3. Introduction
As required by §11-406 of the Education Article, this document is the Montgomery
College annual progress report of its programs of cultural diversity. The report summarizes
institutional progress toward implementing the college’s plan for cultural diversity – Our
College Roadmap for Ensuring and Sustaining Diversity and Inclusive Excellence –
Montgomery College Diversity Plan. The plan is a multi-year action plan that the college is
implementing over a period of seven years – Fiscal Years 2014 through 2020. On June 24, 2013,
the Montgomery College Board of Trustees approved the plan, which was subsequently
submitted to MHEC on August 2, 2013.
Consistent with best practice, the plan has a philosophical and operational context for
sustainable organizational learning that is informed by evaluation and assessment. A complement
to the Montgomery College 2020 strategic plan five key thematic areas — the plan identifies the
College’s preferred future for diversity and inclusion that envisions diversity efforts in relation to
the College mission; establishes college-wide strategies for diversity that are linked to the
institutional mission; recommends evaluating the plan and monitoring progress as critical
components of assessment and determining institutional effectiveness; and proposes establishing
the infrastructure to sustain organizational learning and meet evolving goals for diversity. Both
the Montgomery College 2020 strategic plan and diversity plan thematic areas are: (a)
Educational Excellence; (b) Access, Affordability, and Success; (c) Economic Development; (d)
Community Engagement; and (e) Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness. Within this
context, the plan articulates the College’s commitment to achieve diversity and inclusion by
identifying 22 proposed strategies and 96 strategic action measures.
Following the Board’s approval of the plan in June 2013, a critical next step for the
College was to develop an implementation plan. The office of equity and diversity established a
Diversity Plan Implementation Steering Committee. The steering committee members were
appointed by the president and each senior vice president. Working on behalf of the Senior
Administrative Leadership Team (SALT), the charge for the Diversity Plan Implementation
Steering Committee was to develop a plan of action for implementing the diversity plan by
identifying and prioritizing the proposed strategies and strategic action measures and align them
with the organizational priorities that will be the focus for FY 15 and 16 and those that should be
reasonably achievable for FY16 - 20. Of the 96 strategic action measures, there is definitive
evidence that 88 are currently being implemented.
To ensure intentionality for implementing the plan, each strategic action measure
identifies a proposed or documented accountable administrative area(s) of the college for
monitoring and evaluating implementation progress and documenting specific evidence of the
measure’s implementation through activities, programs, reports, processes, and services. In some
instances, the accountable administrative area is “each unit within each department,” “each
hiring supervisor,” “each supervisor and manager,” “each chair” or “each dean”. The college
accountability indicator suggests the measure is required for all college units, chairs, deans,
hiring supervisors, supervisors/managers and, where applicable, each senior vice presidential
area. Finally, each strategic action measure proposes an appropriate accountable senior vice
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4. president implementation stakeholder. In some instances, for each strategic action measure there
is one or more specific senior vice president identified as the appropriate implementation
stakeholder. In other instances, all of the senior vice presidents are identified as the appropriate
accountable implementation stakeholder. In both instances, this suggests that there is a
collaborative stakeholder implementation accountability, which is particularized to the respective
senior vice presidential area. Finally, to continue strengthening and further advance institutional
workforce diversity, the equity and diversity functions will be coupled with human resources.
This coupling creates an optimal opportunity to achieve the College’s commitment to workforce
diversity and to better align the office’s mission, operational and functional activities within the
College’s employment and human resources management unit. This alignment also creates a
single point of service for employees seeking assistance.
The following three sections respond to the MHEC requirements for Montgomery
College to provide a summary of major goals and strategies for implementing its institutional
plan to improve cultural diversity for fiscal years 2013-2014. Each section references a specific
thematic area of the diversity plan that best provides examples of activities, initiatives, and
programs that demonstrate the College’s commitment to improve cultural diversity. Section one
focuses on major goals, areas of emphasis and strategy for implementation. In this section, the
College provides some specific examples of accomplishments in Thematic Area 1: Educational
Excellence; Thematic Area 4: Community Engagement; and Thematic Area 5: Assessment and
Institutional Effectiveness. Section two provides a description and examples of Montgomery
College’s efforts designed to increase the numerical representation of traditionally
underrepresented groups among students, administrative staff and faculty. In this section, the
College provides specific examples of accomplishments in Thematic Area 2: Access,
Affordability, and Success; Thematic Area 3: Economic Development; and Thematic Area 5:
Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness. Some of the examples include initiatives designed to
recruit and retain traditionally underrepresented faculty, staff and students. Finally section three
provides a description and examples of the College’s efforts designed to create positive
interactions and cultural awareness among students, faculty and staff on campus. In this
section, the College provides specific examples of accomplishments in Thematic Area 1:
Educational Excellence; and Thematic Area 2: Access, Affordability, and Success. Some of the
examples include faculty and staff cultural training programs, curricular initiatives that
promote cultural diversity in the classroom and co-curricular programming for students.
Section 1: Major Goals, Areas of Emphasis and Strategy for Implementation
Section one focuses on major goals, areas of emphasis and strategy for
implementation. In this section, the college provides examples of major goals and
strategies to achieve educational excellence and community engagement and to assess
institutional effectiveness.
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5. Thematic Area 1: Educational Excellence
As an educational excellence priority, Montgomery College established a goal to be a
national leader for quality and relevancy by providing educational and academic programs that
develop the cultural competence and support the success of its diverse community of students
and employees. To accomplish this goal, the College has continued to build on its successful
foundation of professional development programming for diversity and multiculturalism. In
doing so, the College has developed and expanded a wide variety of activities, events and
professional development opportunities that relate to diversity and multiculturalism, which are
designed to enhance and foster a culture of inclusiveness and deepen intercultural understanding
in the college community. For examples:
1. Through the president, the Board of Trustees required each new college employee to
participate in one of the multicultural professional development activities offered by
the college’s professional development entities, which is a component of the
employee’s annual performance evaluation.
2. Through the president, the Board of Trustees required each employee to have one
performance goal annually that addresses the development and/or enhancement of
cultural competency in relation to diversity and multiculturalism, which is a
component of the employee’s annual performance evaluation.
3. The Center for Professional and Organizational Development, the Center for
Teaching and Learning and Distance Education and Learning Technologies designed,
developed and delivered professional development programs for faculty and staff to
increase cultural competence and foster best practices in (a) Teaching and learning in
a multicultural environment, (b) Working in a multicultural environment and (c)
Leading and managing in a multicultural environment. Programs include: Tapestry
Institute for Cultural Competence; Overview of Multiculturalism and Diversity
Community Conversations; In Their Own Voices; Cracking the Codes; Americans
with Disabilities Act Training for Supervisors; In Their Own Shoes Training for
Faculty.
4. The Center for Professional and Organizational Development, Center for Teaching
and Learning and Distance Education and Learning Technologies have developed and
begun to implement a college-wide assessment plan for tracking the cultural and
professional competence (e.g., content knowledge, teaching skills and credentials) of
faculty and staff in all professional development units related to diversity and
multiculturalism, including participation by faculty in the professional training
opportunities offered by the Global Humanities Institute.
5. The College expanded its website to include diversity and multicultural resources for
faculty, staff, administrators and students and ensured that the site (a) provides a wide
array of information (e.g., internal and external professional development offerings,
suggested readings, reference materials, links, etc.); (b) provides accessibility from
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6. multiple college web pathways (e.g., websites, My MC tabs, etc.); (c) maintains
current information; (d) provides digital access to learning materials created as a
result of professional development training seminars and the Global Humanities
Institute.
Thematic Area 4: Community Engagement
As a community engagement priority, Montgomery College established a goal to reflect
and support the diversity of the communities we serve by strategically fostering community
relationships, outreach, civic responsibility and intercultural understanding to enrich the life of
the community. To accomplish this goal, the College has established a community engagement
office and a community roundtable/advisory committee to focus on outreach to and engagement
with the diverse Montgomery County populations. For examples:
1. The senior vice president for advancement and community engagement and the
director of communications has lead initiatives to expand the multi-lingual
accessibility of College outreach materials.
2. The senior vice president for advancement and community engagement, senior vice
president for academic affairs and director of community engagement have
collaboratively established new community partnerships to address issue- and group-
based civic and community programs and created co-partnerships for the College
with the community to participate on community service projects.
3. The college-wide dean for student success, college-wide dean for student access,
college-wide dean for student engagement, director of community engagement,
director of institutional research & analysis, special assistant to the senior vice
president for academic affairs, special events director and director of communications
have worked collaboratively to plan and host college-wide events to facilitate
understanding among diverse populations and to bring the community to the college
(e.g., Athenaeum Symposia, Multicultural Student Academic Achievement Awards,
Chautauqua).
Thematic Area 5: Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness
As an assessment and institutional effectiveness priority, Montgomery College
established a goal to strengthen and implement responsible equity and diversity policies and
procedures, best practices and ongoing assessment and compliance strategies that are aligned
with the MC 2020 Strategic Plan to ensure that Montgomery College is a regional destination
employer for diverse employees. To accomplish this goal, the college has established a
compliance plan that includes annually conducting a comprehensive review, inventory and
assessment of existing academic and nonacademic diversity-related and nondiscrimination
policies, procedures and best practices to ensure responsible equity and diversity stewardship and
to sustain faculty, staff and student diversity. During the 2014 academic year, the College
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7. completed an annual review and assessment of its diversity-related and nondiscrimination
policies, procedures and practices. For examples:
1. The office of the president, in conjunction with the offices of the senior vice president
for student services, senior vice president for academic affairs, senior vice president
for administration and fiscal services and senior vice president for advancement and
community engagement, provided institutional leadership to ensure that the College
Diversity Plan is annually monitored and evaluated, the plan’s goal achievement is
assessed and, as necessary, the plan is updated to support and sustain diversity goals
and objectives.
2. The offices of the general counsel, planning and institutional effectiveness,
compliance and equity and diversity reviewed and updated the College diversity-
related and nondiscrimination policies and procedures.
3. The offices of the general counsel, compliance and equity and diversity conducted a
comprehensive review and assessment of the College’s policies, procedures and
practices related to compliance with Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
and identified best practices that College will implement to ensure the fullest Title IX
compliance.
4. The offices of compliance and equity and diversity conducted an assessment and
implemented a plan of action to ensure the accessibility and currency of college
diversity and nondiscrimination policies and procedures, including the college
Affirmative Action Plan to faculty, staff, students and members of the surrounding
communities.
Section 2: Increase Numerical Representation of Traditionally Underrepresented Groups
Section two provides a description and examples of Montgomery College’s efforts
designed to increase the numerical representation of traditionally underrepresented groups
among students, administrative staff and faculty. Some of the examples include initiatives
designed to recruit and retain traditionally underrepresented faculty, staff and students.
Thematic Area 2: Access, Affordability, and Success
As an access, affordability, and student success priority, the college has established
among its goals to provide accessible and affordable educational opportunities for its
diverse communities and ensure student success and completion. To accomplish this goal,
the college has collaborated with local schools, community agencies and parent groups to
focus its outreach efforts on helping diverse Montgomery County communities understand
how students can attend college and access appropriate support resources, especially
financial aid, particularly for underserved populations such as veterans, international-
multicultural students, nontraditional-aged students, student-parent populations, first-
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8. generation students and other communities that have limited numbers of representatives
attending college. For examples:
1. The senior vice president for student services and senior vice president for academic
affairs established a college and community Closing the Achievement Gap Task
Group. Closing the achievement gap is a strategic initiative in Montgomery College
2020 which will propel the college to assist each and every one of our students to
thrive and succeed. The task group report contained 47 comprehensive and significant
recommendations approved by Dr. Pollard, with a phased implementation planned.
2. Within the division of student services, the chief enrollment services and financial aid
officer has hosted campus and community based financial aid events that were
targeted to underserved populations; workshops for students on navigating the
financial aid process and securing resources to manage personal finances.
3. In collaboration, the chief enrollment services and financial aid officer and creative
services director have created bilingual financial aid publications and presentations
that support the College’s outreach initiatives.
4. In collaboration, the director of community engagement, special assistant to the
senior vice president for academic affairs/articulation, transfer and academic services
and college-wide dean of student access have established new partnerships with
schools and agencies that serve culturally diverse populations.
5. The college-wide dean for student access, director of student access and creative
services director collaboratively worked to develop a student recruitment plan and
protocol for outreach to multi-lingual communities, including world languages and
American Sign, that has resulted in the creation of Spanish-language outreach
materials and events for prospective students and their families, including brochures,
postcards, presentations, posters and web-based materials.
6. The college-wide dean for student access, director of student access and creative
services director have begun developing outreach materials and events available in
multiple languages, including brochures, postcards, posters, web-based materials and
advertisements in directories, newspapers and other print publications.
7. The director of student access and electronic communications content manager have
begun the process of developing a consistent protocol to provide families fluent in
languages other than English the opportunity to acquire college information in the
family’s primary language.
8. The College has successfully increased the number of MC Foundation scholarships
for students who need financial assistance in order to promote increased access and
diversity for Montgomery County communities that are underserved or have limited
numbers of residents attending college.
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9. 9. The college foundation, scholarship and grants program manager and director of
development & executive director of Montgomery College Foundation have been
successful in their outreach efforts to potential donors who are open to providing
unrestricted scholarships to students who need financial assistance.
10. The special assistant to the senior vice president for academic affairs/articulation,
transfer and academic services, college-wide dean for student services and counselors
developed and implemented targeted program initiatives that focus on reducing the
educational achievement gap.
Thematic Area 3: Economic Development
As an economic development priority, the College has established among its goals
promoting and supporting economic development by ensuring that rigorous and relevant
regional, national and global workplace competencies are reflected in programs and
curricula; implementing diversity best practices to recruit, select and employ
multilingual/multicultural/multi-skilled employees and to enhance cultural competencies
that fulfill business needs; training/educating students to succeed in a diverse workplace
by providing access to cultural competencies and world languages, which includes
identifying internship opportunities locally and abroad to help students function more
successfully in today’s global market, placing students in internships with local, national,
and international business/organizations, and continuing to provide study abroad and
providing diversity and multicultural training for all students. For examples:
1. The division of Workforce Development and Continuing Education has continued to
establish local business and organizational partnerships to train company/organization
employees, foster economic development and increase the economic health of the
county. The division’s capacity to deliver this training has included training to ensure
cultural competency among its faculty and staff to meet the needs of the diverse
workforce of Montgomery County; developing cultural competency training offerings
to enhance students’ competitiveness and marketability and providing training to
county small and minority business employees in key workplace skills and in multiple
languages.
2. As a destination employer, the president established an institutional priority to
develop clear outreach efforts to actively recruit and hire a multicultural, multilingual,
and diverse workforce that includes faculty and staff with specialized/dedicated skills
to teach/train underserved populations and non-English speaking communities.
3. Student and employee focused advertisements are placed in media that target diverse
populations.
4. The senior vice president for student services and senior vice president for academic
affairs have continued to sustain opportunities and create new opportunities to place
students in local, national and international internships.
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10. 5. While creating new international educational collaborations, the senior vice president
for academic affairs has continued to explore new study abroad opportunities for
students and faculty exchange opportunities.
Thematic Area 5: Assessment and Institutional Effectiveness
As an assessment and institutional effectiveness priority, the College established a
goal to strengthen and implement responsible equity and diversity policies and procedures,
best practices and ongoing assessment and compliance strategies that are aligned with the
MC2020 Strategic Plan to ensure that Montgomery College is a regional destination
employer for diverse employees. For examples:
1. The offices of human resources and strategic talent management, equity and diversity,
procurement and communications created an institutional template and standard to
ensure that job announcements, advertisements and recruitment and promotional
brochures contain the college statement of commitment to diversity and
nondiscrimination.
2. The offices of human resources and strategic talent management, equity and diversity,
general counsel and compliance conducted an annual assessment to ensure the
college’s compliance with approximately thirty non-discrimination federal, state, and
local laws, regulations and Executive Orders addressing education and employee
equity and diversity.
Section 3: Efforts Designed to Create Positive Interactions and Cultural Awareness
Section three provides a description and examples of the College’s efforts
designed to create positive interactions and cultural awareness among students, faculty
and staff on campus. Some of the examples include faculty and staff cultural training
programs, curricular initiatives that promote cultural diversity in the classroom and co-
curricular programming for students.
Thematic Area 1: Educational Excellence
The Center for Professional and Organizational Development, center for Teaching and
Learning, Office of Student Life, Distance Education and Learning Technologies, Global
Humanities Institute and academic units have designed, developed and delivered college-wide
events and activities for students and employees to increase cultural competence. For examples:
1. Faculty, staff and students participated in diversity-related programming and events
such as: The Gathering, the World Arts Festival, Arab American Heritage Month,
Black/African American History Month, International Week, the Multicultural
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11. Student Academic Achievement Awards and the annual Holocaust Commemoration
event.
2. The office of student life sponsored a variety of programs to recognize/celebrate
nationally designated special awareness months. Montgomery College is a diverse,
multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and international learning community committed to
fostering academic and work environments throughout its campuses that
acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of its diverse students, employees and
communities. Annually the Montgomery College Board of Trustees issues a
resolution that articulates the college’s commitment to acknowledge, honor and
celebrate the contributions of women; members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual,
transgender communities; individuals with a disability and individuals and peoples of
African American, Arab American, Asian Pacific, Caribbean-American,
Hispanic/Latino, German American, Irish American, Italian American, Jewish
American and Polish American heritage on the designated national and State
awareness days and months. The designated national and state awareness days and
months create unique opportunities at Montgomery College to acknowledge and
celebrate these contributions with our local, regional and national communities.
3. In 2011 the college created Athenaeum Symposia, which focuses on themes of
diversity and global awareness. Among the speakers for the 2014 academic year
were: Paul Monteiro, Director in the White House Office of Public Engagement and
Intergovernmental Affairs; Lisa Crooms, Director of the Constitutional Law Center,
Associate Dean of Academic Affairs and Professor of Law at Howard University
School of Law; Bill Press, syndicated columnist, political talk show host and best-
selling author.
4. Women’s and Gender Studies hosted events at our campus that embrace and explore
issues of feminism and gender.
5. MC Pride and Allies hosted a variety of programs that embrace and explore LGBTQ
issues and emerging topics and an annual consortium for students and employees.
6. Safe Zone Training was provided to students and employees. The focus of the
training is to create a safe and comfortable environment for every member of the
student body and every employee. Montgomery College offered assistance and
support for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities by
designating LGBTQ Safe Zones on all three campuses. These Safe Zones are marked
by small rainbow flag stickers and buttons placed on office doors and cubicles. The
zones identify students, faculty and staff who have been specifically trained to
counsel those who may need counseling or support.
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12. 7. The Global Humanities Institute hosted programs that engage students and employees
and promote understanding and mutual respect for people with diverse histories,
cultures and perspectives within the United States and abroad.
8. The Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship Program was successfully implemented, which
is a unique professional development program for faculty at Montgomery College.
This program guides faculty on how to best use museum exhibits and artifacts to
encourage critical thinking.
9. Diversity training was provided through components of the student leadership
training programs, Student Leadership Institute for Everyone (L.I.F.E.), Leadership
Ascent, and MC Leads. Students are able to experience diversity programming at
events such as The Gathering, the World Arts Festival, Arab American Heritage
Month activities, Black History Month activities, International Week and the
Multicultural Student Academic Achievement Awards.
Thematic Area 2: Access, Affordability, and Success
As an access, affordability, and student success priority, the College established among
its goals to provide support services and other educational opportunities that promote cultural
competence and enhance the educational experiences of diverse students. Among these
educational opportunities has included developing, implementing and securing resources to
encourage meaningful student engagement opportunities; reducing the educational achievement
gap for Hispanic/Latino and African-American students, especially males; and supporting our
diverse student population in completing their career and academic goals. For examples:
1. The college-wide dean of student engagement and campus instructional deans have,
with intention, ensured that student clubs and activities create opportunities for all
students to celebrate diversity and promote meaningful interactions.
2. The senior vice president for student services, senior vice president for academic
affairs, college-wide dean for student services, campus instructional deans, student
employment services manager and director of the Global Humanities Institute worked
in tandem to develop opportunities for students to participate in global learning and
leadership experiences, including education abroad, alternative breaks, service
learning and internships.
Specific examples of the numerous student programs available at each campus
include:
a. New Student Orientation, Service Learning and Volunteer Fair, Alternative
Spring Break Trip/Habitat for Humanity, Student Mentoring Program, Earth Day
b. Student Clubs - Activities Board, African Club, African Dance Club, African
Student Association, Ambassadors for Christ, Anime Society, Association of
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13. Muslim Studies, Bethel Campus Fellowship, Biology, Breathe Free Smokers
Club, Buddhism Club, Caribbean Rootz Club, Chess Club, Christian Fellowship,
Computer Club, ConKerr Cancer Club, Corporate Business Leaders, Cricket
Club, Debate Club, Dagorhir Medieval Club, Earth Initiative Club, Economics,
Environment Club, Ethiopian Student Association, Ethics Club, Fashion Club,
Flag Football Club, Future Entrepreneurs, French Club, Gaming Club,
Gay/Straight Club, Globe Newspaper, Gryphon Literary Magazine, Health
Essentials, Hip Hop Dance Club, Hispanic Student Union, Honors Networking
Club, International Club, Islamic Association of Students, Latino Student Union,
Martial Arts Club, Math Club, Medical Careers Club, Medieval Fencing, Mental
Health Club, Music Club, Musicians with Ambition, Muslim Student Association,
Nursing Club, Outdoor Club, Persian Club, Philosophy Club, Photography Club,
Poetry Club, Psychology Club, Rotaract Club, Science Adventure Club, Self
Defense Club, Service Learning Club, Ski Club, South Asian Club, Student
Senate, Tennis Club, Theater Club, Ultimate Frisbee Club, United Nations on
Campus, Veterans Club, Volleyball Club, Weight Lifting Club, Writing Club,
Women’s Studies Club, Young Democrats.
Although a majority of Our College Roadmap for Ensuring and Sustaining Diversity and
Inclusive Excellence – Montgomery College Diversity Plan strategic action measures are
currently implemented, the College will continue to review, monitor and assess the plan. These
approaches will be among those implemented as a means for sustaining institutional diversity,
measuring the plan’s long range effectiveness and ensuring administrative accountability for
achieving the plan’s goals. An institutional priority is to create more collaborative and
comprehensive processes to better track progress in assessing the long range effectiveness and
results of the diversity plan strategic action measures. The first institutional assessment regarding
the status and implementation of the diversity plan will occur in FY 2017.
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