As a University of Wisconsin ad hoc committee continues work on a new diversity plan, it is turning to the community for input on what changes need to be made on campus.

The university is offering a series of listening sessions in response to a Diversity Forum held to discuss UW’s priorities, progress, planning and commitment to diversity. The Diversity Forum focused on education achievement with regards to excellence in diversity, Ruth Litovsky, Ad Hoc Diversity Committee chair, said.

“The purpose of the listening sessions is to learn about the input and feedback of Madison community members, to hear of their experiences … to promote changes and lastly to get a realistic gauge about what is going on with regards to diversity in the Madison community,” Litovsky said.

Ryan Adserias, research associate and co-chair of the ad hoc committee, said the committee will hold five listening sessions on campus, three of which have already occurred, and are planning an additional four with various community centers around Madison. The committee recently engaged several hundred participants from across the state at the annual Diversity Forum, he said.

Adserias said participants at the forum felt a strong need for a diversity plan at the school.

“The university has made great strides toward increasing access and expanding participation for these groups, and of course, evermore must be done in these areas, but the focus of past plans did not reach far,” Adserias said.

While a formal analysis of the listening sessions has not been conducted, Litvosky said she thinks they have been going well. People have been grateful that topics beyond race, ethnicity and gender have been covered, she said.

Litovsky praised the crowd that has attended not only the listening sessions, but also the Diversity Forum itself, and said the unexpected crowd was proof of a positive response to the new diversity plan.

Adserias said listening sessions are important because the ad hoc committee is decentralized so they do not always know what is happening on campus.

Adserias said the ad hoc committee hopes people will attend the listening sessions in order to bring “their best ideas and think about ways in which the university not only could improve upon its efforts related to diversity and inclusivity, but also to bring examples of policies, programs, initiatives that are currently working well here on campus.”

Litovsky said the committee hopes to gain an understanding of the current climate of diversity on campus, a wide range of experiences, beneficial programs and novel and scholarly experiences from the listening sessions.

“We are thrilled about the positive response,” Litovsky said.  “[The listening sessions] have been great; well attended and provide a safe environment for an open conversation.”

The listening sessions will be repeated in the spring after a draft of the ad hoc committee’s plan has been set in place that incorporates the feedback, suggestions and recommendations gathered from this fall’s sessions, Adserias said.

Litovsky said the listening sessions are not intended for a one-time occurrence, but are meant to create a model to continue in the future.