We collaborated with campus stakeholders to identify active initiatives and programs that address academic achievement from low socio-economic status, minoritized race/ethnic groups, and/or first-generation status students. The Office of Diversity and Inclusion provided us with a spreadsheet that included 337 initiatives in the Campus DEI Inventory. Because some information was not reported, we designed a form for initiative leaders to complete to collect information about the implementation process and student impact. After evaluating the initiatives for completeness of response, intended audience, and provision of direct support, 17 initiatives were identified to fit the definitions determined for this project.

The goal of the project was to answer the research question – How comprehensively do DEI initiatives collect and report information about how and whether their initiatives contribute to the success of underrepresented students?

There is an opportunity to investigate bigger picture questions: What counts as a DEI initiative/program and why? Why is documentation about an initiative/program not easily shared? Should initiatives/programs with an indirect impact be included?