Previous Action Plan Updates

Spring 2023

STUDENT RECRUITMENT

Diverse School Group Visits - This year from May 2022 - May 2023, Admissions hosted 18 high school groups from diverse schools. Their visit included an admissions information session followed by a tour of campus. Some schools utilized the cafeteria for lunch following their tour!

Outreach to diverse students - All admitted, diverse students received an email from George Christian congratulating them on their acceptance and asking if they had any hesitations regarding Siena. The emails sole focus is to understand the student, their needs and help get the information they need in order to make a decision. This email was sent to 2,173 students. This email has an open rate of 69%.

When a student responded to the email, George and Katie provided a personal response addressing the student's hesitations. We were able to connect them with key people within the Siena community and for many worked with them in scheduling a visit.

Increase visits to campus by diverse inquiries by 13.18% Increased visits to campus by diverse admitted students by 10.9%

The Percentage of freshman class from diverse backgrounds increased from 26.9% as of May 4 last year to 28.8% as of May 4 this year, a 6.8% increase year over year.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE

The Strategic Enrollment Management Committee gathered information about actions being taken across campus to improve retention and experience among diverse student populations and discussed those findings. The committee identified gaps where they could efforts could improve the student experience and retention, specifically:

● Review of practices that negatively impact DEI including recruitment and retention policies, procedures, resources, and financial support. The Student Success and Retention group had made excellent progress on this during the 2022-23 academic year.

● Recognize that campus culture and climate needs renewal to achieve Siena's DEI responsibilities

● Strengthen diverse students' sense of belonging by enhancing the efforts of several areas across campus without being redundant or presenting unintended obstacles to other areas' work.

The committee also received an extensive report and a set of recommendations that the Student Retention Committee will implement beginning fall of 2022 and will develop and recommend actions in our work during 23-24.

FACULTY RECRUITMENT

As reported last year, a faculty task force proposed a plan to revise the faculty hiring process to obtain diverse candidates. The plan addresses each stage of the hiring process from advertisement through acceptance of offers of employment. A faculty member, Dr. Jennifer Dorsey, is revising our faculty hiring guide to infuse DEI recommendations throughout the process. Work on that is well underway and will be ready to guide faculty searches starting in the fall of 2023.

Dr. Dorsey will also design a proposed Advisory Committee to work with search committees throughout the process. If we are able to secure additional financial resources for a position to coordinate this, we will do so next year.

STAFF RECRUITMENT

The recruitment of diverse staff has been hampered by the fact that the College’s ability to hire any staff has been significantly impeded due to the recruiting environment in general (all employers are struggling to find good hires) and our compensation structure for non-faculty employees is below market. That said we have made good progress in regards to administrative/staff hiring. For the period of 11/1/21 – 10/31/22, 23%, or 21 out of the 94 of the administrative/staff new hires were diverse.

In an effort to identify opportunities to enhance its overall diversity efforts the College engaged Jackson Lewis P.C. to perform a diversity analytics study. This study focused on the diversity of the applicant pool and the conversion of the applicants to diverse hires. It was an analytical review of what is actually happening at the College, with regard to applications and hires and was based on data gathered from the Interview Exchange portal, which is utilized for all candidates.

The results of the study will be used to develop recommendations for next steps. Jackson Lewis, considers this study to be confidential and privileged. Therefore, we are working with them at this time to determine the best way to communicate the results and recommendations.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING - FACULTY

The ¼ time position of Faculty Development Coordinator was created and Dr. Marcela Garcés is serving in that role. She is implementing recommendations made by a faculty task force focusing on professional development for faculty on DEI instructional issues, such as pedagogy curriculum, inclusive teaching practices, and recruitment of diverse students. She has reviewed programming in recent years to assess what we have been doing. She has created and started meeting with an Advisory Committee with representatives from involved areas to assist in identifying gaps and suggesting new programming. The scope of the subsequent coordinating work will depend on whether additional resources are obtained to expand the time commitment of the coordinator.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING - ADMINISTRATION

This spring, the executive committee of the Council of Administrators considered several options for the College’s 2023 Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion day of practice open to all staff and administrators. Ultimately, the committee booked A Long Talk for an on-campus workshop on Thursday, October 12.

A Long Talk About The Uncomfortable Truth is an anti-racism activation experience facilitated by creator Kyle Williams. Before the workshop, community members will be asked to review a multimedia collection of content, provided by Williams, reflecting the truth about the history of racism in the United States and its lasting and pervasive impact. On October 12, Williams will be on campus to lead a two-hour session in the morning and a second two-hour session in the afternoon. The sessions are reflective conversations where participants are asked to listen, view, and respond in real time.

The first three workshops organized by the Council of Administrators in response to President Gibson’s charge to provide education for staff and administrators focused on understanding privilege and implicit bias, and ultimately the power of allyship and inclusive leadership. Posttraining assessments revealed that the community was interested in learning actionable anti- racism strategies via future workshops. The executive committee believes A Long Talk, through its three learning targets, will accomplish this.

Learning Target #1 – Unpacking Your Truth I will be able to make connections between our shared American history and our current reality.

Learning Target #2 – Finding Your Voice I will be able to use the CPR Protocol to challenge racist comments and beliefs.

Learning Target #3 – Activating Your Activism I will understand the reality that creating a counter culture of anti-racism can only happen through collective, consistent and courageous acts of identifying and interrupting racism.

The specific session times for the October 12 workshop will be determined this summer and then communicated with all staff and administrators. Education and Training provided for staff/admin. In response to President Gibson’s charge:

January 21, 2021 – Mat Grimes (facilitator) over Zoom

October 14, 2021 – Mat Grimes (facilitator) over Zoom

August 31, 2022 – Laura Quiros (facilitator) on campus

Pending: October 12, 2023 – A Long Talk, Kyle Williams (facilitator) on campus

CRIMINAL JUSTICE STUDIES MAJOR

The Criminal Justice Studies program was approved by NYS Education Department and students are declaring it. To date there are 43 declared majors, we have hired one new faculty member and are recruiting for a second one. Interest on the part of incoming first year students is high; of incoming first-year students about 30 have expressed interest in CJS.

CURRICULUM REFORM

To date, eight departments have received small grants to develop curriculum and recruit and support diverse students in their majors. Two departments have completed their projects; several are just finishing them now, and two that were awarded in Fall 2022 (Physics and Healthcare professions) are planning for implementation in Fall 2023.

Faculty from the departments that received grants earlier gave presentations on their projects in a panel in October, as many of the projects can be duplicated in other disciplines. The new Core Curriculum Director, Dr. Darren Lim, is working on implementing a review of the Franciscan Concern categories to develop a process to assure they meet the intended learning outcomes. A full assessment of outcomes in the Diversity category will be done next year.

Standish Library Director Vicki Parsons engaged a consultant to do a DEI inventory of library resources and the Library is systematically expanding resources in areas where needed to provide library resources to fully support student access to contemporary material on DEI issues.

STUDENT RETENTION

The Student Retention and Success Committee has made comprehensive recommendations on how to assure that students in all diversity categories are retained and graduate at the same rate.

DAMIETTA CROSS-CULTURAL CENTER

The following is a list of major programming orchestrated through the Damietta Center in Spring 2023.

First Monday Meetings - Damietta + Affinity Club Officers (2/6, 3/6, 4/3): - Light Lunch - $203.94 Attendees: 8; Monthly Check-in between Damietta Director and Affinity Club Officers.

Ms. Bettie Mae Fikes - Black History Month Keynote (2/8) - $7,758.03

Attendees: 160; Gospel Singer and Civil Rights Advocate shares insights and inspiration through storytelling and song

Café Damietta and Active Minds (2/22) - Paesan's Pizza - $88.96

Attendees: 18; student-led dialogue on how to foster mental health and welcoming spaces on campus

Association of Franciscan Colleges & Universities (AFCU) Conference (3/9) - Registration - June 2023 - $25

Damietta Staff Bonding Event - Kingpin Lanes Bowling (3/12) - $167.42 Attendees: 8; staff bonding with student leaders

Café Damietta: Music Exploration (3/22) - $73.30

Attendees: 24; student-led gathering for listening and conversation regarding culturally diverse music: Hip Hop, Caribbean, African, Latin

Expozé - Multicultural Talent Show (4/1) - Program Insert - $23.98

Attendees: 231; showcase of dance, spoken word, singing and other talents from our students of diverse backgrounds and allies

Black Student Union purchased decorations and programs: $500 Asian Student Association purchased AVI Catering: $1,579.46

ACE Women's Network Conference: Leading with Compassion Virtual Conference - Registration -

$25

ALANA & Lavender Celebration of Achievement - (5/7) - Programs, Gifts, Balloons, Flowers, Hotel Keynote Speaker - $465.92

Attendees: 50 graduates; a pre-commencement commemoration to celebrate the achievements of graduating students who identify as and support ALANA and LGBTQ+ students.

Business Affairs purchased AVI Catering: $1,164.57

Contributions to Campus Partner Events:

Wrap Around the World with Sam Kim Lecture (2/6) - Diversity Action Committee - $500 Comedy for Peace (2/2) - Student Activities & Leadership Development, SEB Coffeehouse - $235 NASCE T-shirts (3/7) - Center for Academic Community Engagement - $300

DataFest (3/24) - Dr. Kursad Tosun - School of Science - $250

Work In-Progress: A Global Worldview in the Art Studio with Dr. Scott Foster Lecture (4/3) - AVI Catering - Education Department - $100

MLK Lecture Series - Tim Tyson (4/26) - Academic Affairs - $1000

Top Achievements/ Moments for the Damietta Cross-Cultural Center

Damietta Center Open House (9/16):

- Inaugural Open House with catering for students to experience the Damietta Center Lounge.

- Goal = yearly event

Women of Color in Media Panel (11/14):

- Three dynamic professionals share successes and challenges relating to race and gender

- Partnership between Damietta Center and Academic Affairs

- George Camacho (Damietta Center) and Sam Hesler (Academic Affairs) leveraged previous professional relationships to secure top-tier talent in the media industry for this event at a minimal cost.

First Monday Meetings - Damietta + Affinity Club Officers (2/6, 3/6, 4/3):

- Monthly Check-in between Damietta Director and Affinity Club Officers.

- Goal = foster effective working relationships within Damietta network and beyond

Ms. Bettie Mae Fikes - Black History Month Keynote (2/8)

- Gospel Singer and Civil Rights Advocate shares insights and inspiration through storytelling and song

- Dynamic presentation with a living legend

SUPPORTING OUR VISION

In April, the Cohoes Savings Foundation awarded Siena College $10,000 to fund a current scholarship for non-traditional students. A non-traditional student is defined as a student who is over the age of 22 in their first term of undergraduate study with a combination of the following characteristics; have a full- time job, have children, single parent, financially independent of their parents, military Veterans and/or professionals in professions where credentialing and requirements to maintain credentials have changed and now require a four-year bachelor degree. This scholarship will provide approximately 3-5 scholarships to non-traditional students of financial need as determined by Siena College’s Office of Financial Aid for the 2023-2024 academic year.

On May 3rd, a grant application was submitted to Boeing for a Women in Leadership Initiative ($40,000). The grant requested funding for a variety of programs to help empower female students to become leaders in their chosen professions. The proposal includes a Women in Business Scholarship for a freshman female who enrolls in the School of Business where female student are underrepresented. In the fall of 2022, women only represented 35% of the total students in the School of Business. This follows a national trend of declining graduation rates of females with undergraduate business degrees. The Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics reported in 2019 that women earning bachelor’s degrees in business has started to decline. Between 2002 and 2004, women receiving bachelor’s degrees in business peaked over the 50% mark. However, the percentage of women earning business degrees has gradually declined since to 46.7% in 2019 which is the lowest since 1987. The Boeing Women in Leadership Initiative proposal also includes funding for a speaker series to bring one to two high profile women who are top leaders in their field (business, government, STEM, etc.) for the 2023-2024 academic year as well as funding for women lead teams that enter the Stack Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship’s Spark Tank competition. Both of these components are to help inspire women to leadership and entrepreneurship careers. Women continually remain underrepresented in C-Suite positions in corporate America. In 2022, only 27% of C-Suite positions in the United States were held by women and only 6.4% of women run a S&P Company (Catalyst, 2022).

On May 26th, a Letter of Intent will be submitted to the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation (MCHF) to develop the healthcare worker/nursing pipeline ($320,000). Included in this proposal is a K-12 healthcare workforce recruitment program which focuses on schools in underserved populations. This is a request to support a program spearheaded by Admissions that will increase college access and equity for underrepresented students, as well as strengthen the funnel of future healthcare workers. The goal is to break down information and communication barriers to ensure that every student has the opportunity to pursue higher education and a healthcare career. Our enrollment team has used its resources for years on initiatives to increase access to higher education, but require additional funding to scale these programs and make a greater impact. The program begins in elementary school with a storybook featuring Baloo and in person/hands on presentations talking about the different careers/jobs in healthcare, continues to middle school which begins to introduce the skills required for a career in healthcare and then to high school to assist in college application preparation. This program is aimed primarily at schools in underserved communities where there is not a strong guidance counseling and/or career preparation infrastructure. The MHCF LOI also includes funding for nursing scholarships for students from underserved populations.

fall 2022

Glenn Braddock, Ph.D., Powerpoint — Equity in Retention & Graduation Recommendations

STUDENT RECRUITMENT

Diversity recruitment remains an important focus for the Enrollment Marketing team.

As of December 2, 2022:

39% of applications are diverse. Last year at this time, that number was 39%
27% of admits are diverse. Last year, 26% of admits were diverse at this time

We continue to execute recruitment tactics that are geared towards diversity. Tactics include:

An email is sent on behalf of George Christian to all diverse admits. The email asks if they have any hesitations regarding Siena. Currently, 588 students have received the email with a 66% open rate. George responds to each student individually and continues to create a relationship with them. This email will continue to go out to admitted diverse students through the communication flow.
Admissions regularly hosts high school groups on campus for information sessions and tours. This fall, 50% of the groups we hosted were CBO’s or from high schools that have a high percentage of diverse students. Examples include Sponsor a Scholar, Black Diamonds Academic Success Group and Democracy Prep. When requested, the HEOP team will also participate in the visit and give an information session to the students.
Participated in a UStrive College Fair on October 20, 2022. UStrive connects students with financial need with free, one-to-one mentoring to help them navigate the college and financial aid application process. Siena is a member college of UStrive.
This spring, we will continue to “fight club”, one-on-one recruitment of diverse students.
We will review each application individually to see what they need to be connected to in order to envision their Siena experience.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE

The Strategic Enrollment Management Committee had completed a data collection exercise during the spring 2022 academic term. A subgroup of SEMC analyzed the data and identified four central themes as impediments at Siena to belonging: culture, accountability when a community member behaves in a discriminatory way, system to coordinate diversity, equity and inclusion, effective communication and feedback loops on issues to advance DEI. Further an assessment of activities under management across the college to address these issues was conducted (including the action oriented retention report being presented by Glenn Braddock at the December PACDI meeting) and we have concluded that the most important work SEMC can do to improve the student experience of our diverse student population is to strengthen their sense of belonging.

Based on research conducted by Fr. Greg Gebbia, O.F.M., we have identified five components of student belonging. The components include: seamless student experience, active and engaged learning, faculty and mentoring support, mental health and wellbeing, and co-curricular and social engagement. Our previous analysis of activities under management and the consensus of the SEMC membership was that our efforts would be best focused on strengthening issues related to a seamless student experience and areas of concern regarding diverse students' perceptions of their experience.

Specifically the committee will focus our work on identification and proposed recommendations to eliminate friction points in a student’s journey that prevent a seamless student experience. Our next meeting will provide reports on key actions that various units across the College have already begun to initiate to eliminate friction points and then we will build a list of friction points that students (who will also present at our next meeting) identified.

Additionally, the Strategic Plan includes 37 initiatives that are designed to improve the student experience within academic areas, all of which will benefit students across all demographic groups and, arguably most benefit those students who need additional attention. These are all at some stage of planning or implementation. A list of these is available from Provost Madden upon request.

FACULTY RECRUITMENT

STAFF RECRUITMENT

EDUCATION AND TRAINING - FACULTY

The ¼ time position of Faculty Development Coordinator was created and Dr. Marcela Garcés is serving in that role. She is implementing recommendations made by a faculty task force focusing on professional development for faculty on DEI instructional issues, such as pedagogy curriculum, inclusive teaching practices, and recruitment of diverse students. She is starting with inventorying current programming in order to coordinate it better, identifying gaps in programming, and creating an Advisory Committee with representatives from involved areas to assist in delivering new programming. The scope of the subsequent coordinating work will depend on whether additional resources are obtained to expand the time commitment of the coordinator.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING - ADMINISTRATION

On Wednesday, August 31, the Council of Administrators hosted its annual Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion workshop open to all staff and administrators. The workshop was hosted by Dr. Laura Quiros, associate professor of social work at child advocacy at Montclair State University. Dr. Quiros is also an author and highly regarded facilitator. Her training and workshops focus on interdepartmental community building, implicit bias, whiteness, trauma-informed practice from a DEI lens, allyship, inclusive leadership, and radical self care.

Dr. Quiros facilitated a 90-minute workshop in the Key Auditorium which drew nearly 100 staff and administrators. She then hosted 30-minute sessions from the President’s Dining Room with representatives from each VP area. Members of the Council of Administrators executive committee worked with the respective VPs to identify 5-10 representatives to participate in the small group discussions. Those representatives were then charged with taking the ideas generated in the small groups back to their areas to continue the conversation.

Everyone who participated in the open discussion was sent an assessment via email and they were asked to fill out the form and provide feedback (which was collected anonymously). Here’s a brief summary of the 39 responses we received:

As a result of my experience and this workshop, I have a better understanding of Trauma Informed Social Justice: Yes – 38; No – 0; I am not sure – 1
As a result of this workshop, I am able to take away ideas on how to develop a deeper sense of belonging for others: Yes – 39; No – 0; I am not sure – 0
As a result of this workshop, I have a better sense on how to create a space for dialogue, honor curiosity, and welcome vulnerability: Yes – 36; No – 0; I am not sure – 3
I recognize that there is space in my office or area of work for the principles (Safety, Trust, Choice, Collaboration, Empowerment and Voice) to be fostered: Yes – 37; No – 0; I am not sure – 1
Which Principles are you interest in developing in your office or area of work: Collaboration – 14; Empowerment and Voice – 12; Brave/Safe Space – 9; Trust – 3; Choice – 1

The Council of Administrators executive committee will meet early in the spring semester to begin planning our annual workshop for next fall. Dr. Quiros has already indicated her interest in returning to campus. Our first two workshops were both facilitated by Matt Grimes and his second session built on the information in his first session. So, there’s precedent and value in asking Dr. Quiros to advance the work from this summer. That’s something that will be taken under advisement by the executive committee, and a determination will be made by the middle of the spring semester and communicated to all staff and administrators.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE STUDIES MAJOR

The Criminal Justice Studies program was approved by NYS Education Department and students are declaring it. We have 38 declared majors right now and are in the process of hiring two new faculty members to teach in it. We’re looking forward to being able to recruit fall 2023 incoming students specifically for that program and there is already quite a bit of interest in the incoming application pool.

CURRICULUM REFORM

To date, five departments have received small grants to develop curriculum and recruit and support diverse students in their majors. Faculty from these departments gave presentations on their projects in a panel in October, as many of the projects can be duplicated in other disciplines. A new round of proposals has been received and we are reviewing them to determine which will be funded right now.

The new Core Curriculum Director, Dr. Darren Lim, is working on implementing a review of the Franciscan Concern categories to develop a process to assure they meet the intended learning outcomes, starting with the Diversity category.

Standish Library Director Vicki Parsons has engaged a consultant to do a DEI inventory of library resources. This will lead to a systematic effort to enhance library resources to fully support student access to contemporary material on DEI issues.

STUDENT RETENTION

The Student Retention and Success Committee has made comprehensive recommendations on how to assure that students in all diversity categories are retained and graduate at the same rate.

DAMIETTA CROSS-CULTURAL CENTER

The following is a list of major programming orchestrated through the Damietta Center since Spring 2022.

Siena Fresh Stoles for ALANA & Lavender Celebration of Achievement - A pre-commencement commemoration to celebrate the achievements of graduating students who identify as and support ALANA and LGBTQ+ students.

Diversity Training for Saints, Community Assistants, and Commuter Transition Specialists (8/27) Total Cost: $3,107.38 (Collaboration: SALD, OCL, Damietta)

Facilitators: Consultant Matt Grimes + 9 students and 5 administrators
Attendees: 152 Participants
Training on effective leadership and how to foster an inclusive environment for new students.

Damietta Center Open House (9/16): Attendees: 52; Open House with catering for students to experience the Damietta Center Lounge.

Orientation and Training for new and returning Damietta student leaders (9/17). 12 attendees

Borderless Dreams with Samantha Ramirez-Herrera - Latinx Heritage Month (9/21): Creative entrepreneur, activist and immigrant DREAMer shares her compelling journey. 57 attendees.

Uniting with Ukraine: Music, Dance, and Song (10/6): Traditional Ukrainian Cossack Dance Troupe and music performance. 86 attendees

Women of Color in Media Panel (11/14): $2,156 Three dynamic professionals share successes and challenges relating to race and gender. 57 attendees.

Fall Fusion - Multicultural Talent Show (12/3): Attendees: 272. Showcase of dance, spoken word, singing and other talents from Siena students

Contributions to Campus Partner Events:

J Baptiste - Intersectional Transgender Identity and Self Care (10/19)
Women, Life, Freedom: Iran Uprisings Discussion (10/26)

*We thank the generous contributions and participation from various campus partners to help. support our Fall events: Affinity Clubs, Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy, Chaplain’s Office, Center for Academic Community Engagement, Student Activities and Leadership Development, Office of Community Living, Race and Ethnic Studies Minor, Women’s Gender and Sexuality Studies Minor, Sociology Dept.

OTHER PROGRAMMING AND RECOGNITION

Harvard social psychologist Dr. Robert Livingston led "A Conversation About Racism" on Tuesday, Oct. 25 in the Maloney Great Room. The event was hosted by NewsChannel 13 anchor Elaine Houston and sponsored by the College's Spirit of '68 Endowment. More than 325 members of the Siena and Capital Region community attended the event. Dr. Livingston’s talk mixed statistics with humor and compassion as he explored how racism thrives, and how we can achieve a better society. His talk was very well received with 99% of survey respondents finding the program impactful and informative. Dr. Livingston researches the science underlying racism and bias, and serves as a diversity consultant for Fortune 500 companies, public sector agencies and nonprofits.

“This work is my passion, my life’s purpose,” he said. “To bring greater equity to the world. People say ‘Dr. Livingston, tell us what to do,’ but the problem is much more complicated than that. Acknowledging there is a problem is the first step. If you don’t know you have a problem you can’t seek treatment. Awareness first, then commitment.”

“I felt that Dr. Livingston had incredible insight on the topic of racism and bias in the workplace. He did not deviate from his argument and supported it with facts and data, while also keeping us all interested with his jokes and sense of humor.” ~ Emily Atassi ’25, Spirit of ’68 Steering Committee member

“He helped us understand that everything takes time; nothing is achieved overnight like many people expect, whether it's as small as losing weight or as big as changing mindsets about racism and tackling it. He also taught us that even though it can take time, nothing is impossible; we can achieve all our targets with hard work and patience.” ~ Mariam Zulfiqar ’24

…

The much-anticipated Martin Luther King III keynote lecture took place on May 3 at UHY Center. MLK3 adopted the theme “Strengthening the Bonds of Racial Justice” for his speech and as part of the annual Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King Lecture Series on Race and Nonviolent Social Change festivities, the College presented MLK3 with an honorary degree.

…

Timothy Tyson is the 2023 Keynote Speaker for The 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King Lecture Series on Race and Nonviolent Social Change. The title of his speech is "Love, Power, and Nonviolence: The Utterly Unacceptable Philosophy" and the event is scheduled for January 25, 2023 at 7 p.m. in the Sarazen Student Union.

Timothy B. Tyson is Senior Research Scholar at the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University. His 2017 New York Times bestseller, The Blood of Emmett Till, won the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award and was a finalist for the National Book Award.

Tyson’s Blood Done Sign My Name was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award, and won the Southern Book Award and the Grawemeyer Award from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. Hollywood screenwriter Jeb Stuart directed a 2010 feature film based on Blood. Tyson’s Radio Free Dixie: Robert F. Williams and the Roots of Black Power won the Frederick Jackson Turner Award for best book in United States history and the James Rawley Award for best book on race from the Organization of American Historians and became the basis for a 2006 PBS documentary, “Negroes with Guns: Rob Williams and Black Power.” His 2006 Ghosts of 1898: Wilmington’s ‘Race Riot’ and the Rise of White Supremacy won the Excellence Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. In 2002, he served as editor for The Black Power Movement, Part 2: The Papers of Robert F. Williams. Tyson teaches African American and Southern history, culture, and politics to students at Duke, UNC, Durham Technical and Community College, and the public. He works with Rev. Dr. William J. Barber, II and serves on the executive boards of the N.C. NAACP, the UNC Center for Civil Rights, and Repairers of the Breach.

SUPPORTING OUR VISION

In August, a Letter of Inquiry (LOI) was submitted to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation requesting $300,000 to support the establishment of the Saints Opportunity Fund. In working with Maggie Madden and Yasmine Fisher, it was determined the Saints Opportunity Fund would be established to ensure that students with financial need and from backgrounds historically underrepresented in higher education will have the opportunity to participate in internships, study abroad, undergraduate research, community-based learning, and other purposeful experiential learning activities beyond the classroom. Siena will give priority to students enrolled in HEOP. Students who are eligible for federal Pell grants and are either first-generation students or from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds will also be eligible to apply. Siena will provide 30 students annually with awards of $1,500 to $5,000 each to offset costs related to unpaid internships, study abroad, research projects, service trips, and other activities in which they could not otherwise afford to participate. Unfortunately, in October we were informed that our LOI was not selected for an invitation to move onto the full proposal step in the application process. In January/February 2023, Cherisse Young will revisit this proposal and work with McAllister and Quinn to determine if Siena should reapply to the Arthur Vining Davis Foundation with a revised proposal regarding DEI initiatives on campus.

In January, Cherisse will begin to research the possibility of submitting a concept paper to the Mellon Foundation. Elizabeth Alexander, the current President of the Foundation, is focusing the grantmaking on social justice/strengthening the bonds of racial justice through Humanities and Arts programs in Higher Education. The ask amount would be in the $40K-$50K range based on the advice of M&Q and should be for curriculum and/or professional development in the area of racial justice in the Humanities.

2021-2022

STUDENT RECRUITMENT

Siena proudly welcomed its most diverse class in history this year, including the largest international population in the College's history.
For the 2025 recruitment class, the College is looking to build on the recruiting partnership between George Christian, presidential actions officer and Katie Szalda, director of admissions. Other new partnerships include: Green Tech High Charter School mentoring program, 15-Love and Siena partnership with Fr. Greg Gebbia to develop their College Preparatory program to include campus visits and consultation with campus experts on college search and financial aid topics, and a Strategic Enrollment Management Committee student experience challenge in partnership with Siena's Institutional Research Office.
Focusing recent (as of April 2022) work on New York City population. Fr. Greg Gebbia, OFM traveled down to the city to bring 4 students to Siena for a day-long visit. Would like to make this a continuing experience, perhaps expanding to bring the families of the students as well.

FACULTY/STAFF RECRUITMENT & TRAINING/EDUCATION

Finance and Administration has offered a walk-thru of an analysis done by Jackson Lewis, the outside firm that annually reviews our affirmative action results, of their diversity, equity and inclusion for any interested community members.
Faculty Task Force examined programs at other colleges and made recommendations for a very comprehensive strategy to increase the diversity of candidate pools for faculty positions and structure interviews to enhance their likelihood of accepting our offers. They will be hiring a Faculty Hiring Coordinator.
Matt Grimes '12 facilitated a second ‘Staff Day of Practice’ – a continuation of January’s workshop ‘Reflecting on our Values and Identities to Lead Boldly for Racial Justice," in October. The Council of Administrators hosted this event. The Council is looking at setting up an annual training for staff and administrators, and in talks about a required annual virtual training for those who cannot attend in person.
The Task Force on Diversifying the Faculty has drafted a set of recommendations that will be shared with the greater community. The Task Force on Faculty Development on Diversity Issues has also drafted recommendations that will be shared with the community of faculty for input. Both reports will be refined and submitted to Provost Madden by the end of the fall semester.
A Faculty Development Coordinator will be brought on to further develop the plans proposed by the Task Force.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND REFORM

The College’s first Provost and Senior Vice President Margaret Madden, Ph.D. is working with faculty to develop a criminal justice studies major that meets market demand and reflects Siena’s mission and values. Criminal Justice Studies has been submitted to NYSED and we await their response. We will implement the major as soon as approval is received.
Departmental Diversity Grants were awarded for the Fall 2020 semester and are currently underway.
- Changing Political Imbalance: Elect Her to Lead — Ausra Park and Taewook Kang, Department of Political Science and International Relations
- Incorporating Accessibility, Inclusivity and Diversity into Pedagogical Practices — Shannon Draucker, James Belflower, and Stacey Dearing, Department of English
- Philosophy and Race Course Development — Joshua Alexander, Department of Philosophy
- Research and Mentorship Program for Underrepresented BIPOC Students — Len Cutler and Laurie Naranch, Department of Political Science and International Relations
- Revising Curriculum, Courses, and Instructional Practices — Dean Amadio, Maureen Hannah, Nicole Heller and Stefanie Simon, Department of Psychology
- Department Grant work as of March 2022: Social Work: Student advocates going to community colleges to recruit, and will continue outreach to regional high schools. English: 2 speakers on pedagogical techniques, increasing resources in their library, learned concrete strategies for feminist, anti racist, and accessible teaching and created sustained conversations with colleagues about these issues. Psychology: Increased resource library, hosted 3 speakers, hired a student diversity liaison, developing two new course focusing on diversity. Philosophy: Speaker series.
- COFD and DAC have sponsored a whole series of presentations by faculty members discussing how they use inclusive curriculum and pedagogy in their classes.

CAMPUS PROGRAMMING

The Damietta Cross-Cultural Center accomplished:
- Damietta Lounge Redesign
- Fall 2021 Diversity Trainings for Saints, Community Assistants, and Commuter Transition Specialists with Matt Grimes '12
- Damietta, "Faces of Damietta" t shirt campaign
- Strong programming including: Cooking with Fr. Tito, Día de la Raza Concert and Dialogue, Cafe Euphoria and Fall Fusion
- Beyond the Binary with CJ Suitt (Black History Month keynote) — February 9, 2022
- Joy of Samba Workshop, Mardi Gras Carnaval — Mar 1, 2022
- Karim Nagi, Arab, Culture, Music and Dance Night — March 31, 2022
- Expoze: Multicultural Talent Show — April 9, 2022
- Robyn Ochs presentation: “All the Letters: Understanding LGBTQIA+ Identities & Experiences with the Sociology Department
- ALANA & Lavender Celebration of Achievement — May 1, 2022
- The Spirit of ’68 endowment committee is hosting the 10th Annual Capital District Feminist Studies Consortium Conference on Friday, February 25th. More information can be found here.
The Spirit of '68 is also put together a panel discussion on Critical Race Theory for April 2022.
The Mission Office in partnership with First-Year Seminar, and Athletics host Fr. Dan Horan, OFM, Ph.D., for his talk "A Siena Saints Guide to Racism and Privilege: Franciscan Values on Siena's Campus," on Wednesday, November 3 at 7 PM in the Maloney Great Room. This was followed by small group, student-led discussion, concluding with "Where Do We Go From Here?" Closing remarks from President Gibson on "Strengthening the Bonds of Racial Justice."
The 35th Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Series will be held May 3, 2022 and feature Martin Luther King III, oldest son of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.and Mrs. Coretta Scott King. For more information, click here.
Annual Golub Lecture: Helps students become socially responsible citizens — this year’s guest speaker will be Megan Hogan who is the Chief Diversity Officer at Goldman Sachs, this event is on May 2nd at 3:30 in the SSU.

STUDENT EXPERIENCE

The Strategic Enrollment Management Committee has been looking at data, and Br. George Camacho hosted a focus group in which he asked students for more information to be able to address the issues that came out of the data. This group will place these action items into the Strategic Plan.

STUDENT RETENTION

Provost's Office has a new Student Retention Committee which is focused on all students, but is deeply analyzing different cohorts of students. The students on this Committee attended a workshop hosted by the Gardner Institute titled "Equity in Retention Academy." During this workshop they gained many ideas for best practices in student retention.

2020-2021

STUDENT RECRUITMENT

Siena proudly welcomed its most diverse class in history this year. We must strengthen this commitment to ensure our community reaches its full potential.
Three working groups were formed focusing on the following areas: recruitment, newly enrolled students, and retention.

FACULTY/STAFF RECRUITMENT

A faculty committee has been organized with the intention of examining hiring protocols at the College. Systemic changes are needed and particular steps, such as proposing guidelines and changes to institutional policy and practice are among the issues being reviewed at the committee level.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING

An interactive Equity Summit was hosted on campus in August for First Year Seminar faculty and efforts are underway to expand educational programming throughout the community.
On January 21, the College held a Staff Day of Practice titled, Reflecting on our Values and Identities to Lead Boldly for Racial Justice, for the 150 staff and administrators who participated in the 3-hour diversity and identity training facilitated by Matt Grimes ’12. The Council of Administrators organized this event.

CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT AND REFORM

The College’s first Provost and Senior Vice President Margaret Madden, Ph.D. is working with faculty to develop a criminal justice major that meets market demand and reflects Siena’s mission and values. This is well under way with approximately 20 faculty members working since the summer to close in on advancing a proposal. The major will consist of three separate but related tracks all pinned to specific career opportunities.
Additionally, grants have been awarded to various academic departments to help diversify curriculum.

CAMPUS PROGRAMMING

The Damietta Cross-Cultural Center has received new funding to expand programming and activities. They are currently conducting a book club with the title, “When They Call You a Terrorist.” Ten year anniversary tee shirts are being created to mark this important milestone for the Damietta Center. Larger presentations with events, speakers and some collaboration with The Women’s Center are among future plans.
The Spirit of ’68 endowment committee has adopted the Strengthening the Bonds of Racial Justice theme for this year’s programming, which included an October panel discussion with Capital Region community activists about race and social justice. Learn and register for the the spring event, Redefining Inclusivity: How COVID-19 Spotlights Injustice.
The Athletic Department has formed E.D.I.T. (Education, Diversity, Inclusion, and Togetherness) – a movement focused on engaging in healthy conversation to create awareness and meaningful change through social justice initiatives. Men’s Basketball Coach Carmen Maciariello ’01 has organized a nationwide effort entitled Coaches for Change to engage, educate, and empower college student athletes on issues of social injustice.
President Gibson signed Siena onto the All-In Campus Democracy Challenge on his first official day in office. The community responded this fall with Siena Votes – a comprehensive grassroots effort that got out the vote on campus.