Goal Four

Goal Summary Name:  Advance a Culture of Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity (IED) at Penn State Mont Alto.

Goal Description:  This goal seeks to cultivate an environment where people respect difference, work to remove identified barriers to equal opportunity, and make people from traditionally marginalized communities feel welcome. 

Objective Name:  4.1
Objective:  Foster an environment where people from historically underrepresented/marginalized groups feel welcome.   

Objective Years: 
January 1, 2021 - June 30, 2025

Start Date: 
January 1, 2021

End Date: 
June 30, 2025

Key Performance Indicators: 

  • People from historically underrepresented/marginalized groups will feel welcome at Mont Alto. 
  • Future community survey responses of people from underrepresented groups will agree or strongly agree that they feel welcome at Mont Alto (seven percent of respondents on the 2020 survey did not have a sense of belonging at Mont Alto and eight percent said they have been discriminated against).
  • All faculty, staff, and students will find Penn State Mont Alto to be a welcoming and inclusive place. Maintain or improve positive responses on the Penn State Community Survey.  

Objective Mapping (done in a separate section): 

  • Foundations: F3
  • Thematic Priorities: NTP
  • Supporting Elements: NSE

Action Item: 
4.1.1 Offer workshops and other learning opportunities on inclusion, equity, and diversity topics to the campus community.  

Action Item: 
4.1.2 Periodically share information with the campus community on avenues and resources for reporting and addressing bias or acts of intolerance. 

Action Item: 
4.1.3 Periodically engage members of historically underrepresented and marginalized groups to gauge their sense of belonging at Mont Alto and take appropriate steps to address concerns.

Action Item: 
4.1.4 Offer a robust portfolio of US (United States Cultures) and IL (International Cultures) courses each semester.

Objective Name:  4.2
Objective:  Address barriers to recruiting and retaining faculty, staff, and administrators from historically underrepresented or marginalized groups and address barriers to attendance for students with financial needs. 

Objective Years: 
January 1, 2021-June 30, 2025

Start Date:
January 1, 2021

End Date: 
June 30, 2025

Key Performance Indicators: 

  • The Mont Alto campus will address the systemic barrier of lack of diversity on search committees that replicates the status quo in hiring faculty, staff, and administrators and the barrier of high cost of attendance for students with financial need.

Objective Mapping (done in a separate section): 

  • Foundations: F1, F3
  • Thematic Priorities: NTP
  • Supporting Elements: NSE
  • Organizational Processes: OP1

Action Item: 

4.2.1 Proactively ensure that search committees are diverse and that search committees actively implement Penn State’s Guidelines for Recruiting a Diverse Workforce. 

Action Item: 
4.2.2 Offer a supportive environment to employees from historically underrepresented or marginalized groups to improve their retention 


Action Item: 
4.2.3 Address barriers to recruiting individuals from underrepresented groups onto campus advisory bodies.

Action Item: 
4.2.4 Address barriers to enrolling students with financial need (aligns with UN SDG #4: Ensure Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education for All). 

Objective Name:  4.3
Objective:  Strengthen recruitment and retention of a diverse student body. 

Objective Years: 
January 1, 2021-June 30, 2025

Start Date: 
January 1, 2021

End Date: 
June 30, 2025

Key Performance Indicators: 

  • In fall 2019, 17.3% of students at Penn State Mont Alto were from underrepresented groups. Penn State Mont Alto will build on this record to strengthen recruitment and retention of underrepresented students  

Objective Mapping (done in a separate section): 

  • Foundation: F3
  • Thematic Priorities: NTP
  • Supporting Elements: NSE

Action Item: 
4.3.1 Increase outreach to students from historically underrepresented or marginalized groups and international students.

Action Item: 

4.3.2 Connect students from historically underrepresented or marginalized groups to campus and community resources to maintain strong persistence rates.