IDEA Committee
The IDEA Committee furthers the goals of the College of Arts & Sciences to promote an inclusive, diverse, equitable, and accessible environment enriched by the knowledge and skills of our faculty, staff, and students.
The IDEA Committee is composed of a mix of appointed and elected faculty, staff, undergraduate students, graduate students, and administrators within the College of Arts & Sciences. Members serve on this committee for a three-year term and serve as volunteers. Dr. Nicole Rader, the Assistant Dean for Strategic Initiatives in the College of Arts & Sciences serves as the chair of this committee.
2023-24 INITIATIVES & PROJECTS
The College of Arts and Sciences supports course development or projects that explore questions of diversity, equity, and inclusion; are community-engaged; and are rooted in culturally responsive pedagogy and equity-mindedness. To underline this support, the college has created the Arts & Sciences IETG. The purpose of the IETG is to support faculty in the creation of dynamic activities that lead to a critical discussion of issues related to inclusive excellence in the undergraduate or graduate classroom. Award recipients will conduct creative, impactful, and innovative projects to further the mission of IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Access) in the College of Arts & Sciences.
Calls for the 2024 award open March 1st and close April 15th for the 2024-2025 academic year.
The Arts & Sciences staff mentoring program aims to provide a staff-focused program where experienced staff members share their career knowledge and advice with new staff and those who desire growth in their profession. Effective mentorship can contribute to a culture of belongingness and positively impact employee satisfaction and retention. Such a staff mentoring program not only contributes to job satisfaction and retention efforts but also to the college’s broader efforts at inclusion, diversity, equity, and access (IDEA) since staff, as a group, have a disproportionate number of employees in historically excluded groups (e.g., women, racial and ethnic minorities).
Applications are closed for the 2023-2024 academic year. Check back for 2024-2025 calls in August of 2024!
The IDEA committee is looking for international students to speak with about the challenges and barriers faced when arriving at MSU. We hope to help provide information and a resources guide to our A&S students! If you are willing to speak with our sub-committee, please email us at IDEA@cas.msstate.edu.
The IDEA committee researched and put together a resource guide for Department Heads. Those Department Heads who seek to improve upon or learn more about IDEA related issues for faculty retention and job satisfaction should reach out to us at IDEA@cas.msstate.edu.
Want to Learn More? Email us at IDEA@cas.msstate.edu or contact the chair, Dr. Nicole E. Rader at nr91@msstate.edu.