Network of advisors to ensure our full community shapes and commits to this work and that Black faculty, staff, students, and alumni voices are elevated.

In 2020, President Mantella established a Network of Advisors for Racial Equity with representatives from faculty, staff, students, alumni, and senior administrators. The Network provided initial guidance on the 15-Point Charge, completing its term in Fall 2022. The recommendations are now being implemented and refined by the Inclusion & Equity Activation and Accountability Leadership Team and other Divisions based on the scope of the initiatives.

June 2020

Universal training for all members of our university community on social justice, power, privilege, and anti-racism.

An all-employee online training with supplemental in-person and virtual opportunities has been instituted in consultation with the Inclusion & Equity Institute. The Senior Leadership Team has committed to annual DEI-related foundational learning sessions.

May 2022

GVSU Police Academy leads the way in enhancing public safety education with more robust requirements for diversity, inclusion, and de-escalation.

The College of Community and Public Service conducted a review of the Police Academy curriculum and found that it aligned with best practices and serves as a model for community police training. In addition, the following measures were determined: (1) increase the diversity of the Academy enrollment to 20% people of color; (2) utilize the State of Michigan's Licensing Standards in selection criteria; and (3) create a culture where racial equity and inclusion are valued in curriculum by including the following topics: ethics in policing, civil rights and human relations, cultural competence, and unbiased policing.

Summer 2020

GRow1000 Commitment: City of Grand Rapids youth employment initiative.

Contributed to GRow1000, the City of Grand Rapids youth employment initiative

August 2020

Math Advantage: gateway program will help to improve college readiness and retention which disproportionately impacts our communities of color.

Participants in the 2020 Learner Design Virtual Summit engaged in a pilot gateway program, Math Advantage, seeking to improve college readiness and retention, which disproportionately impacts our communities of color.

August 2020

Racial equity scholarship in honor of the Black lives that have been lost due to racialized violence for students that demonstrate a commitment to social justice and racial equity.

Established the Social Justice and Equity Scholarship in honor of lives lost to racialized violence for students that demonstrate a commitment to social justice and racial equity.

October 2020

Campus Safety task force to review current policing practices and recommend change.

Campus Safety Task Force reviewed policing practices resulting in an effort for Grand Valley Police Department to achieve "gold standard" accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA). CALEA practices require cultural competency training and other measures aligned with the 15-Point Charge.

Winter 2021

Develop an even more aggressive program for the recruitment and retention of students of color that will be undergirded by policies that remove barriers to access.

Developed an even more aggressive program for the recruitment and retention of students of color through the strategic enrollment management plan that is undergirded by policies that remove barriers to access. Efforts have resulted in the most diverse classes in university history.

Winter 2021

Develop a new strategic enrollment management plan with strategies and initiatives centering the bold goal of removing all equity gaps.

The Strategic Enrollment Management continues to work through transformation teams centering the bold goal of removing all equity gaps.

Winter 2021

Support Student Senate in its development of peer-to-peer learning and other initiatives.

With Student Senate and in partnership with WMCAT, conducted a liberatory design thinking exercise to develop a racial equity learning program for undergraduate students.

March 2021

Accelerate previous commitments by hiring a university ombuds, finalizing a salary equity study, and issuing final recommendations for the 2019 campus climate study with plans to reassess next year.

Completed previous commitments, including: the appointment of the inaugural employee ombuds, completion of a salary equity study and commitment to regular analysis, and conducted continued university-wide climate assessments, including new pulse surveys, and a commitment to administer the Harvard University COACHE Faculty Satisfaction Survey in 2024. 

2021-
2022

Greater and clearer promotional, developmental, and recruitment pathways for employees of color.

Initial recommendations for creating greater and clearer promotional, developmental and recruitment pathways for employees of color resulted in the advancement of several new efforts, including the adoption of "fostering inclusive and equitable community" as part of the university employee core competencies, Leading Lakers employee leadership pilot, the Senior Inclusion Advocates Program (to support inclusive hiring), the inclusion of contributions to inclusion and equity in faculty Digital Measures, and an upcoming employee mentorship program. AALT has formed a sub-group to continue to activate opportunities. 

Summer
2022

Structural changes and opportunities that strengthen accountability across the organization for leadership and supervisors in advancing inclusion and equity.

Structural changes and opportunities that strengthen accountability across the organization for leadership and supervisors in advancing inclusion and equity, including the appointment of inclusion and equity leads and liaisons in each college and division as well as the adoption of the four focal point KPIs related to inclusion and equity. The Activation and Accountability Leadership Team is a representative body that is moving recommendations forward across campus. 

Summer
2022

Explore ways we can expand education for our students to ensure every graduate deepens understanding of systemic racism, social justice and racial equity.

UAS passed a General Education Committee recommendation on revised language for the US Diversity and Global Perspectives GE categories and a new Student Learning Objective specifically related to racism and systemic racism to ensure every graduate deepens understanding of systemic racism, social justice and racial equity.

Winter 2022

Black Male Symposium: hosts a national conversation on the need for racial equity, the disproportionate impact on male-identified black members of our community, and how it can be strengthened in an institution and community that is historically white.

Hosted a national conversation on the need for racial equity and the disproportionate impact on male-identified Black members of our community through the Black Boys and Men Symposium. Committee formed for planning in Summer 2021. The Black Boys and Men Symposium was launched in June 2022.

Summer
2022