Institutional Development

Diversity Plan 2007-2008

Approved by Planning Council on April 17, 2007
Approved by Cabinet on May 15, 2007

Vision

Montgomery Community College will be a place of discovery, critical thinking, and educational excellence; a centerpiece for life-long learning – for our students, staff, faculty, and community.

College Mission Statement

Montgomery Community College will provide quality educational opportunities including basic skills, occupational, associate, and pre-baccalaureate programs; support economic development by offering workforce training and retraining; improve the quality of life for individuals and the community; and respond to the changing needs of the local, state, and global environment.

Montgomery Community College Leadership
Statement for Ethnic and Gender Diversity

Montgomery Community College and the Board of Trustees endeavor to create and maintain a quality educational environment that supports policies that promote a diverse faculty, staff, administration and student body which reflect the diversity of our service area.

Adopted August 4, 1993, by Montgomery Community College Board of Trustees

Montgomery Community College continues to strive for on-going progress in diversity issues, and it is committed to doing more than simply adhering to standards and guidelines.

The Diversity & Cultural Activities Team provides opportunities for creative and cultural exchange of ideas and as a result, establishes a plan for recognizing and promoting diversity that is accountable, creative, and realistic to reflect the needs of the service delivery area.

The goal is to ensure that the students, administration, faculty and staff recognize and welcome diversity as an integral part of life at Montgomery Community College.

Mission Statement

Montgomery Community College will recognize and embrace diversity among staff and students alike. The mission of the Diversity and Cultural Activities Team is to encourage and support diversity in every operation and facet of the College’s educational process.

Charge from the Board of Trustees

The Diversity & Cultural Activities Team’s role is to assess the diversity of the College’s service area and to ensure that the administration, staff, faculty, and student populations recognize and welcome diversity as an integral part of life at Montgomery Community College.  The Team will also coordinate and schedule cultural activities to enhance cultural awareness and opportunities for staff, faculty, students and citizens of Montgomery County.

The Diversity & Cultural Activities Team is comprised of the following faculty, staff, and student representatives:

Chairman:  Andres Hernandez, Lead ESL Instructor
Vice Chairman: Nancy Morton, Coordinator of Prison Instruction

Team members:

Cyndi Caviness, Program Head, Medical Assisting
Margo Gaddy, Director of Counseling Services
Vickie Webb, Instructor of Early Childhood
Mike Lunday, Accounting Instructor
Phyllis Parsons, Administrative Assistant, Switchboard
Lois Shue, Child Development Center Technician
Nicholas Tyrance, Program Head, Culinary Technology
Kia Vang, Instructor, Medical Assisting
Carol Williams, Housekeeping
Ree Young, Instructor, Developmental Studies
SGA Representative

Diversity Plan

Montgomery Community College will:

• Include opportunities to discuss and/or experience diverse issues with Student Government Association events, special community service activities, and student and faculty orientations.
• Provide opportunities, such as the Male Minority Mentoring Program, for mentoring minority and other at-risk students
• Reflect a commitment of student diversity through college publications.
• Review all curriculum programs and advisory committees for demographic information to encourage diversity.
• Support open access to programs and campus activities that continually reflect and encourage educational opportunities for the diverse population of our service delivery area
• Foster mutual respect and appreciation of cultural differences by promoting cross cultural activities that will enhance understanding of various groups.
• Promote the concept of diversity at our college and in our community as value-added rather than a simplistic reflection of local demographic patterns.

The Diversity & Cultural Activities Team will:

• Coordinate annual cultural awareness activities with other MCC teams.
• Attend at least one conference on cultural diversity annually, if the availability of funding permits, and subsequently present a brief presentation in a meeting with the faculty and staff.
• Recruit new students by various means of outreach in our community. 
• Celebrate diversity both on and off campus with various functions throughout the school year such as
  • Black History Month
  • Various Cultural Holiday Celebrations such as Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Cinco de Mayo, etc.
  • Hispanic Heritage Month
  • Employment Awareness month for Persons with Disabilities
  • Support Big Read initiative through ESL reading groups and implementation of culminating cultural fair
  • Celebrate with an annual Diversity Week
  • Continue to support activities of the Male Minority Mentoring initiative

Tentative Calendar
Diversity Team Activities, 2007-2008

July, 2007

• Handout flyers supporting our ESL/Hispanic and curriculum programs at local Peach Festival.

August, 2007

• Diverse Student/Faculty Open Forum (To discuss issues and concerns about their academic experiences at MCC).
• Diversity Team meeting with representative from Vocational Rehabilitation.

September, 2007

• Acknowledge National Hispanic Heritage Month

October, 2007

• Acknowledge Diversity Awareness Month by hosting “Diversity Week” activities with participation from clubs, teams, and administration.
• Acknowledge National Disability Employment Awareness Month with display from Vocational Rehabilitation representative.
• Celebrate Dia de los Muertos with display in Library.

November, 2007

• Acknowledge American Indian Heritage Month with student/faculty presentation from Indian Mound representative.
• ESL Thanksgiving Celebration

December, 2007

• Host student program explaining Kwanzaa Traditions from community representative.

January-February, 2008

• Martin Luther King’s and Rosa Parks Birthday Recognitions
• Black History Month Activities
• Race Relations Day with a Run/Walk Event for Students/Faculty

March, 2008

• National Women’s History Month display

April, 2008

• Child Abuse Awareness Month with presentation from Early Childhood program students.

May, 2008

• Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month display
• Cinco de Mayo Recognition
• Coordinate May Day activities with local elementary school and Early Childhood program students
• Support Graduation activities

June, 2008

• Flag Day Recognition activities

Meetings/Evaluation

The Diversity & Cultural Activities Team will meet monthly, (or as scheduling allows) during each academic year in order to evaluate the Diversity Plan as well as the activities taking place on campus involving students, faculty, staff, and citizens of Montgomery County.  Monitoring will be enhanced through involvement and participation of a number of groups that will include the President’s Cabinet, the Board of Trustees, and the Diversity and Cultural Activities Team.

Goals of the Diversity and Cultural Activities Team:

Develop a partnership with the county and surrounding areas to build an educational pipeline by:

• Reviewing the campus climate, discovering diverse situations and finding prospective and positive ways of encouraging dialogue on diversity
• Partnering with the area’s public schools
• Creating a welcoming climate and developing means to attract greater numbers of traditional and non-traditional students
• Provide a more active and informative orientation for ESL students