President’s Diversity Initiative
Four Priorities, Summer 2007

The President’s Diversity Initiative recommends four priorities to diversify CSM. Whether to improve educational outcomes, or meet U.S. needs and industry’s demand, greater diversity holds many benefits for CSM. These priorities are intended to begin a campus dialog about how best to diversify. Your feedback and partnership are essential. Contact Dr. Heidi G. Loshbaugh, hloshbau@mines.edu, with questions or comments. To read the full diversity plan, click here.

Campus Climate

President Scoggins has called for a shift in campus culture that will welcome and include diversity of thought, opinion, and perspectives and that represents the world CSM is trying to be a part of. Essential steps include

• Assessment of existing programs;
• Assessment of existing climate;
• Development of networks and partnerships across campus;
• Development of attractive programming and environment for today’s students;
• Creation of a Multicultural Center to integrate and coordinate diversity activities.

Broaden and Deepen Faculty Diversity

A more diverse faculty, including more women and minorities, is essential to a diversified campus. Furthermore, increased faculty diversity is instrumental to changes in the student body. Critical considerations include

• Students learn better in a diversified environment, gaining preparation for their careers in a global workforce;
• A diversified faculty aids in recruiting and retaining diverse students.

Increase Female Student Enrollment

In the past twenty-five years, colleges of business, law, and medicine have increased female enrollments to nearly fifty percent or greater, yet engineering’s enrollment remains virtually unchanged. Although CSM’s total female enrollment exceeds national averages, at less than thirty percent, there is significant room for improvement. Factors to consider include

• As top performers in high-school math and science courses, women are a natural recruiting target for CSM’s rigorous curriculum;
• Both women and men at CSM seek more women on campus.

Increase Underrepresented Minority Enrollment

The fastest growth in the U.S. college-aged population is among minorities. As this population matures, it will have significant impact on the marketplace and workforce. Important factors include

• Colorado’s Latino/a population is nearly twenty percent, yet CSM’s enrollment is currently less than eight percent, well-below national averages;
• Percentages of all minority engineering students have grown nationally over the past fifteen years, yet the representation of minority students at CSM has remained stagnant, lagging by a factor of approximately two.