ARE Strategic Planning
ARE Taskforce and Planning Heading link
Since the summer of 2020, our campus has been focused on efforts to advance racial equity at UIC. In June 2020, we created a Racial Equity Taskforce to review the state of our campus and prioritize key action items. This taskforce consisted of three working groups focusing on Student Life and Support, Community Engagement, and Staff Recruitment and Retention, and a newly-established Public Safety board. Additionally, a group of external advisors was invited based on the recommendation of the Black faculty and asked to review our campus policies and practices and provide recommendations for improvements. Details about the efforts of the taskforce and the recommendations from all working groups, as well as the progress we have made so far, can be found on the Office of Diversity’s Advancing Racial Equity website.
A common recommendation from all groups and a core component of our effort to create a more equitable campus is accountability. If we are to be successful, the entire leadership structure has to share responsibility for advancing racial equity. A team of individuals across campus, including the Office of Diversity, Equity & Engagement and the Office of the Dean of Students created a template, so that all units can develop a plan to Advance Racial Equity (ARE). This template will assist units in creating their vision for advancing racial equity within their area. The templates were designed to align with the five strategic priorities developed as part of the ARE initiative:
- Center Student Equity & Inclusion
- Advancing Faculty & Staff Inclusive Excellence
- Collaborating with Community
- Promoting an Atmosphere of Care & Concern (aka Reimagining Public Safety)
- Ensuring Accountability
Each part of the template consists of several components: Priority; Relevant Factors & Assumptions; Long-term Goals; Short-term Goals; Strategies, Deliverables, & Metrics; Accountability; Student Perspective; Expanding Focus. Academic units submitted their templates in the 2021-2022 academic year. Non-College units are now invited to develop and submit their plans.
Contact us with any questions at areplan@uic.edu
Click HERE for Resources
Submit Your Plan (and Updates) Heading link
NOTE: You must be signed into your UIC G-Mail account or Google Chrome when clicking the links below to access and upload documents.
Frequently Asked Questions Heading link
-
x
UIC is committed to addressing systemic racism, improving our campus climate, and advancing racial equity on campus. Engaging every unit and department on our campus is a significant part of these efforts. Additionally, we recognize that each unit has unique needs when it comes to racial equity and therefore must develop their own, context-specific strategic plans to achieve their particular racial equity goals.
-
x
Submissions of this template are due on Monday, February 19, 2024.
-
x
We recognize that there is tremendous diversity in structure across UIC’s non-college units. Accordingly, each vice chancellor/vice provost will be responsible for communicating which areas are responsible for completing a template.
-
x
If you are going to be late in submitting your template, check in with your vice chancellor/vice provost to arrange a revised due date. Vice chancellors/vice provosts will need their unit’s reports in order to prepare their summary report. Late submissions at the unit level will impact your vice chancellor’s/vice provost’s ability to prepare their report in time, which is due on Monday, February 19, 2024.
-
x
Each unit head will lead their unit’s effort in completing their strategic plan. Vice chancellors/vice provosts will review all of the plans submitted from each of their area’s units and write a summary report, which will be sent to the Provost, Chancellor, and Associate Chancellor and Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Engagement for review.
-
x
Your vice chancellor/vice provost will be responsible for communicating details on where the plans within their area should originate. It is expected that EVERY staff member at UIC has the area in which they work represented in a plan.
-
x
Unit heads should lead this effort, but should enlist the support of others within their units. The best plans will be those that consider the perspectives of many members within a unit. It is imperative to share the work of thinking about and completing this template equitably, and not overburden those within the unit who consistently engage in this type of work, particularly students and staff of color.
-
x
Absolutely! It is up to each unit to determine who should lead these efforts and students are encouraged to participate where it is appropriate.
-
x
While each strategic plan will be unique to a given unit, the best plans will be those that are thoughtful, holistic, and innovative yet achievable. Additionally, plans that incorporate the perspectives of many members within a unit will be the most likely to succeed.
-
x
Many units at UIC have been working diligently on developing strategic plans related to diversity, equity, and inclusion. If your area has such a plan, you should use that as a starting point in completing this template. As this template asks you to specifically focus on racial equity, there are likely parts that will overlap with already-existing plans and others that will need more specific attention.
-
x
If your vice chancellor/vice provost area already has a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategic plan, you can use that as a guide in completing your unit-specific plan, as it is ideal for such efforts to align. In these instances, it is possible that units within the same vice chancellor/vice provost area will have aspects of their templates that will be similar. That said, the purpose of this template is to support you in creating a customized plan unique to the specific needs and context of your unit; thus, units within a vice chancellor’s/vice provost’s area should not submit identical plans. We do encourage collaboration between units in brainstorming ideas for these plans.
-
x
There are many examples provided throughout all five parts of the template to assist you in your planning. Importantly, they are examples and, as such, should be used to guide your thought-processes but not serve as final answers (although some overlap may be expected). There is no checklist for what you must include in your plan as racial equity work cannot be prescriptive. If you are stuck, consider getting the perspective of others in your unit to assist in brainstorming. You can also find a number of resources in this Box Folder that you may find helpful in completing your plans.
-
x
ODEE will be holding information sessions for those who want to learn more. Session dates and times will be listed on the Office’s website. For specific questions about the template, requests for support, or other inquiries, email areplan@uic.edu.