About FCC : Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
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Contact Information


Senior Diversity Officer
Dr. Andrea Dardello
[email protected].
240.629.7828


Thanh Thanh Saint-Johns
Diversity Assistant
301.624.2834

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Diverse Student Photo

MISSION
The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) at Frederick Community College has primary responsibility for providing College-wide leadership on best practices as well as effective and ethical strategies to build and sustain an inclusive and excellent College community for students, faculty, staff, visitors, and the larger community. FCC fulfills its mission of educational excellence through culturally conscious and responsive classrooms, policies, practices, workplaces, and activities. Through strategic planning, professional development, technical assistance, curricular and co-curricular interventions and development, ODEI centers the principles of equity and inclusion in all facets of the College. At FCC, we are focused on all dimensions of difference and diversity and how we can both be inclusive today and prepare the College and our students for engaging with the diverse communities and parts of the world they will be with tomorrow. ODEI approaches diversity, equity, and inclusion work with a focus on developing the relationships, skills, and structures to make FCC inclusive.
 
The DEI infrastructure at FCC is robust and includes this office, committees out of ODEI, the President’s Diversity Council, a series of polices and a Hate-Bias Response Protocol, offices and specific supports in Student Affairs, among other supports. See below for a sense of the infrastructure and access to the policies.

In addition to ODEI, the diversity, equity, and inclusion mission of the College is fulfilled through the following strategic plans, policies, protocols, support services, councils, committees, and leadership teams:

  1. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan 2019-2024
  2. Institutional Racial Equality Plan
  3. The President’s Diversity Advisory Council
  4. LGBTQIA+ Inclusion Team
  5. Immigrant Student Support Committee
  6. Equity Scholars
  7. Policies & Protocols
  8. Professional Development
  9. Strategic & Technical Support
  10. DEI Resources, Programs, and Support at the College
  11. Other DEI Resources, Programs, and Support at the College (including support for people with disabilities, veterans, food pantry, prayer rooms, lactation rooms, student parents)
  12. Global Learning Committee


Do you have other needs at the College or ways that you believe FCC can be more inclusive? Are there better ways FCC can serve you? Email the acting Senior Diversity Officer, Dr. Andrea Dardello at [email protected].
 

FCC DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION STRATEGIC PLAN 2019-2024
On June 19, 2019, the FCC Board of Trustees approved FCC’s first five-year college-wide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Strategic Plan. The Plan was the result of college and community conversations over the previous 8-months around the strengths and areas of needed growth for the College focused on four main goals:

  1. Increase access and success for traditionally underrepresented students.
  2. Increase recruitment and retention of a diverse workforce.
  3. Prepare students for an increasingly diverse community, workforce, and world.
  4. Ensure a more welcoming and inclusive learning and workplace environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

Under each of these goals are action items with a clear timeline and metrics of success. For more information about the DEI Strategic Plan, click here, or contact the acting Senior Diversity Officer, Dr. Andrea Dardello at [email protected]
 

INSTITUTIONAL RACIAL EQUITY PLAN
As part of a Board of Trustees Annual Strategic Priority in FY 2019-2020 and FY 2020-2021, the College undertook a process of assessing the data around access and success from a racial equity perspective. Using the tools of the Center for Race and Ethnicity at the University of Southern California and engaging national experts on how colleges address racial equity gaps, the College developed an Institutional Racial Equity Plan to close all gaps in access or success by race by 2027. Click here to review the  Institutional Racial Equity Plan that was approved by Senior Leadership and the Board of Trustees in May 2021. This process, under the auspices of the Provost/Executive Vice President, Dr. Tony Hawkins, will be chaired by Dr. Kathy Brooks along with a team from across the College. The first racial equity data summit will be in April 2022 as part of the President’s Diversity Council. The plan focused on: 1) the development of Key Performance Indicators where benchmarks have been determined which will be initial indicators of equity, 2) the adoption of high impact practices to address institutional barriers in access and success, 3) a focus on Dual Enrollment as a high impact practice, and 4) establishing equity as an institutional principle, where it is part of the culture, climate, fabric of the institution.
 

PRESIDENT’S DIVERSITY ADVISORY COUNCIL
In support of the FCC mission to prepare for and respond to increasingly diverse college community, the President’s Diversity Council (PDC), made up of students, faculty, and staff, is charged with advising the President and Senior Leadership on matters involving diversity, equity, and inclusion.  PDAC acts as an institutional and educational resource within and beyond the campus community and provides college-wide coordination and direction on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. For questions about the President’s Diversity Council, please contact Dr. Andrea Dardello at [email protected].

LGBTQIA+ (Lesbian, Gay, Trans*, Queer, Intersex, Allies and more!) Inclusion Efforts

  • LGBTQIA+ Inclusion Team: Contact Co-Chairs, Edward Wangler at [email protected] and/or Courtney Sloan at [email protected]
  • Gender & Sexuality Alliance: The GSA student club offers social and support services for gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender/queer/questioning + students, faculty, staff and straight/cis allies. For more information, contact Edward Wangler at [email protected].
  • Name Change: Need to change your name in the FCC system? Fill out the Name Change Form.
  • Have other needs/questions and/or concerns? Contact Dr. Andrea Dardello at [email protected]

Frederick Community College is dedicated to creating a culture and climate that respects people of all identities to ensure a welcoming and inclusive environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. 
 
 

Immigrant Student Inclusion Efforts (for Undocumented Students, DACA Students, and Maryland Dream Act Students)  

EQUITY SCHOLARS
In 2021, as part of the Institutional Racial Equity Plan, a group of 16 Equity Scholars from Academic Affairs, Continuing Education, and Workforce Development were selected. These scholars are trained (and train) in how to be culturally relevant, conscious, and responsive in classrooms, how to assess your classrooms, programs, offices for equity concerns or questions. Want to become an Equity Scholar or learn more? Email Dr. Andrea Dardello at [email protected].

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Every semester, ODEI, the Center for Teaching & Learning, and Human Resources, does an extensive professional development calendar for faculty and staff who are interested. Professional development supports employees in becoming more culturally conscious and responsive to diverse populations including first-generation students, Students of Color, immigrant students, LGBTQIA+ students, low-income students, students experiencing housing and/or food insecurity, student parents, non-traditionally aged students, student veterans, religious minority students, students with disabilities, members of the Deaf or Hard of Hearing community, among others.

There are Alternative Credit packages available to full-time faculty who want to focus on strengthening their culturally responsive practices in the classroom and beyond. Every year from 2018-2021, there were Cultural Competency & Global Competency Summer Institutes for full-time and part-time faculty to complete course transformations. FCC also offers employees the ability to take the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) a personal assessment of your intercultural competence. Dr. Molly Carlson at [email protected] is the current IDI administer at FCC. After taking the IDI, we can help you action plan how to strengthen your intercultural awareness and skills.

Are you looking for specific types of professional development in this area? Contact the acting Senior Diversity Officer, Dr. Andrea Dardello at [email protected].
 

 STRATEGIC & TECHNICAL SUPPORT

In addition to leading College-wide strategic planning, ODEI is available to provide strategic or technical support for individuals, units, departments, clubs, student groups, among others who seek to strengthen their inclusive practices and/or programming. Have questions? Contact Dr. Andrea Dardello at a[email protected]u.
 

 POLICIES & PROTOCOLS


RESOURCES, PROGRAMS, SUPPORT

 Need other resources? Please ask Diversity Assistant Thanh Thanh Saint Johns to help connect you to other services at FCC.

Global Learning Committee
A group of faculty and staff who are strengthening global awareness, skills, and knowledge throughout the College, including curricular interventions and co-curricular programming. Interested in getting involved or knowing about the programming? Email Dr. Ivy Chevers, Co-Chair, Global Learning Committee at [email protected].