From the judges: Amazing campaign and programming. Their focus on building diversity and creating a more inclusive environment for their students began way before the racial unrest in 2020. Their outcomes are impressive, as is the level of engagement from various constituencies such as students, faculty, parents, and leadership. They created programs that involved their entire community, and did so in a creative, innovative, and cost-effective way.
“Campaign for CommUNITY”: Building Equity On Campus
Category
Diversity and Talent Management > DEI Initiatives
Description
Gold
Institution: Mount Paran Christian School
Title of entry: “Campaign for CommUNITY”: Building Equity On Campus
About this entry: For Mount Paran Christian School, a PK-12 private school in suburban Atlanta, building a diverse and inclusive campus climate is a divine calling and central to the school’s core values. Since 2012, when the school created its first CommUNITY Task Force (CTF), MPCS has been implementing administration-supported initiatives to build a diverse and inclusive community within the school. Eight years later, the CTF continues developing a multi-phased plan whose goal is to represent the unity of the body of Christ - a “CommUNITY”. This plan includes a focus on
collecting data from the MPCS community to identify opportunities to strengthen cultural units;
evaluating institutional practices, policies, curriculum, and traditions to ensure they are welcoming and inclusive, with no unintentional bias;
identifying and implementing ongoing training to equip faculty and staff;
and formulating messages that value cultural differences.
The school hired its first Director of Diversity and Inclusion in the summer of 2018, with programming and initiatives growing annually.
The summer of 2020 found our nation facing a pivotal moment in history, with calls for racial justice and reconciliation. Through the foundation established by the CTF, MPCS made use of its built-in platforms to share messages and build a comprehensive “Campaign for CommUNITY."
As the CommUNITY campaign theme to “love one another” is still underway this year, measurable results are not available. The goal is to increase diverse student enrollment and retention, create awareness among the faculty and student body, and continue to build the already strong and respectful campus climate.