Spring Break
SJSU looks to spearhead diversity movement in system
Kimberly Tsao
Issue date: 4/17/08 Section: News
Rona Halualani, director of institutional planning and inclusive excellence and an assistant to SJSU's president, is working on the first campus diversity plan.
Other California State University schools may list a similar item in their strategic plans but only as a value or objective of the school, according to the universities' Web sites.
"In what I have researched, there are no other CSUs that have an Inclusive Excellence/Diversity Master Plan," Halualani said. "SJSU is always a campus of firsts - the first university campus in the system, and now the first one to have this important plan."
The plan would entail diversity-related courses and modified hiring practices. Halualani said the president's diversity reading group came up with the plan, which is also known as the Inclusive Excellence/Diversity Master Plan.
"That's a term used in higher education to refer to how diversity is used as an educational resource," she said. "It's used as a mechanism to go deep into the infrastructure of the university and make the notion of diversity and intercultural caring an important part of every aspect of San Jose State University."
The plan would involve more interdisciplinary classes about diversity for students and staff in addition to what is already offered in the general education areas S, Self, Society & Equality in the U.S., and V, Culture, Civilization & Global Understanding.
One student, Chad Bothelio, a senior business management major, said he doesn't think the diversity plan is necessary.
"At least not for me because I'm in the business department," Bothelio said. "I don't know what it's like for other parts of campus."
Another student, Adam Manning, a junior nutrition and food science major, agreed.
"I think that so far it's done a pretty good job on its own," Manning said. "I think that diversity is going its course in a good way."
Halualani said, "This plan focuses on the proactive aspects of diversity, such as stimulating and engaging curriculum on topics of diversity that cuts across many disciplines and areas of study."
Other California State University schools may list a similar item in their strategic plans but only as a value or objective of the school, according to the universities' Web sites.
"In what I have researched, there are no other CSUs that have an Inclusive Excellence/Diversity Master Plan," Halualani said. "SJSU is always a campus of firsts - the first university campus in the system, and now the first one to have this important plan."
The plan would entail diversity-related courses and modified hiring practices. Halualani said the president's diversity reading group came up with the plan, which is also known as the Inclusive Excellence/Diversity Master Plan.
"That's a term used in higher education to refer to how diversity is used as an educational resource," she said. "It's used as a mechanism to go deep into the infrastructure of the university and make the notion of diversity and intercultural caring an important part of every aspect of San Jose State University."
The plan would involve more interdisciplinary classes about diversity for students and staff in addition to what is already offered in the general education areas S, Self, Society & Equality in the U.S., and V, Culture, Civilization & Global Understanding.
One student, Chad Bothelio, a senior business management major, said he doesn't think the diversity plan is necessary.
"At least not for me because I'm in the business department," Bothelio said. "I don't know what it's like for other parts of campus."
Another student, Adam Manning, a junior nutrition and food science major, agreed.
"I think that so far it's done a pretty good job on its own," Manning said. "I think that diversity is going its course in a good way."
Halualani said, "This plan focuses on the proactive aspects of diversity, such as stimulating and engaging curriculum on topics of diversity that cuts across many disciplines and areas of study."
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 4
K
posted 4/17/08 @ 12:13 PM PST
Is this really necessary? Isn't SJSU one of the most diverse university in California....if not all of the United States? This all seems like a HUGE waste of time and money given SJSU's demographics. (Continued…)
Anonymous
posted 4/30/08 @ 9:52 PM PST
I hope they'll include neurodiversity such as people who overcame learning disabilities as part of that "diversity."
You know, the "high functioning" learning disabled particularly. (Continued…)
Spartan08
posted 6/26/08 @ 3:04 AM PST
If you attend SJSU and have not learned different diverse opinions, you have some issues. Maybe because I am a social science major and different diverse opinions are unavoidable in class discussions. (Continued…)
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