Overview
The purpose of the Institutional Development for Equity and Access (IDEA) Committee is to inspire and advocate for an institutional culture that defines, values and promotes equity, inclusion, and social justice for all members of the Los Medanos College community. IDEA facilitates coordinated and organized action to shift diversity, equity, and inclusion from the periphery of the college's activities to the center of the institution's mission, policies and programs.
Currently IDEA is focused on the following projects:
- Equity Mini-Grants: Developing a process for applying and administering this particular funding from the Student Equity Plan.
- Institutional Language: Examining various LMC documents and policies with an eye toward language that is inclusive and promotes diversity.
- IDEA Support Analysis: Identify and prioritize the needs of the IDEA committee to ensure that it is adequately supported to be successful in its mission.
- Infusing Equity Into the Planning Processes of the College
- Collaborating with the Campus EEO Committee
History
IDEA evolved from LMC's partnership with California Tomorrow's Campus Change Network (CCN) during 2006-2008. CCN partnered with and supported community college leaders in strengthening, expanding and institutionalizing change efforts around issues of diversity, access and equity. The Campus Change Network convened and engaged 6-8 teams of community college faculty, administrators, staff and student leaders to discuss, share and learn from practices and models that have created fundamental campus reforms around access and equity.
During its partnership with CCN, IDEA's analysis of college data such as student, faculty and staff characteristics, retention, success, persistence and goal achievement rates (degrees, certificate and transfer) determined areas in need of critical attention. The areas of concern focused on three points: (1) conditions of academic success amongst African American and Chicano/Latino students; (2) student leadership and engagement; and (3) development of shared language amongst LMC professional community on the issues of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Following the end of the partnership with CCN, IDEA was formally authorized as a sub-committee of the Shared Governance Council.