recommendations from Task Force on Preventing and Responding to Antisemitism

Complete tribal enrollment descendancy protocol

2019-20 Academic Year

Completion of new Multicultural Center

Assess outcomes, adapt, and expand Provost Faculty Diversity and Inclusion Hiring Initiative

Implemented the ability for students and employees to indicate and update their pronouns and gender identity. via Web4U.

Annually assess outcomes for student access and success metrics; revise and re-prioritize action plan

Campus Climate Survey (implementation for Fall 2020)

Create a one-stop student support and referral services navigator position

Implement Government to Government Training through the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs (ongoing)

Establish a Basic Needs Taskforce to coordinate efforts to address housing and food insecurity among students

Update Western Alert system protocols to better reflect Clery Act requirements

Implement new safety apps – final internal review to be completed Fall 2019, with testing and rollout scheduled for Winter 2020

Charge Council on Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice to develop institution-wide bias response program and recommendation on holistic student wellness. Completed recommendations include Recommendation to Create a Structural Equity and Bias Response Team and Holistic Wellness Recommendations.

Establish Enrollment and Student Services Student Advisory Council

Enrollment Statistics

All Students, Fall 2019

Headcount

All Students: 16,142

Men: 6,836 (42.3%)

Women: 9,291 (57.6%)

Not Reported: 15 (0.1%)

Average Age (All students): 21.5

Undergraduate Headcount

Total: 15,426

Full-time: 14,042 (91.0%)

Part-time: 1,384 (9.0%)

Average Age (undergraduates): 21.0

Graduate Headcount

Total: 714 (4.4%)

Full-time: 532 (74.5%)

Part-time: 182 (25.5%)

Fall 2019 Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity

All Students Fall 2019 % of Total
Hispanic 1617 10%
Hispanic Ethnicity 622  
Hispanic & White 768  
Hispanic & non-White 227  
American Indian or Alaska Native 311 1.9%
American Indian or Alaska Native Single Race 63  
American Indian & White 248  
Asian 1,721 10.7%
Asian Single Race 987  
Asian & White 734  
Black or African American 433 2.7%
Black or African American Single Race 257  
Black & White 176  
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 64 0.4%
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Island Single Race 28  
Native Hawaiian & White 36  
International 198 1.2%
Race and ethnicity unknown 352 2.2%
Two or more races: Other 197 1.2%
White 11,249 69.7%
Total 16,142 100.0%
Students of Color 4,343 26.0%

Student enrollment by place of origin

Inclusive Success

First-to-second Year Retention

Overall: 81%

Students of color, underrepresented: 78%

Pell Grant eligible: 74%

Six-year Graduation Rate

Overall: 69%

Students of color, underrepresented: 64%

Pell Grant eligible: 65%

Transfer Four-year Graduation Rate

Overall: 75%

Students of color, underrepresented: 77%

Pell grant eligible: 72%

Faculty Retention Rates

The following are three year retention statistics, showing how many faculty employed in a given year remained employed three years later. For example, in the All Faculty table, the first column for 2010 has a value of 69%. This means that 69% of all faculty employed in fall 2010 were also employed in fall 2013.

These data are broken down by Tenure Status*, gender, and Faculty of Color Status**.

Faculty retirements lower measured retention rates. To account for this, we also present the retention rates of faculty who are under the age of 59 on the hypothesis that faculty who leave WWU before 59 are not retiring. 59 has been used because it coincides with when people can start drawing from tax-deferred retirement accounts. This second table is potentially better at demonstrating the mobility of faculty for reasons other than retirements.

*Tenure status reported is the tenure status of the faculty member at the start of the three-year period.
**Faculty of Color are reported per IPEDS guidelines. Race categories include: American Indian or Alaska Native; Asian; Black or African American; Hispanic; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; or two or more races. 

Retention rates for all faculty

All Faculty
3 Year Rate 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
  69% 71% 75% 73% 73% 72%
Non-Tenure Track Faculty
3 Year Rate 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
All   49% 53% 62% 59% 58% 57%
Female 48% 52% 62% 61% 58% 56%
Male 52% 55% 61% 56% 58% 58%
Faculty of Color 44% 39% 68% 74% 57% 56%
Non Faculty of Color 50% 54% 61% 58% 58% 57%
Tenured  and Tenure Track Faculty
3 Year Rate 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
All 86% 87% 86% 86% 86% 85%
Female 87% 88% 86% 86% 86% 85%
Male 85% 87% 86% 85% 86% 85%
Faculty of Color 91% 93% 94% 93% 87% 88%
Non Faculty of Color 85% 86% 85% 84% 86% 85%

Retention rates for faculty under 59

All Faculty under 59
3 Year Rate 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
  73% 75% 80% 79% 79% 79%
Non-Tenure Track Faculty under 59
3 Year Rate 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
All 49% 53% 64% 63% 62% 61%
Female 48% 50% 59% 63% 63% 60%
Male 51% 58% 71% 63% 60% 61%
Faculty of Color 41% 35% 73% 75% 56% 50%
Non Faculty of Color 50% 54% 63% 62% 62% 62%
Tenured  and Tenure Track Faculty under 59
3 Year Rate 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
All   93% 93% 92% 92% 91% 94%
Female 94% 93% 92% 93% 90% 93%
Male 92% 94% 93% 91% 91% 94%
Faculty of Color 93% 94% 94% 96% 90% 94%
Non Faculty of Color 93% 93% 92% 91% 91% 94%

Summary of Faculty & Staff Demographics

Employee demographics contained in the 2018 AAP for Women and Minorities
Employee type Total WWU Employees Women Racial/Ethnic Minority
Faculty 965 487 50.47% 170 17.62%
Staff 1437 817 56.85% 241 16.77%
Total 2402 1304 54.29% 411 17.11%

Source of Data: Banner HR; WWU 2018 AAP for Women and Minorities. Data includes persons employed at any FTE.

Minority women are included in numbers for both women and minorities. Racial/ethnic minority includes individuals who self-identified as: Hispanic or Latino; American Indian or Alaskan Native; Asian; Black or African American; Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander; or Two or more races. Providing demographic information is voluntary. The totals and percentages in the above table do not include individuals whose demographic information is not available.

Faculty numbers include tenure track and non-tenure track faculty.