YSU committee to develop new diversity plan of action

By Denise Dick | October 28, 2010 at 12:05a.m.

Yulanda L. McCarty-Harris

YOUNGSTOWN

Now that Youngstown State University has greater numbers of minority students, faculty and staff, it’s time to look at ways of making those numbers count.

Yulanda McCarty-Harris, YSU’s director of equal opportunity and diversity, said she has assembled a committee aimed at developing a new diversity plan of action.

The committee will review the diversity plan established by the diversity council in 1999.

David Sweet, former YSU president, had made diversity one of his areas of focus along with enrollment and partnerships.

“We’ll look back at the report and do an assessment on the report and define it in terms of milestones that have been made,” McCarty-Harris said. “Some milestones are just the fact that our president is a woman. The person chosen to lead this institution is a female and came from internal processes and worked her way up to breaking what women refer to as the glass ceiling.”

Cynthia E. Anderson became YSU president last July. She’s the first woman, first YSU graduate and first Mahoning Valley native to serve in the position. She formerly worked as vice president of student affairs.

An accreditation team visited YSU in 2008 and gave “rave reviews” related to diversity, she said.

Jonelle Beatrice, associate executive director for student life/director for student programs at the Center for Student Progress, has seen improvements since the initial plan. She serves on both the diversity council and the new committee.

“I truly believe that people are perceiving diversity very differently,” Beatrice said. “In terms of inclusion, people are generally thinking differently when planning events, planning programming.”

The minority-student population is about 19 percent. That’s up from 8 percent or 9 percent when Beatrice came to YSU in 1996, she said.

One example of strides in diversity is participation in the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, the Questioning, Intersex and Our Allies group events, Beatrice said.

Though there’s still room for improvement, efforts so far are making a difference.

“The face of YSU is changing, and I think that is very positive because it’s just where we are now,” Beatrice said.

Now comes the next step.

“We need to look at how do we weave diversity into the cornerstones of student success, economic stability, urban research,” McCarty-Harris said.

The committee will examine strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges related to diversity.

“Our whole thing is looking at the cornerstones as opposed to having diversity out there by itself,” McCarty-Harris said. “It’s not about making the numbers. It’s about making the numbers count, the numbers adding value to your institution.”

She hopes to present a framework of a new plan to university trustees at their December board meeting.