and students. The College is striving to more fully reflect the diverse population of the district in its employees and the student body. Project outreach efforts have strengthened linkages with the minority community and expanded contacts with minority organizations on the local, regional, and national levels. Presentations and work sessions on campus and in the community were conducted to increase tolerance, promote understanding, and create an inclusive climate. The visiting scholar, who is a recognized educational leader in the community, spent over 400 hours over 6 months (January - June, 2002) collaborating and developing strategies for recruiting and retaining faculty, staff and students from diverse backgrounds and strengthening relationships. As a result of the initiative, several recommendations have been implemented already and additional recommendations are scheduled for action in the near future. For example, a resolution on fostering inclusion college-wide was developed for adoption by the Board of Trustees. An Advisory Committee on Access, Equity and Diversity was formed and initially met in late 2002. A Faculty Internship Program aimed at attracting a more diverse candidate pool is in its final stages of development. Sensitivity to increased diversity representation on search committees has been heightened and search committee procedures revised in an attempt to strengthen and diversify the applicant pool and hiring process.
John A. Logan College is leading a project during 2002-2003 to improve faculty, administrator, and staff diversity on campus and across southern Illinois through an initiative entitled the “Minority Faculty and Staff Enhancement Project.” This Higher Education Cooperation Act (HECA) grant funded project involves a partnership with eleven community colleges in southern Illinois and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in conjunction with the Illinois Minority Graduate Incentive Program (IMGIP). The project aims to: (1) increase the number of minority full-time and term faculty, non-teaching professional staff, and operational staff by identifying and actively recruiting higher education minority students with an interest in teaching or non-teaching professional careers; (2) enhance awareness within community colleges in southern Illinois of the shortage and need for full-time minority staff and faculty; (3) reduce the dropout rate of students from groups who have had historically lower graduation rates and improving persistence and degree completion; and (4) increase the general knowledge of cultural diversity among faculty, non-teaching professional staff, and operational staff locally at John A. Logan College. College officials have established specific objectives for the project including the following. Hire ten minority faculty, staff, and operational staff employees in FY 2003-04 and strive for ten percent minority representation among all 2003 new hires. Produce a faculty/staff brochure and three media releases focused on minority faculty and staff recruitment. Introduce eleven community colleges in southern Illinois to the informal minority recruitment arrangement between Southern Illinois University and John A. Logan College. Include a majority of John A. Logan College full-time and part-time faculty, non-teaching professional and operational staff in a minimum of three hours of diversity training. It is anticipated that the project will allow minority graduate students the opportunity to obtain professional community college teaching experience while completing their advanced degrees. The College will benefit by having a more diverse faculty. Faculty and staff minority identification forms on file in the personnel office will verify the increase in diversity. Diversity training will help create an environment that is more inviting for minority
