UTC RAVE Alert

Diversity Plan

UTC’s Department of Communication is committed to achieving and maintaining diversity in its curriculum, educational environment, and faculty and student populations. This includes creating a supportive climate for the underrepresented and disadvantaged, encouraging the free expression of diverse intellectual and cultural perspectives, and regularly evaluating progress toward diversity goals.   

Faculty believe that diversity advances social equality in the communication fields and in society as a whole, empowers individuals to explore and appreciate their unique attributes and life experiences, challenges stereotypes and promotes critical thinking skills, prepares our graduates to communicate effectively to increasingly multicultural audiences, and enriches the experiences of everyone in the academic community. The faculty work to create a safe, welcoming and nurturing environment for underrepresented faculty and students, including ethnic, religious and racial minorities; people with disabilities; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals; the economically disadvantaged; and nontraditional and international students.  

Faculty and staff members will strive to create and maintain a diverse and inclusive program that serves and reflects society and that embraces the Values and Competencies related to diversity as defined by ACEJMC:  

  • Demonstrate an understanding of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and, as appropriate, other forms of diversity in a domestic society in relation to mass communication.  
  • Demonstrate an understanding of the diversity of peoples and cultures and of the significance and impact of mass communications in a global society.   

Curriculum  

Goal 

Strive to foster an understanding of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and, as appropriate, other forms of diversity in domestic society in relation to mass communications. 

Strive to foster an understanding of the diversity of peoples and cultures and of the significance and impact of mass communications in a global society. 

Objectives 

  • Explore adding a media diversity communication course to the core requirements of the degree. (2018-2019) 
  • Submit a curriculum proposal for a new media diversity communication course that will be a major requirement. (2019-2020) 
  • Begin teaching the new media diversity communication course, part of the revised core curriculum (2020-2021) 
  • Review curriculum with regard to issues of diversity, including ethnic, religious and racial minorities; people with disabilities; lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered individuals; the economically disadvantaged; and nontraditional and international students. (ongoing)  
  • Incorporate issues concerning these groups into courses throughout the curriculum where appropriate. (ongoing) 

Faculty and Staff  

Goal 

Strive to attract an inclusive candidate pool for vacant and new positions and develop methods to retain, mentor, and develop faculty and staff members.  

Objectives  

  • Strive to seek a diverse pool of applicants when hiring faculty and staff. (ongoing) 
  • Continue to recruit minorities and females as adjunct faculty. (ongoing) 
  • Continue to seek minorities, females and underrepresented males as classroom guest speakers. (ongoing) 
  • Provide mentors for junior female, minorities and staff members. (ongoing) 
  • Explore ways to develop a scholastic journalism workshop for minorities. (2019-2020) 
  • Offer a scholastic journalism workshop for minorities. (2020-2021) 
  • Explore ways to develop a communication professional workshop for minorities. (2021-2022) 
  • Offer a communication professional workshop for minorities. (2022-2023) 

Students  

Goal 

Continue to recruit and retain minority and underrepresented student groups and provide a supportive and inclusive environment for students to learn and express themselves intellectually and creatively.  

Objectives  

  • Continue efforts to recruit and retain minority and underrepresented students. (ongoing) 
  • Provide students with a diverse full-time and adjunct faculty to serve as role models, mentors and advisers. (ongoing) 
  • Continue to support an open and welcoming environment for all students. (ongoing) 
  • Encourage faculty to participate in “safe zone” training programs so the department can continue to provide “safe zones” for minority and underrepresented students. (ongoing)  

Approved August 2006   

Last revised April 2019 

Communication

Communication