Rationale
The Diversity and Inclusion in the Curriculum and Education Subcommittee is part of the New York City College of Technology’s College Council Curriculum Committee. It was formed to address the subject of diversity and inclusion in the City Tech Curriculum and overall educational experience. The Diversity and Inclusion in the Curriculum and Education Subcommittee (DICE) centers the recognition of the intellectual value of diversity and inclusion and their role in enhancing the scope, depth, and quality of the educational experience of all students and the intellectual culture of the college. DICE’s role is to develop resources that encourage the incorporation of diversity and inclusion in the curriculum and in the college’s overall educational practices because they are valuable elements of an intellectually, socially, and culturally relevant education, because they develop important knowledge and skills that will benefit residents of a diverse urban center, and because they prepare students to be successful leaders, professionals, civic partners in the city, country and world. Given the intellectual, leadership, and professional values of employing diversity and inclusion in the curriculum and educational experiences, DICE will work with the City Tech community to actively institutionalize intellectual inclusivity into the culture of City Tech.
Diversity is a CUNY value that has been institutionalized and explicitly stated in the State of New York Education Law, the CUNY Mission, and the City Tech Mission as well as a core intellectual value of the CUNY General Education requirements.* City Tech serves a community that is diverse on multiple levels (including race, national origin, citizenship, ethnicity, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender and gender identity, health, ability, military/veteran status, marital/partnership and family status, and justice involvement). City Tech is a HSI (Hispanic Serving Institution) and a MSI (Minority Serving Institution) that is located in one of the most diverse boroughs and cities in the country. It is part of City Tech’s mission to prepare a diverse student population to live, work, and lead in a socially and culturally complex urban environment.
The purpose of DICE is to work towards more actively fulfilling the stated diversity and inclusion goals of City Tech, CUNY, and the State of New York in the curriculum and overall educational experience and culture of the college. Encouraging the incorporation of diversity and inclusion more substantively into our curriculum and throughout the City Tech educational experience will benefit students, contribute to City Tech’s efforts to fulfil its individual mission and its missions as a CUNY college and New York State educational institution, and enhance the intellectual culture of the institution for all members of the City Tech community. (* Relevant document excerpts and links are listed below the charge.)
Charge
The Charge of the Diversity and Inclusion in the Curriculum and Education Subcommittee (DICE) is to encourage the sustained and substantive recognition of and engagement with the intellectual values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, to work with the City Tech Community to institutionalize inclusivity at City Tech, and to encourage curricular development and educational experiences that are intellectually, socially, and culturally relevant for students who are becoming leaders, professionals, and civic partners in diverse environments. (See “Rationale” above.) To achieve the goals of this charge, DICE will produce and promote guidelines, resources, activities, events and engagement opportunities that address diversity and inclusion in the curriculum and educational practices. DICE will work with faculty members who would like to include greater diversity and inclusion in the curriculum and intellectual content of their classes, would like to create more inclusive learning environments in their classrooms, and would benefit from more information and dialogue regarding ways to achieve those goals. We will, also, develop opportunities for all members of the City Tech community to discuss how diversity and inclusion can be engaged to enhance the quality the educational experiences, intellectual culture, and civic engagement of the entire college. To operationalize its charge, DICE will produce and promote the following;
- Curriculum and Educational Inclusion Guidelines, Resources, and Strategies. The DICE Subcommittee will provide guidelines, resources, strategies, information and best practices that will assist faculty in improving diversity and inclusion in their courses. This may include the enhancement and development of academic materials, syllabi, assignments, lecture and discussion content, syllabi statements, and interdisciplinary, civic engagement, and place-based learning activities.
- Faculty Engagement Opportunities. The DICE Subcommittee will provide opportunities for faculty to engage in education, discussion and knowledge-sharing with each other and invited colleagues and experts to improve diversity and inclusion in their course content and pedagogical practices.
- Student and Faculty Engagement Opportunities. The DICE Subcommittee will provide opportunities for faculty to engage in dialogue with students about the role of diversity and inclusion so we may work with them to improve the quality of their learning experiences, the effectiveness of their work in student and professional organizations, and their preparation for their futures as professionals, leaders, and civic partners.
City Tech, CUNY, and New York State Education Law – Excerpts and Links
City Tech Mission
New York City College of Technology is a baccalaureate and associate degree-granting institution committed to providing broad access to high quality technological and professional education for a diverse urban population. City Tech’s distinctive emphasis on applied skills and place-based learning built upon a vibrant general education foundation equips students with both problem-solving skills and an understanding of the social contexts of technology that make its graduates competitive. A multi- disciplinary approach and creative collaboration are hallmarks of the academic programs. As a community City Tech nurtures an atmosphere of inclusion, respect, and open-mindedness in which all members can flourish.
CUNY Mission, including Education Law EDN 6201 Excerpt
The mission of The City University of New York, embodied in state education law, Article 125, Section 6201, as the finding and intent of the New York State Legislature, states in part: “The Legislature intends that The City University of New York should be maintained as an independent system of higher education governed by its own Board of Trustees responsible for the governance, maintenance and development of both senior and community college units of The City University.
“The University must remain responsive to the needs of its urban setting and maintain its close articulation between senior and community college units. Where possible, governance and operation of senior and community colleges should be jointly conducted or conducted by similar procedures to maintain the University as an integrated system and to facilitate articulation between units.
“The Legislature’s intent is that The City University be supported as an independent and integrated system of higher education on the assumption that the University will continue to maintain and expand its commitment to academic excellence and to the provision of equal access and opportunity for students, faculty and staff from all ethnic and racial groups and from both sexes. The City University is of vital importance as a vehicle for the upward mobility of the disadvantaged in the City of New York. The pioneering efforts of the SEEK and College Discovery programs must not be diminished as a result of greater state financial responsibility.
“Only the strongest commitment to the special needs of an urban constituency justifies the Legislature’s support of an independent and unique structure for the University. Activities at the City University campuses must be undertaken in a spirit which recognizes and responds to the imperative need for affirmative action and the positive desire to have City University personnel reflect the diverse communities which comprise the people of the city and state of New York …”
Education Law EDN 6201: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/EDN/6201
General Education at City Tech: https://openlab.citytech.cuny.edu/genedflexiblecore/
