IDEA Committee - UTDPP1022

Policy Statement

This policy is impacted by Texas Education Code 51.5325 and is currently under revision.

The Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) Committee is a University-wide Standing Committee reporting directly to the President of The University of Texas at Dallas.

The Committee meets regularly (at least six times each academic year) to review, discuss, and propose actions to address systemic issues that impact the experiences of faculty, staff and students as related to their race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or other identities that have been historically marginalized. To support its role in understanding and recommending policy with respect to these and related issues the Committee is empowered to create working groups, carry out studies, conduct interviews, prepare reports and monitor progress for accountability purposes. It meets with the President and Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at the beginning and end of each academic year to receive special charges and reports from the administration and to convey to the administration ideas, concerns and advice from the Committee that address the issues of eliminating institutional structures, systems, and practices that differentially and negatively affect persons from minoritized and/or marginalized identities. It is also within the purview of this Committee to recommend the creation and initiation of actions and policies that would support the recruitment, retention, and advancement of these same individuals.

Committee membership should represent the diversity of the UT Dallas campus community in terms of both personal demographics and roles. The Committee shall consist of:

• 4 Faculty members (two tenured/tenure-track and two non-tenure system faculty) nominated by the Academic Senate
• 4 Staff members nominated by Staff Council
• 2 Academic administrators (department head or higher) nominated by the Provost
• 2 Leaders from administrative units nominated by the Chief of Staff
• 1 Postdoctoral associate nominated by the Office of Graduate Education
• 1 Undergraduate student nominated by Student Government (preferred Diversity, Equity and Belonging Chair)
• 1 Graduate student nominated by the Graduate Student Assembly
• Campus Accessibility Committee Chair or their designee
• 6 Ex-officio members:
  • Immediate Past Chair
  • Representative from Human Resources
  • Representative from Institutional Compliance, Equity and Title IX Initiatives
  • Representative from the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
  • Representative from Employee Resource Groups (ERGs)
  • Representative from the Office of Institutional Success and Decision Support

Ex-officio members will provide specialized knowledge and perspectives to the committee without bearing voting authority or responsibility.

The Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion shall serve as the Responsible University Official (RUO). The RUO represents the committee to other senior University leadership as well as advocates for the committee in the campus community.

The Chair and Vice Chair of the IDEA Committee or their designee(s) will serve on change teams created to lead University-wide change initiatives (e.g., STEMM Equity Achievement [SEA] Change).

The term of office of the committee members shall be for two years for faculty and staff and one year for students and postdocs, unless otherwise noted. Terms shall be effective September 1 to August 31, staggered in time to make approximately equal numbers of appointments expire each academic year. The President may reappoint members for additional terms. If for any reason a Committee member resigns, the President shall appoint another individual to serve the remainder of the unexpired term.

The initial Chair and Vice Chair appointments shall be made by the President and will be a faculty member and a staff member. Annually in subsequent years, the Vice Chair will rotate into the Chair position and the President will appoint a new Vice Chair such that the Chair and Vice Chair roles alternate between faculty and staff each year. The immediate Past Chair shall serve as an ex-officio member for one year.