Inclusion and Belonging initiatives

A welcoming, inclusive and supportive community

The School of Music, Dance and Theatre is a welcoming, inclusive and supportive community that is committed to the Arizona State University Charter, “ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.” We strive to promote a campus that is open, safe and supportive by providing educational opportunities and advocacy programs that empowers all of our students and faculty to thrive.

The School of Music, Dance and Theatre is committed to building a community devoted to inclusion and belonging in all that we do.

This website highlights our initiatives and their status, many of which were developed from suggestions, requests or concerns brought forward by our students, alumni, staff and faculty.

• Developed the School of Music, Dance and Theatre Strategic Plan [Completed September 2022]. The plan includes initiatives around specific areas (Budget, Organization and Culture, Human Resources, Recruitment and Admission, Networks of Faculty, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Communities and Access) with strategic objectives, actions steps, intended outcomes, outcome measures and a status report.
  
• Created a standing Inclusive Excellence Faculty Committee ratified in the school’s bylaws [Completed 2021-22 academic year; Bylaws received faculty approval April 2021].
  
• Created the Inclusion, Belonging and Accountability Student Committee [Completed 2020-21 academic year].
  
• Created the Educational Inclusion and Belonging Cohort, which brings together faculty with campus thought leaders for the development of pedagogical and curricular initiatives that promote inclusion and belonging in learning and teaching within music, dance and theatre [Developed 2021-22 academic year; First cohort in progress during the 2022-23 academic year].
• Redesigned and implemented a new student course evaluation feedback tool that focuses on student centered learning and inclusive learning spaces to better understand, both individually and collectively, about how our students are experiencing the learning environments we are creating [Completed Spring 2022, implemented summer 2022].
• Implemented procedures for students to follow to report concerns and developed a crisis response protocol for handling student concerns [Completed Fall 2021, implemented spring 2022].
  
• Added inclusion and belonging documentation on the annual faculty activity report and evaluation processes [Implemented for 2020 evaluation process, ongoing].
• Created School of Music, Dance and Theatre Student Advisory Council, which meets with the school leadership twice per semester [Implemented in fall 2020 and ongoing].
• Published clear and accessible pathways of communication for students including duties for staff and leadership team members. This is emailed to all current students at the beginning of the year and published on the website [Implemented in fall 2020 and updated annually].