The Connecticut General Statutes 46a-54 (16) requires that every public employee participate in a minimum of three paid hours of diversity training. Working collaboratively and through the leadership of the Office of Diversity and Equity, OMIA offered diversity training to all university executives and directors during the second semester of the 2002/2003 academic year. Assistant Vice Provost, Dr. Damon Williams, Diversity Consultant, Dr. Carlian Dawson, and Director of the Office of Diversity and Equity, Ms. Dana McGee, developed the curriculum, workshops, and distributed materials for all training participants.

Training sessions were designed to accomplish a number of learning goals for participants:

• To overview federal and state statutory provisions concerning discrimination and hate crimes directed at protected classes;
• To overview processes and procedures for reporting discrimination and hate crimes on campus;
• To overview the educational and institutional benefits of diversity;
• To engage leaders in a case study of one diversity management issue in higher education;

Over 80 percent of current supervisory personnel participated in Diversity training including President Phillip Austin, Provost John Peterson, and several of the Deans and Directors from around the University. In total, 98 participants took part in 6 sessions to a high level of success as nearly 79 percent of respondents said that the program effectively addressed the challenges that they face as a higher education manager. Furthermore, nearly 88 percent of respondents rated the quality of the training program as either effective or very effective.

The Office of Diversity and Equity is developing a continuing plan for diversity training in the 2003/2004 academic year. Please contact Ms. Dana McGee at (860) 486-2943 for more details.