Cultural Awareness

Trend Three:  Appreciate the global interdependence of economies and nations and how concerns over identity, heritage and culture take on increasing importance when people, resources and ideas must be exchanged across borders.    

Goals and Actions

SRU students in 2025 will have to contend with complex cultural trends that will affect their personal and professional lives. SRU has identified the following strategic goals in relation to the trend identified as “The need to understand other cultures.” These strategic goals for 2025 for Slippery Rock University are in alignment with PASSHE’s diversity related strategies and with SRU University-Wide Outcomes.

SRU Goal:
Prepare all SRU students to be successful professionals for the culturally diverse world of the year 2025 and beyond

ACTION        
Create, improve, and maintain programs, co-curricular activities, and extracurricular offerings as well as courses related to the exploration and analysis of cultural factors (University Outcome – Aesthetic perception and Ability);

MEASURE    
The quantity and quality of student involvement as provided by assessments in

all areas related to diversity and inclusion (i.e. number of minority students by category, number and attendance to diversity related events, number of diversity related courses)

BASELINE    
Current level of participation as provided by existing measures in programs offered by the Frederick Douglass Institute and International Services

UPDATE        
We have had a steady level of participation in the Frederick Douglass Institute programs since 2004. Since then we have offered between 8 and 12 programs and between 390 and 575 students have participated in them. Since 2006 International Services has had an increase in the number of students overseas from 331 to 426 but has had a decrease in students studying abroad from 173 to 112.

ACTION        
Require all undergraduates to participate in an international program and to learn a world language other than their own

MEASURE    
Establish a world language degree requirement with at least a one semester college level proficiency.

BASELINE    
Level of proficiency acquired by the majority in each of the different languages.

SRU Goal: 
Provide support for development of grants and contracts for faculty research and development.

ACTION        
International Professional Development grants, diversity grants activity through support of Grants Office.

MEASURE    
Increase in grants externally funded.(AA)

BASELINE    
Grants 2003: Federal: 8; State: 17; Other and Private:   8

UPDATE        
Grants 2007: Federal: 8; State: 19; Other and Private: 17

UPDATE        
Grants 2008: Federal: 7; State: 25: Other and Private: 22

UPDATE        
Grants 2009: Federal: 8; State: 21; Other and Private: 27

UPDATE  
Grants 2010: Federal: 7; State: 23; Other and Private: 12