Tarleton State University demands the highest standards of fairness and is committed to having policies and procedures in place that promote equal opportunity. Parity requires a campus climate in which all students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to achieve and excel. To ensure that we continue to improve upon this tradition, it is necessary from time to time, to create a formal campus debate and dialogue pertaining to fairness.

To this end, I established a Task Force on Campus Diversity and Inclusion to study issues of racial and ethic equity on our campus. This report captures the essence of the Task Force findings and describes to foster diversity and inclusion.

Dr. Dennis P. McCabe, President
Tarleton State University

Tarleton State University President Dr. Dennis P. McCabe organized the Task Force on Campus Diversity and Inclusion and charged it with completing a three-fold mission. That mission was to:

-examine University policies, curriculum, faculty, staff and students activities, and campus life;

-assess the degree to which Tarleton meets its responsibilities in the area of access and equity; and

-formulate and present recommendations to University administration and campus leader based upon study results

Tarleton faculty, staff and students were assigned to the task force based on their expertise, personal interests, official roles, and the needs of the university.

During their initial demographics review, the Task Force discovered that racial diversity among Tarleton students is grossly disproportionate when compared to both county and state demographic studies. When specific populations were surveyed, (i.e. graduating high school seniors from public schools within a 90-mile radius of Tarleton), Hispanic Americans, African Americans, and other historically underrepresented groups are significantly underrepresented at Tarleton. These figures were echoed in studies of faculty and staff representation.

Based upon these findings, the Task Force reached a consensus that Tarleton should aggressively pursue a more diverse culture on campus by increasing historically underrepresented populations among the student body, faculty, staff and senior administrators.

The Task Force also looked at Tarleton’s curriculum with regard to racial, ethic and international perspectives. It found that although individual courses occasionally addressed these issues, there was no organized, curriculum-wide effort to include multi-cultural issues into established coursework. Findings also showed that employee educational opportunities reflecting a multi-cultural perspective have limited. Although there have been attempts to educate the Tarleton community in the form of workshops and conferences, participation by students, faculty, and staff has varied and inconsistent.

In it final report to President McCabe, the Task Force concluded that “if true diversity is to occur, diversity must be the goal of the entire campus. Further initiatives must be issued from the highest level of administration and upheld throughout every level of the University.”

In response to this report and subsequent recommendations, President McCabe embraced the continuation of several existing programs and approved the initiation of new strategies designed to help promote and cultivate diversity at Tarleton. These programs and initiatives are described in this document and reflect Tarleton’s commitment to diversity and inclusion.