Year Four Outcomes

By building on our strong foundation, we continue our journey, remaining focused on actions that increase student access, enhance faculty and staff learning, and create a sense of belonging for all.

AU Marks a Milestone on Journey to Inclusive Excellence

AU’s commitment to advancing equity and inclusion has earned a national award. That's reason to celebrate─and recommit.

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AU Student Earns Obama-Cheskey 'Voyager' Award

Preparing for a life of service

Edwin Santos, SPA/BA ’24, MPA ’25, a first-generation college student; politics, policy, and law scholar; and son of El Salvadoran immigrants; is one of 100 to receive the inaugural Voyager Scholarship: The Obama-Chesky Scholarship for Public Service. Working with AU’s Office of Merit Awards, Santos, who wants to start a law firm that focuses on criminal and immigration law, plans to travel across Europe helping non-profits who focus on prison reform. “I’m excited to visit other countries, see the world, and learn,” Santos said. “And thanks to this program, I can take that knowledge and use it to help low-income communities.”

Goal 1: Learning, Curriculum, and Professional Development

Outcomes

First AU Supervisor Academy focused on the theme of inclusive management
2,000-plus AU community members (students, faculty, and staff) engaged in 47 training sessions on educating the community on the university’s discrimination and harassment policies
649 faculty and staff attended at least one training focused on DEI issues; 80 percent agreed they learned something they can use to make their work and teaching more inclusive
33 staff earned HR’s DEI training certificate
Two President’s Cabinet trainings focused on disability equity and antisemitism

Goal 2: Campus Culture, Climate, and Community

Outcomes

4,068 AU community members recorded their name pronunciations for their fellow students and colleagues through NameCoach (launched campus-wide in 2021)
A new Asian and Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Faculty-Staff Affinity Group launched, for a total of seven that include Black, Latino and Hispanic, LGBTQ+, international, and people of color groups
39 students enrolled in Black Affinity housing
First pride flag raising ceremony held by AU’s LGBTQ+ Faculty and Staff Affinity Group to celebrate Pride Month
First summit on fostering indigenous spaces at AU convened by faculty, students, and staff

Goal 3: Policies, Processes, and Procedures

Outcomes

8,170 individuals entered chosen names, pronouns, or gender identities in AU’s new self-service system
Six full-time staff members in the Office of Equity and Title IX
20 restorative circles or conferences held by the Office of Student Conduct and Conflict Resolution Services
New practices reduced financial barriers to enrollment at AU (including expanded ease of access to fee waivers for Pell-eligible students and self-reported test scores)

Goal 4: Access and Equity

Outcomes

New undergraduate admissions partnerships enhanced access for veterans, as well as first-generation college students and those from low-income backgrounds
65 percent of AU’s 31 new tenure-line faculty and 40 percent of AU’s 91 new term faculty hired in fall 2022 self-identified as faculty of color
4,000-plus donors and more than 6,700 gifts dedicated to equity-based funds (including scholarships, and support for books, fees, and other necessities while at AU), resulted in a 34 percent increase in giving to equity-based funds
First SPA Summer Diversity Academy mentored young public administration professionals from underrepresented backgrounds
141 laptops distributed, and 37 internet stipends received

Goal 5: Research, Scholarship, and Creative Work

Outcomes

$1 million AU Advance Adaptation grant received to support gender and racial equity among STEM faculty
$1.3 million National Science Foundation grant awarded to SOE faculty as part of the Collaborative Research-Racial Equity project
$700,000 Gates Foundation grant awarded to SOE faculty to scale equity-based teaching
Two new academic diversity postdoctoral fellows joined CAS, for a total of four, to support promising emerging scholars from underrepresented backgrounds
First Open Access fund established in the University Library to support faculty publications in free journals
10 departments or schools submitted updated tenure, promotion, and reappointment guidelines to reflect the values of inclusive excellence in faculty teaching, service, and research