Academic Plan for the Year 2000

Inside Illinois continues its presentation of updates - begun in the March
17 issue - on the progress of the work groups involved in the long-range
campus-planning process known as the Academic Plan for the Year 2000.

Work groups are to provide Chancellor Michael Aiken and Provost Larry
Faulkner with draft reports by May 15. Reactions to the reports will be
solicited among selected campus policy groups; after consideration of such
input, work groups will issue revised draft reports by Sept. 15. These
reports will be widely distributed for campus reaction, and after further
discussion, final reports are expected by Dec. 15.


           International role of the university

Preparing students to function in a world with an increasingly
international focus is something that should be "central, not marginal"
in the UI's list of priorities, according to Marianna Tax Choldin, the
Mortenson Distinguished Professor of International Library Programs
and chair of this work group.

So far, in its investigations of existing programs and research
opportunities, the group has uncovered what Choldin refers to as a
"big, somewhat amorphous" collection of international offerings.

"We do a lot of things, but as a campus, we haven't looked at everything we
do. We haven't made it visible and haven't pulled it all together," Choldin
said. Among the group's preliminary findings, she said, is that "there
needs to be some sort of coordinating group at a high level, chaired
by the provost, if possible."

Choldin said there also has been a great deal of discussion about the
structure of the area centers, which bring together faculty members from
various disciplines whose work focuses on the same geographic regions,
such as Southeast Asia, or Russia and Eastern Europe.

"It's not in question that the centers are important," Choldin said.  "We're
just trying to figure out how they should fit into the university's current
and future plans for international education."

To accomplish its task, the work group divided into five subgroups, which
looked at specific areas in which international education plays a role:
administration/structure/communication; institutional development and
outreach; area centers; students; and faculty and research. The entire
group has been meeting once a month, but "the bulk of the work has been
hammered out in the smaller groups and through e-mail and telephone
conversations," Choldin said.

Choldin currently is "dealing with the nitty gritty and working at the
knottier issues" that will constitute the group's draft report.

One thing that the report will stress, she said, is that the UI's
international education programs can be greatly improved through better
communication and coordination among the providers and the administration.
And many of the group's other goals can be accomplished relatively
painlessly, without major infusions of new funding.

"We aren't saying we must have more money in order to meet our goals,"
Choldin said. "In some cases, we already have the money, although, in
other cases, we will need to go out and seek new funding."

Overall, "there's a lot of good material in this report," she said.  "The
thread that runs through it all and will end up emerging strongly is that
the university and the campus are committed. We take 'the international'
quite seriously, and our leadership reinforces that."


             Building a more inclusive community

The work group designated to look at this issue is an ad hoc committee
comprising faculty and staff members and students.

"Many of the committee members are extraordinarily sensitive to the
feelings of people who've been stepped on, but also are concerned with
protecting First Amendment issues," said Leigh Estabrook, the group's chair
and dean of the Graduate School of Library and Information Science. "The
group also recognizes the need for there to be space for people who are
alike to be together, as well as the need for people from different
backgrounds to interact and learn from each other.

"And that's a big challenge," she said. "Many of us don't come from
backgrounds that prepare us to deal with these issues."

While the campus may be far from its goal of establishing an environment
in which everyone - regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender or sexual
orientation - is regarded with respect, the committee is aware of numerous
efforts in the past few years aimed at achieving that goal, Estabrook said.

"There have been many campus  groups working on inclusivity issues," she
said, so the group chose not to "spend a year on fact-finding." Instead, a
part of its modus operandi was "to pull together and build on what's been
done, rather than replicate it." Members of the group also coordinated
their activities with other work groups to avoid unnecessary duplication of
efforts.

"In addition to looking at areas of concern," she added, "we also are
looking at areas where we're doing well." For instance, Estabrook said,
"the university's recruitment efforts to encourage underrepresented groups
to apply are admirable."

In its investigation of what has been done, what is being done and what
more could be done, Estabrook said the entire group has been reviewing
campus practices and meeting weekly to identify strategies to help build
a more inclusive community on the Urbana-Champaign campus.

One of the things committee members agreed upon early, she said, is the
need to be cautious about language usage when discussing inclusivity
issues. And that extends to the use of the term inclusivity itself.

"In a fundamentally non-inclusive society, where we are all victims of our
own prejudices, we begin with the awareness that the term inclusivity can
raise red flags and lead to misunderstandings," she said. "Our report will
make sure our language is clear about issues we regard as being of concern,
and clear about strategies the campus can undertake."

Estabrook stressed that in recommending ways to increase diversity at the
UI, the committee "is not just talking about racial/ethnic background." The
committee considers a diverse student population to be one that also
comprises "oboe players and tuba players." The bottom line, Estabrook said,
is that "we care about a diverse, multiple-talented faculty and student
body."

"We're also very concerned with how departments reward faculty for
being open to diverse ways of teaching that take into account different
backgrounds and learning styles," she said.

And while the group is concerned with the current debate over the need for
student cultural centers - an issue many students feel passionately about -
Estabrook said the subject is being left for now to the Urbana-Champaign
Senate, which is currently looking at it.

Other topics the group does intend to address:

  * Continued use of Chief Illiniwek as the symbol of the UI.
  * Non-discrimination policies and practices associated with
    university-sponsored and certified housing.
  * Compliance of the Greek system and registered student
    organizations with university non-discrimination policies.
  * Assessment of the campus climate for underrepresented groups.
  * Inclusivity issues related to the wider Champaign-Urbana
    community.
  * Ongoing educational efforts, including programs aimed at faculty
    members and teaching assistants.
  * Ways to create a more positive working environment.