Accessibility, Belonging, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity

2023-2028 Empowerment, Engagement, and Accessibility (EEA) Plan. With broad campus input, the Diversity Committee, drawing on the communications expertise of Lisa Pavia-Hegel, produced a comprehensive 2023–2028 Empowerment, Engagement, and Accessibility Plan aligned with Jefferson College’s Mission and Values.

October - Global Diversity Awareness Month. This launched the Diversity Committee’s calendar of events. Dr. Kershaw created an interactive world map display in the cafeteria that allowed students, faculty, and staff to show from which country (or countries) their family heritage originated. A display case was positioned outside the InstEER office in TC 101 to provide Global Diversity Awareness information. The library’s question board asked which country that patrons would like to visit. Globes with informational flyers about the college’s Global Studies program were placed at the Hillsboro, Arnold, and Imperial campuses.

November - American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) Month. Data from the U.S. Census on the current AI/AN population was printed and posted on bulletin boards. Christy Stanley updated the InstEER display case exhibit to display American Indian artifacts and Alaska Native images. Faculty member, Chris Otto, presented on the Potawatomi Trail of Death in Missouri: Legacy and Memory at the Jefferson College Library on November 30th. A land acknowledgment statement was read before the presentation.

December – Holidays Around the World: Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, the Dia de los Tres Reyes posters and displays were featured around campus with the collaborative efforts of Joette Klein and Suzie Welch. The InstEER Office held its inaugural Jingle and Mingle Open House in conjunction with the December Employee Connect gathering at the Technology Center.