G. Leadership

Of all the lessons that the Diversity Panel learned in its semester of existence, none was more certain than that concerning the University's President. He is absolutely central to the campus's efforts to assure physical and psychological safety to every faculty, staff, and student and to build a community in which we might discover shared values and learn to understand and appreciate our differences. He sets the tone for the campus and represents us to the outside world. Were we to identify one single action--the magic bullet--that would most effectively move us from a "diverse campus to a diverse community" it would be the President's articulation of these goals. Although some colleagues have shared with the Panel their concern that the campus has been experiencing a loss of momentum in achieving its equity goals, this year was certainly re-energizing. The President spoke out--loud, clear, and repeatedly--and the campus listened.

We conclude therefore with suggestions intended for the President alone. Many of these may seem symbolic, since even the President has limited powers to effect change in a public university; but their significance should not be underestimated. Moral suasion and support for the whole of our community go a long way in making us proud to be members of this community.

G1. President as Diversity Spokesperson. We urge the President to continue to articulate clearly, and in every possible setting, that a significant aspect of the excellence of University of Maryland is our diverse community, and to include mention of the quality and depth of the research and scholarship on diversity when naming our particular centers of excellence.

G2. President as Enabler of Key Projects. We look to the President to break the logjam holding up completion of projects too long studied, and too long relegated to a back burner:

• a. the opening of a daycare center adequate to meet the needs of university employees and students. It appears that the University of Maryland is one of the few left which has yet to provide adequate child care services on its campus.
• b. moving forward to make the Main Administration building fully accessible for individuals with physical disabilities. It is not enough to say that there are accessible settings for meetings elsewhere. That the center of power on our campus is still inaccessible to some members of our community is an unfortunate statement about our commitment to community.

G3. Diversity on the President's Cabinet. Every opportunity for increasing the diversity of the President's cabinet should be taken whenever possible. This should be done with all deliberate speed.

G4. Diversity Training for Higher Administration. We note that although training workshops and orientation programs have been held for many employees in mid-level supervisory positions on campus, none have been held for the highest level administrators. We propose that there be ongoing training workshops for the Vice-Presidents, College Deans, and Department Chairs. Such workshops should heighten understanding of the most difficult and important issues emerging from our increasing diversity. In addition to the sensitivity training that is common in these workshops, we urge that there be a discussion of multicultural research and teaching, attention to identifying and dealing with sexual harassment, and practical strategies for effecting change in the climate for diversity among employees and/or students in the settings for which each is responsible.

G5. President as Diversity Advocate before the Board of Regents. Certain issues and concerns were brought to our attention which the Board of Regents alone can resolve. Two issues in particular came up several times: the need for domestic partnership benefits and benefits for contingent workers. We are concerned about the real hardships imposed on some families by the State's current domestic partnership policy, which looks more and more retrograde as more and more corporations and local governments change their practices. And we are concerned about the clear inequity between regular State employees and contract employees and have come to believe that this represents a real barrier to building a diverse community. Although these distinctions would be unfair no matter who was affected, we also point out that persons of color are significantly over represented among the contingent employees and challenge our attempts to overcome our history as a racially segregated university.

We recognize that changing these policies is beyond the President's power, but we nonetheless urge the President to press the Board of Regents to address these concerns. Articulating this position publicly will make clear that the campus stands together in support of all its members.