HERE: PERSPECTIVES ON LEARNING, LIVING AND WORKING AT MASSART

June 1, 2015

Health Resources in Action

Racial/ Ethnic Background

Sexual Orientation

Living off Campus

Students spend their time doing:

Studying Studio Co-curricular activities Unpaid internship0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Chart Title

0-5 hrs 6-15 hrs 16+ hrs

How many hours did you work for pay?

Adequacy of Studio Space

Liberal Arts Classes

Diversity related topics Art by people of color and women Gender roles and gender politics How cultural bias affects the perception

and creation of art Race Color psychology in visual language

Business skills Copyright and intellectual property laws

for artists Practical advice for entering the

workplace of major How to run a business Course on charging/ legalities/ freelance Life skills (e.g. interviewing, banking) How to sell your art Entrepreneurship

Technical skills• Story writing• Specific coaching on critique• Proofreading• Technical Drawing

Miscellaneous• Spiritual practice, such as yoga or

meditation• Ethics• “Home Economic” style

guidance• A better way to teach history to

Artists• Professional studies

Faculty and Staff

An overwhelming majority (upwards of 75%) of faculty and staff agreed or strongly agreed that the following would positively affect the climate on campus: Providing tenure clock options with more flexibility for

promotion/ tenure or faculty/ staff with families; Providing immersion experiences for faculty/ staff in civic

engagement projects with lower socioeconomic populations; Providing immersion experiences for students in service

learning projects with lower SES populations; Providing more effective mentorship for new minority/ new

women faculty; Providing a clear and fair process to resolve conflicts; Providing diversity and equity training to search and tenure

committees; Increasing staff representation in College governance.

ALANA students experience

I would recommend MassArt to prospective students

I am enjoying my experience as a student at MassArt

I feel a sense of pride in being a MassArt student I am able to find fun social activities to attend on

campus when I want to I see myself as a part of the campus community If I could start over again, I would choose to attend

MassArt I feel a sense of belonging to this campus

ALANA students also:

Singled out more

Not prepared for critique/receiving critique

Feel that their background matters in critique

Not finding role models at the same rate

A faculty/staff perspective

“We depend on our faculty to make good decisions regarding students, but the demographics of the faculty largely reflect [the] privileged backgrounds [of the top 10 art schools]. Putting students through the same regime that they went through when they didn’t have to pay for their education, but these students do and are working late and struggling with rent and supplies; just because someone knows how to paint doesn’t mean they know how to teach.”

A student perspective

“We don’t have a diversity center…things just fizzle out when not in vogue. We care about our students so we need to do something more thought out. Faculty need training on diversity, gender, disability… Faculty sometimes don’t listen to accommodations or call students out for it.”

Areas for Attention

The experience of ALANA and White-Hispanics students on campus affects their connection to the college community. Addressing their connection to campus may include macro level efforts and individual level efforts, supports that build connections among and between them and opportunities to build relationships with faculty and staff.

Areas for Attention

Instruction is another area in need of attention. Students commented that faculty needs to be better able to teach and engage with students. In terms of diversity and inclusion, especially important are the broadening of the cannon, generally to better include the histories and art of non-western traditions, and clarity and participation in the process of critique.

Areas for Attention

 Last, the small numbers of students of color and perceptions on the part of students, staff, and notably faculty, that more needs to be done to recruit and retain faculty, staff and students, speak to the need to more fully represent the present diversity and continue to attract diverse members of the community to campus.

Diversity Plan

3 year effort

3 initial goals Improve the experience of ALANA and

White-Hispanic students Improve and enhance instruction and

learning Recruit and retail diverse students, faculty

and staff

Objectives and action plan, timeline

Goal 1: Improve the Experience of ALANA and White Hispanic Students

Objectives: Improve the connection to the MassArt

community for ALANA students and White-Hispanic students

Improve the connections among and between students

Improve relationships of ALANA students and White Hispanic students with their faculty and staff

Goal 2: Improve and enhance instruction and learning

Objectives: Enhance the inclusion of issues of diversity and inclusion in the curriculum

Improve faculty engagement with students

Standardize, clarify and improve the process of critique, especially across difference

Goal 3: Recruit and Retain Diverse Students, Faculty and Staff Objectives:

Increase the number of full time faculty and staff of color

Increase the number of women in full time faculty and staff positions, and in positions of authority

Recruit and retain students of color

Next steps

Input from faculty, students and staff Prioritization and final draft Realization of a budget for the activities Timeline over next three years Campus wide release