Running head: DIVERSITY PLAN ANALYSIS & CRITIQUE 1

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1 Running head: DIVERSITY PLAN ANALYSIS & CRITIQUE 1 Agnes Scott College & Diversity: A MCOD Analysis & Critique Whitney Jones Oregon State University

2 DIVERSITY PLAN ANALYSIS & CRITIQUE 2 Agnes Scott College & Diversity: A MCOD Analysis & Critique Introduction Multicultural Organizational Development: According to Jackson (as cited in Wall & Obear, 2008), the MCO (Multicultural Organization) is an organization that has within its mission, goals, values, and operating system explicit policies and practices that prohibits anyone from being excluded or unjustly treated because of social identity or status (p. 2) In this paper I will be examining Agnes Scott College s diversity plan through the lens of Jackson and Holvino s Multicultural Organization Development (MCOD) model. Pulling from Jackson s description of a MCO, I will also be considering Agnes Scott s mission and values. The MCOD is a tool to assess an organizations progress towards becoming a MCO. The model identifies the following six stages of development; (1) The exclusionary organization, (2) The Club, (3) The Compliance Organization, (4) The Affirming Organization, (5) The Redefining Organization and (6) The Multicultural Organization (Wall & Obear, 2008). Agnes Scott College: Founded in 1889, in Decatur Georgia, today Agnes Scott College (ASC) is a private women s college serving just under 900 students from 41 states and 29 countries (Agnes Scott, 2012a). According to their mission, Agnes Scott College educates women to think deeply, live honorably and engage the intellectual and social challenges of their times (Agnes Scott, 2012b). The college is guided by the following values, (a) a commitment to women; (b) a commitment to teaching and learning; (c) a commitment to the liberal arts; (d) a commitment to an appreciation of diverse cultures; and (e) a commitment to a community that values justice, courage and integrity (Agnes Scott, 2012b). The ASC mission statement and values help provide an understanding of the campus vision that their diversity plan is framed within. The Critique & Analysis Initial Assessment

3 DIVERSITY PLAN ANALYSIS & CRITIQUE 3 Some could argue that ASC deliberately restricts membership (Wall & Obear, 2008) by admitting only women and thus is trapped at the exclusionary organization stage. After further consideration and full review of the ASC diversity plan I suggest that despite ASC women s college status it has moved through and beyond the exclusionary organization stage. In fact ASC s status as a women s college and their value of a commitment to women exemplify active recruitment of members who have been historically denied access and opportunity (Wall & Obear, 2008, p.5) a trait used to define a stage four organization. From my assessment I posit that the Agnes Scott is a stage five organization. The mission and values of ASC provide additional support of this assessment. Defense of Assessment In the case of ASC, the lack of a specific plan focused solely on diversity and multiculturalism is not an oversight but instead a testament of their institutions commitment to these values. Their diversity plan is infused within their greater strategic and demonstrates their commitment to working to create [an] environment that values and capitalizes on diversity (Wall & Obear, 2008, p.5); a key component of the Redefining Organization. Specifically the Living Honorably (Agnes Scott, 2012c) section of their strategic plan hones in on willingness to change policy and practices, to question the limitations of their current structure and their commitment to ensure the inclusion, participation and empowerment of all members (Wall & Obear, 2008, p.5). The following bullet points are key statements from the Living Honorably section that illustrate the above-mentioned commitments. Campus wide commitment to justice, courage, integrity, respect and responsibility through policies and practices designed to model these values. Provide fair compensation to all employees Continue to diversify the campus community and cultivate knowledge of and respect for diversity as key ingredients for educational excellence. (Agnes Scott, 2007, p.5) The goal statement and the action steps the follow demonstrate their status as a stage 5 organization. The action steps range in scope from increased meal options for religious and other dietary

4 DIVERSITY PLAN ANALYSIS & CRITIQUE 4 restrictions to professional development for staff and faculty to the proposed assessment business practices related to office locations and campus collaboration (Agnes Scott, 2007). The assessment of their business practices is an example of their move past stage four that requires employees to assimilate to the current organizational culture (Wall & Obear, 2008, p.5). The use of continue in the third bullet point is appropriate as their commitment to these values is not new. The first President s Committee on Community Diversity (PCCD) was founded in Obear (2011) provides an in depth description of a stage five organization and presents ten components of an organization at the Redefining stage; the first is leadership. ASC s President s decision in 1987 to create the PCCD was forward thinking and a decision that continues to impact the campus 25 year later. It is an example of a stage 5 leadership supporting described by Obear (2011).The PCCD is key taskforce in implementing the diversity components of the strategic plan. Today, the Committee is charged with reviewing student, staff, and faculty programs that are needed in a diverse and inclusive community (Agnes Scott, 2012c). A recent example of the efforts of the PCCD actively works[ing] towards developing a multicultural organization (Wall & Obear, 2008, p.5) is their advocacy and campus education work around transgender and gender nonconforming inclusion. Our statement of support on gender expression and gender identity is consistent with the multitude of ways that we seek to live our mission (Agnes Scott, 2012c). The PCCD is an example of the Planning and Decision-making component of a stage five organization as described by Obear (2011). I feel that the work of ASC s PCCD, the strategic plan along with their mission and values provides a strong argument for my assessment of their MCOD as a stage five organization. Limitations & Conclusion The greatest limitation to this assessment is the lack of data about staff and faculty. Goals about a diverse student body are more clearly articulated and supported with data. For example, ASC states that more than 40% of their students are students of color (Agnes Scott, 2012a). Similar stats are

5 DIVERSITY PLAN ANALYSIS & CRITIQUE 5 unavailable in their strategic plan regarding staff and faculty. There may be further differences between the staff and faculty experiences and the students. With this in mind it is possible that while the students experience a stage five organization the may staff experience a stage four organization. A further assessment that considers more components of ASC would be needed to provide a holistic assessment of their campus as organization.

6 DIVERSITY PLAN ANALYSIS & CRITIQUE 6 References Agnes Scott College (2007). Agnes Scott strategic plan: Engaging a wider world The Agnes Scott strategic plan for Retrieved from Agnes Scott College (2012a). At a glance. Retrieved from Agnes Scott (2012b). Mission & Values. Retrieved from Agnes Scott College (2012c). President s committee on community diversity. Retrieved from Obear, K. (2011). Creating an inclusive, socially just campus community: Conducting a cultural snapshot. From University of Oregon, December, 2011: Division of Student Affairs. Wall. V. & Obear, K. (2008). Multicultural organizational development (MCOD): Exploring best practices to create socially just, inclusive campus communities. From Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) Conference: Diversity, Learning and Inclusive Excellence: Accelerating and Assessing Progress. Retrieved from CODhandouts2008-ObearandWall.pdf