CSP Background & Purpose
The InterACT Diversity Players
In
June 2000, OSU adopted a Diversity Action Plan. One initiative that has
helped support this plan is the Commitment to Success Program (CSP). CSP
staff research how diversity impacts and enhances both educational and
work settings at OSU. The findings produced through CSP assessments can
help university programs gain a richer understanding of diversity in their
settings, as well as possible steps to further improve the learning climate
for all involved. The purpose of CSP climate assessment is to understand
student and faculty perceptions of the climate for diversity and learning
in their respective colleges, departments
and classrooms. By utilizing surveys and focus groups,
CSP assessments also consider the personal experiences of students, faculty
and staff regarding the policies, practices and learning environment within
academic units and classroom settings. Since the program began, fourteen
academic units and one central support office have engaged in a CSP climate
assessment and received at least a preliminary report. The following steps
are followed in the CSP assessment:
Step 1 – Define the unit’s objective for diversity assessment.
Step 2 – Specify the population that is of interest.
Step 3 – Select method(s) for data collection (e.g., online surveys, focus groups, etc.)
Step 4 – Determine who will be in the sample.
Step 5 – Design the assessment.
Step 6 – Pretest/revise the assessment questions.
Step 7 – Administer the assessment.
Step 8 – Focus group/interview preparation (if applicable).
Step 9 – Data analysis.
Step10 – Report to client unit.
Through their research, CSP also supports and supplements existing efforts
to increase the retention and successful completion of all students at Ohio
State with an emphasis on historically underrepresented student populations
(i.e., students of color, women, GLBT students, nontraditionally aged students,
and students with disabilities). CSP has sponsored a large number of workshops,
discussions, and presentations on diversity climate issues, both alone and
with other campus units. These have included several significant, ongoing collaborations.
One such collaboration with the Office for Disabilities Services and the Nisonger
Center included several U.S. Department of Education grants, which made possible
several disability climate assessments. Another collaboration with The Women’s
Place has produced a regular series of very well-attended, open discussion
sessions. Currently, CSP and the department of Theatre co-sponsor the Interact
Diversity Players. This theatrical troupe has worked with the Multicultural
Center, GLBT Student Services, the Office of Minority Affairs, the African-American
Male Resource Center, and the Office of International Education. By using original
data from CSP assessments, Interact produces workshops on a wide variety of
topics and uses interactive theatre to engage participants in difficult discussions
on diversity and inclusion.