Towards an Equitable Educational Environment: In the Business of Dreams

Note:??This is based on a letter to the campus community at Colorado State University Pueblo (CSU Pueblo), as part of the?convocation program?for the spring 2022 semester.

Dreams come in so many shapes and sizes. Sometimes we get help to make those dreams come true, and sometimes reality makes it hard even to dream. I am lucky to serve at a?regional comprehensive institution. Regional comprehensives are selective institutions of higher education.??Our selectivity criterion is different: we serve those who dare to dream of a better life for themselves and others.?I work with incredibly talented people who care: with people who dedicate their lives to sharing their knowledge and serving others. With people who know education can change lives. Our students and employees are diverse in race, color, gender, and socioeconomic background. They come from rural and urban areas, from families with generations of college education, or as the first in their families to embark on this journey. They come with varying degrees of confidence and preparation.??One thing is common among those who come our way: they all dream of success.?Our job is to help those achieve their dreams.

Many of those we help are first-generation college students. I am not a first-generation college student. My father is a college professor who valued education, knew the system, and provided a clear pathway for me to follow. His story is quite different. He was among the first from his entire village ever to make it to college. His parents had minimal education, and his village did not have a high school. When he started, he did not have the best preparation or resources. With help along the way from understanding educators who saw his dream and went out of their way to lend him a helping hand, he persisted, balanced life and education, and went all the way to get his doctorate and eventually become a university professor. Growing up, I got much better grades than my dad, but was I the better student? Education changed his life, our lives, and the lives of many others who saw him as a role model.?I cannot help but wonder, where would I be now, if my father had not dared to dream, had support along the way as carved a pathway for me and others to follow??

We work hard to help all who come our way achieve their dreams. However, our story is that of life. Our students are not perfect, and neither are we.??We lose so many. We lose some to life. Some lose faith in their dreams or get lost trying, and some fall through the cracks of the system.??Some leave because they feel they do not belong, despite our best efforts. Those who leave belong to some of the most vulnerable groups representing people like my father.??People who live in areas where resources are scarce. People who need to balance life and education or lack proper advice or role model. Our institution has been supportive, resilient, and resourceful.??We had attracted external resources to help our students achieve their dreams for many years, even when our state funding declined. We made incremental progress in the right direction of equity and student success. The current national, state and CSU System?focus on equity and student success?provides valuable resources that can move us faster than ever in the direction of an equitable educational environment at CSU Pueblo.??More importantly,?our increased focus on equity?will allow us to take a hard look at our practices and how they impact students differently.??

Some questions that come to mind when I think about achieving an equitable educational environment include:

·??????How does a hands-on, active approach to learning, and a focus on practical applications, keep students motivated??

·??????How does a flexible schedule for turning in assignments impact the success of a working parent who has a sick child???

·??????What testing or grading practices reduce implicit biases?

·??????How does providing second chances or competency-based grading make a difference for a first-generation student who did not have it right the first time???

·??????What is the optimal collaboration and communication form among the faculty members, advisors and success coaches, tutoring centers to support students???

·??????Can rubrics relating grades to the level of achievement of Student learning outcomes reduce wide variability of grading?

·??????Does an updated curriculum relevant to the industry and societal issues make a difference in motivating students to continue to pursue their dreams?

·??????What are the best ways to address gender disparities related to student success?

·??????How do we use data analytics of student outcomes to guide our teaching style?

·??????What support and development mechanisms do we offer our faculty and staff?

We need to address many more questions to approach equity as an institution. I urge us all to look at student outcomes in our classes and programs and seek ways to support students' dreams better. I am proud to be part of an institution whose vision is to become the people's university. I am proud to work with faculty and staff who are dedicated and sensitive to this vision. I?am proud to be in the business of making dreams come true.