Academic Affairs: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Mission Statement
In alignment with SDSU’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, the Division of Academic Affairs is committed to fostering an academic community where our staff and leadership can learn from each other through open and respectful dialogue, responsible engagement, and practices that lead to personal and professional growth as well as the capacity to serve our faculty and our students better. As an integral part of the success of SDSU’s mission and the well-being of our employees, Academic Affairs commits to:
- The equitable diversification and retention of staff and leadership.
- Fostering a welcoming environment that promotes a sense of belonging and embraces shared governance and all SDSU diverse community voices.
- Facilitating personal and professional growth and development opportunities for staff and leadership better to support the DEI plans of all academic units.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Plan
The Division of Academic Affairs at SDSU is dedicated to upholding the university's values of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Grounded in open dialogue, responsible engagement, and continuous learning, we strive to cultivate an academic environment where every member feels valued, respected, and empowered to contribute to our collective success. Academic Affairs (AA) DEI strategic plan outlines our commitment to promoting diversity, ensuring equity, and fostering an inclusive culture within our division. The AA-DEI Plan is a representation of our division’s intention to continue building a working environment premised on equity in alignment with the university’s strategic plan and priorities. This plan is the collaborative product of our planning and development process, which includes input of our staff. Accordingly, our plan thoughtfully considers the diverse backgrounds and perspectives within AA and communicates our intention of supporting our collective values of diversity, equity, and inclusivity. With this plan, we are establishing our diversity, equity, and inclusion mission statement; outlining our comprehensive Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion planning process; sharing our goals and initiatives; and clarifying what is required for our strategic objectives to be successfully implemented throughout the AA Division. This plan will act as the framework for measuring our overall progress in meeting our target goals, timelines, and implementing initiatives. AA will reference this plan as a guide as we work toward our commitment to embracing diversity and inclusion within our division.
Academic Affairs' Three Goals:
Goal 1a: By Spring 2025, develop and deploy an Academic Affairs Staff Retention Plan focusing on unit-level onboarding practices, cross-professional development opportunities, exit interviews, and equitable mentorship programs.
- Identify or develop policies prioritizing equitable multi-year mentorship
- Ensure equitable access to professional development opportunities for all staff members.
- Implement mandatory bias professional development for all staff involved in hiring processes.
Goal 1b: By Spring 2025, establish procedures for the equitable implementation of the SDSU telework plan within Academic Affairs.
Goal 2a: By Fall, 2024, form an Academic Affairs DEI Council to oversee the DEI strategic plan's implementation and ensure accountability for shared governance within Academic Affairs.
Goal 2b: By Fall 2025, implement a feedback mechanism to collect and evaluate employee feedback on DEI and work-life factors. To understand the road to improvement, it is necessary to center the experience of URM/LGBTQ+ people.
Goal 2c: By Spring 2026, provide mentorship and development opportunities for staff to serve as mentors with a DEI lens. Ensure professional development regarding equity-focused career advancement for deans, AVPs, and HR resource managers.
Goal 2d: By Fall 2026, develop an Academic Affairs-specific onboarding plan emphasizing DEI principles from day one.
Goal 3a: By Spring 2025, review and optimize the Evaluation Process to incorporate DEI metrics for informal self-evaluation, mid-year feedback, and professional development pathways.
Goal 3b: By Spring 2025, develop a DEI Manager Development Plan requiring attendance of targeted DEI and inclusive management development.
Goal 3c: By Spring 2025, establish a Staff DEI Professional and Leadership Development Plan offering regular opportunities for understanding microaggression, implicit bias, equitable interviewing, and collaboration with all academic units.
Academic Affairs DEI Council Members
To be announced.
Academic Affairs DEI Planning Committee Members
Cristina Alfaro, Chair
Associate Vice President for International Affairs
Yea-Wen Chen, Co-Chair
Director of Faculty Global Engegement & Professor
Maria Keckler
Director of Strategy and Communications for International Affairs
Mikhail Portnoy
Provost Office Financial Operations Analyst
Alex Wilson and Kathleen King
Analaytic Studies and Institutional Research
