What is College MADE?
College MADE engages colleges to envision, declare, and attain their own mission-driven equity and diversity goals related to increasing representational diversity, and improving campus climate while leveraging strategic partnerships and initiatives at the University of Minnesota. It recognizes our colleges as the locus of vision and action and draws on the notion of local efforts to affect institutional change.
The key purpose of College MADE is to foster agency and urgency for equity and diversity action within and amongst colleges. College MADE advances the idea that for the University of Minnesota to reach its ambitious diversity goals outlined in the strategic plan, leadership, commitment, collaboration, and shared responsibility and accountability from our colleges is critical.
To accomplish this purpose, College MADE draws on the experience and expertise of a broad cross-section of the UMN community and invites colleges to consider how to:
- broaden access and opportunity and enhance diversity within student, staff, and faculty populations;
- understand and address diversity and inclusion climate issues within their college community;
- create partnerships between the college, university, and external communities to bring about beneficial social change on campus.
College MADE is intended to be a ‘grasstops’ effort connected to the ‘grassroots’ work already being done by the university-wide Diversity Community of Practice (DCoP) and by individuals and groups across the university.
History
College MADE continues the University of Minnesota’s legacy over the past three decades of boldly and creatively reimagining how equity and diversity work can transform what is possible in the institution and, more broadly, across higher education. Grounded in OED’s Equity and Diversity Framework and emboldened by the integration of diversity goals throughout the MPact 2025 strategic plan, College MADE engages academic leaders systemwide to continue to consider various data sources as they develop, achieve, and document their own mission-driven equity and diversity objectives.
Key Concepts from the Office for Equity and Diversity’s Vision Framework inform College MADE:
- We define diversity as not only a driving force but a necessary condition for excellence.
- We envision an institution where equity and diversity are woven into the work and lives of every student, faculty, and staff member.
- As core institutional values, diversity, inclusion, justice, and equity (DIJE) will infuse and inform thinking, policies, and practices throughout the university – from mission statements to strategic plans to student admissions to employee hiring, and faculty promotion and tenure.
College MADE emphasizes:
- College-based Initiative
- College Mission-Connected work
- College Ownership in action
- College Accountability focus