Running head: GOALS AND OBJECTIVE SUMMARY 1

Multicultural Engagement Goals and Objectives Summary: Concordia University Wisconsin

Nandi Mallett

SPA 596

Concordia University Wisconsin

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES SUMMARY 2

Goal 1: As an intern, I will gain in-depth knowledge of the office of multicultural engagement

and why it is an integral part of CUW’s mission: committed to helping students develop in mind,

body, and spirit for service to Christ in the Church and the world. I will learn the department’s

functions and the importance of this office on the CUW campus, ensuring that students of color

have a welcoming and inclusive experience at Concordia.

Objectives: This internship will allow me to strengthen my networking and interpersonal

skills. I intend to shadow the director to observe his unique approach and method to

establishing a more diverse and inclusive campus environment. I will also attend

meetings that the director will allow me to join and create programming for students of

color. I want to learn how this office serves as a vital resource on campus, especially

when prospective students of color search for a safe space at a PWI. I also want to

network and connect with those in leadership. I also want to strengthen my research and

assessment skills. 

Artifacts: For my internship at Concordia University Wisconsin, I selected eight artifacts,

including the climate survey that I created for the office of multicultural engagement. For the

duration of my time interning at CUW, I wanted to explore Walter’s role in-depth, learn about

programming, and examine assessment within his office. Walter’s office is relatively new and is

meant to be a resource for students of color on campus. For goal one, I wanted to observe the

functions of Walter’s office and how it is an essential department on campus. I connected with

current and prospective students during my internship, sat in on meetings, and attended

programming.

I enjoyed connecting with the students the most and creating a survey meant to assess

their experience and satisfaction to resolve these equity gaps. The first artifact was when I was
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asked to speak on a panel in partnership with the CUW Black Student Union. This was a way for

me to connect with other educators and prospective students about Concordia University

Wisconsin, the admission process, and the resources on campus, such as Walter’s office. The

CUW Black Student Union faculty advisor, Eugene Pitchford, reached out to me to speak to

these prospective students. It was a great event, and I was happy to network with other educators

in the local area. I presented a PowerPoint to outline financial and admission information as well.

This was a space for parents and students to gain insight into the college search process.

All of the artifacts are listed on my e-portfolio as well. Artifact two and three are similar

because the Black History Month Program was an extension of the “Chat and Chew” discussions

in February. I sat in on the planning meeting for the “Chat and Chew” discussions with the CUW

African-American Affinity Group. There were multiple brainstorming meetings that I attended.

The “Chat and Chew” discussions were open to the campus to hear topics during Black History

Month. I attended all of the discussions. All of the topics were informative and were an excellent

opportunity to connect with students, faculty, and staff. 

           Artifact four was the AABHE Annual Conference flyer that was in March. It was a two-

day event, and this was my first professional conference. The keynote speaker was Nikki

Giovanni, and there were various workshops and sessions that I attended. They were informative

and relevant to the work that Walter is doing in this office. Two of the sessions that resonated

with me the most were code-switching and working at predominately White institutions as a

Black woman. It was a safe space for me, and I appreciated listening to other faculty members

who have experienced similar occurrences at their PWIs. It felt good to know that I was not

alone and that there is a network of Black student affairs professionals who are serving students

of color and ensuring that they are supported on campus. 

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           Artifacts five is a meeting invite that I created and led for the advisory council. The

advisory council is also a group that Walter overseas and reaches out for ideas for various

programs for the office of multicultural engagement. I reached out to the members to discuss

potential flagship events for the upcoming school year. There were members of the

administration on the call, as well as other faculty and staff. It was a productive meeting, and I

was glad to connect with these individuals. The theory that applies to artifact five is the student

involvement theory. This theory is designed to help student affairs professionals create

intentional programming for students, and this meeting was all about developing and

implementing possible events for students on campus. “Student involvement refers to the

quantity and quality of the physical and psychological energy that students invest in the college

experience” (Astin, 1999). 

           Artifact six is the meeting invite for the special committee for diversity and inclusion led

by the senior vice president of strategy and university affairs, Gretchen Jameson. This

committee’s task is to dialogue collectively and then break into campus-specific workgroups.

The initial efforts will achieve three tasks: structure the overarching strategy and objective

statements for FY21 and the FY21-26 university plan, develop a comprehensive, student-focused

D&I webpage for both campus websites; engage a cross-campus study of student attitudes,

beliefs, perception, and behaviors concerning race, equity, and inclusion. The members of the

group will be invited to a quarterly convening by the President. The President’s Committee on

Race, Access, and Inclusion will be devoted to the critical strategic conversation that will inform

and advance diversity efforts institution-wide. This work will advise the President and executive

leadership and influence broad strategic moves at the university level, in concert with significant

community and corporate partners and the Church. The committee has members from the Ann
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Arbor campus as well. Walter was also a part of the committee. This gave me the chance to sit in

on these leadership meetings and witness how they strategize and brainstorm ideas for both

campuses.

           The last artifact is the meeting invite for the climate survey drafting meetings and the

climate survey. I connected with Dr. Tammy Ferry to develop and discuss the survey that I

wanted to distribute to undergraduate students of color on campus. This serves as an assessment

tool for Walter’s office and the office of multicultural engagement at the Ann Arbor campus. I

wanted to measure the overall environment, satisfaction, and support at CUW for students of

color. I tried to find questions that were based on their overall experience and their comfort level.

I based this climate survey on the University of Michigan’s climate survey from the diversity and

inclusion department. The climate survey is also shown in my e-portfolio. The survey has been

sent to students, and Dr. Ferry has contacted me about the responses so far. We have received

only 49 responses so far. I plan to connect with Walter even after my internship to see how we

can get more students to take the survey. I enjoyed researching climate surveys and constructed

one for the office. 

           The theory that applies to all of my artifacts is William Cross’s Theory of Psychological

Nigrescence. The Theory of Psychological Nigrescence applies to Black students. There are

three parts to this theory: patterns A, B, and C. The identity starts during childhood and

interactions throughout adulthood. There are six sectors to the theory: infancy and childhood

Black identity, preadolescence, adolescence, early adulthood, adult nigrescence, and nigrescence

recycling. Student affairs professionals must be willing to understand and learn the experience of

Black students even before they are on campus. This theory should be applied to gain insight into

how Black students come from varying backgrounds and are not monoliths. The environment
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should be conducive and encouraging for Black students, especially if they are the minority on

campus. This means creating programming like in Walter’s office to support and encourage

them. Walter’s office is so essential and needed on campus to help this student population.

“Black students attending PWIs can face racism, isolation, socio-cultural challenges, and

academic obstacles (Harper & Quaye, 2007). In addition, Black students become aware of the

implications of what it means to be Black during college among their White peers” (Harper &

Quaye, 2007 as cited in Ritchey, 2014). Black students experience isolation, discrimination, and

various other challenges when attending a PWI that has been historically documented. That is

why I wanted to create this survey to assess their well-being and experience attending a PWI as a

student of color. 

References
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Astin, A. (1999). Student involvement: a developmental theory. Journal of college student

development, 40(5), 518-529.

Ritchey, K. (2014). Black indentity development. The Vermont connection, 35(12), 99-105.