Standard 4

Standard 4. Diversity

Both Eastern Connecticut State University and our EPP are fully committed to supporting and developing candidates who appreciate, understand, and value diversity. This fundamental belief is deeply integrated in our university's mission and vision and underscores our dedication to maintaining an inclusive campus that supports diverse learners. One of our five university-wide Core Values is rooted in Inclusion and providing "educational access while building a campus community that embraces diversity and differences, enriched by a global perspective." Additionally, a separate Office of Equity and Diversity is responsible for operationalizing our longstanding commitment to affirmative action, equity, and diversity. This office serves an advisory role to the Office of the President as well as all the various Schools and Departments, in fact the VP for Equity and Diversity is a member of the Graduate Division Advisory Council that monitors initial and advanced level graduate education programs. The office is also responsible for overseeing our compliance to all state and federal laws including Title VII and Title IX, American with Disabilities Act and others.

Of the four state universities in Connecticut, Eastern is the most diverse in terms of faculty ethnicity. Out of approximately 200 full-time faculty, close to 28% are from a diverse background including Hispanic/Latino, Black/African-American, Native American, Asian, or two or more races. This diversity is even more apparent within the EPP with close to 35% of our faculty hailing from diverse backgrounds. Within our EPP, several part-time faculty support our candidates serving as university supervisors. This pool of retired teachers and administrators further enhance our diversity.

Eastern Connecticut State University has historically served as the university-of-first-choice for many first generation college students and has continued to welcome a high number of first-time full-time undergraduate students. Close to 12% of enrolled students choose Education as their major (second only to Business), and of these students, 40% are the first in their generation to attend a college. Of these Education students, 15% are from a minority background. These two demographics helps to put into perspective the unique landscape of the Eastern campus. Eastern actively seeks, recruits and supports this unique population of students into our college campus with various programs focused on making their transition from high school to college both smooth and customized to their needs.

4.1 Diversity

4.1.a Design, Implementation, and Evaluation of Curriculum and Experiences

4.1.b Experiences Working with Diverse Faculty

4.1.c Experiences Working with Diverse Candidates

4.1.d Experiences Working with Diverse Students in P-12 Schools

4.2 Areas for Improvement Cited in the Action Report from the Previous Accreditation Review

4.3 Exhibits of Evidence for Standard 4

Return to Institutional Report Main Page