The overall goal of this SON Diversity Implementation grant was to improve the socio-political climate of the School of Nursing by making explicit and changing the way unacknowledged norms, beliefs and behaviors inhibit our efforts to be inclusive of students, faculty and staff of color.

Our intention was to create a cadre of faculty and staff knowledgeable about White privilege and oppression, able to function as change agents in the organization in order to promote recruitment and retention of underrepresented faculty, staff and students.

Initial grant objectives were to:

• implement faculty-staff development workshops that address how unacknowledged norms, behaviors and practices adversely impact climate;
• use innovation-diffusion methods and sustainability principles to implement a system of action plans to transform the organizational climate of the SON;
• develop and institutionalize more explicit, inclusive, and comprehensive definitions of diversity and climate at the SON

This project was developed to contribute toward attainment of two of the seven SON 2005-2010 Strategic Plan goals: to promote high quality of work life and supportive environment, and to recruit and retain a diverse student body, faculty, and staff. By participating in an 8 month series of anti-oppression workshops developed by Carole Schroeder R.N., PhD and Robin DiAngelo, PhD, Multicultural Education, this cadre of faculty and staff would have the ability to recognize how climate negatively impacts diversity and have the self-awareness and anti-oppression skills necessary to transform the climate in a positive direction.