A University of Wisconsin-Platteville workshop received the college of Liberal Arts and Education's Excellence in Teamwork Award for its contributions.
Assistant Dean of Liberal Arts and Education Laura Anderson, a judge on the panel administering the award, said the workshop, titled "Preparing for Positive Change in Race Relations at UWP," aims to increase diversity.
"It puts a public face to efforts in past years and is meant to improve and expand what is already in place," Anderson said.
The workshop was comprised of faculty and administrative members who are committed to creating an open environment with respect to race-related issues.
"It helps create a more positive campus environment and will hopefully extend out into the community," Anderson said.
Carlos Wiley, assistant to the assistant chancellor for Student Affairs and director of the Multicultural Educational Resource Center, said a specific incident involving a faculty member of color led to the discourse and the development of a group to increase diversity awareness on campus.
"We had a faculty member of color of two years that didn't get an interview for a full-time position," Wiley said.
Thus far, the workshop has included a variety of activities including recognition of identity, discussions about the origin of race relations being ignored on campus, and action planning to address race related incidents that occurred on campus.
Currently, the initiative aims at examining the hiring procedures of faculty members while educating the student body.
The committee plans to hold two workshops this semester and to help professors in all departments develop action plans in the hope of integrating coverage of these issues into their curriculum.
"The next step is to create a diversity-strategic plan that will give us a more definite direction of where we want to go," Wiley said.
Chancellor David Markee and Dean Mittie Nimocks of the Liberal Arts School backed implementing the program ensuring a smooth transition, despite some resistance.
"So far we've had 10 workshops that have been attended by 120 of 230 of our full-time faculty and staff," Wiley said.
"Most of the negative responses are hidden under the fact that the workshops last eight hours," he added. "But when they get into small groups and start sharing, we find that the real resistance is in the issues."