Reports

Plan 2008
Progress Report for 2003
UW-Madison, Division of Information Technology

Goal 1 Increase the number of Wisconsin high school graduates of color who apply, are accepted, and enroll at UW System institutions.

• DoIT established the Information Technology Academy (ITA) in 2000. The third and latest cohort included 15 ninth-graders. The focus of this pre-college program is on teaching computer and information technology skills to high school students, while at the same time building and supporting their academic talents. The four-year ITA program recruits students of color and/or low-income students entering the ninth grade, In addition to class work, the program pairs students with staff mentors who make the staff more aware of diversity issues.
• DoIT staff continue to plan and participate in a middle school after-school program called Lilith. The focus of Lilith is on encouraging an interest in technology among girls, especially those who do not have access to computers at home. Lilith is a joint effort of UW-Madison, the School of Engineering, and the Madison Public Schools. DoIT provides hands-on experience during the annual daylong Lilith workshop. This past year, 130 students took part, half of whom are minorities.
• The Student Technical Training (STT) program was developed by DoIT to teach
  basic technology skills to UW students so they can take jobs in campus offices
  and assist faculty and staff with their technology needs. Approximately 25% of those selected for these programs are students of color; while 25% are female.

Goal 2 Encourage partnerships that build the educational pipeline by reaching
children and their parents at an earlier age.

• Information Technology Academy — See above.

Goal 3 Close the gap in educational achievement, by bringing retention and
graduation rates for students of color in line with those of the student body as a whole.

DoIT’s Software Training for Students (STS) group offers basic Windows and Word classes, as well as one-to-one assistance for students who have extreme or extraordinary gaps or needs. STS offers services to all support organizations/offices who serve these populations, such as TRIO, AAP, and PEOPLE. STS staff help provide instruction for both the ITA and Lilith.

Goal 4 Increase the amount of financial aid available to needy students and reduce their reliance on loans.

• DoIT supports student employees throughout their careers on campus. If students
  exhaust their work-study funding or temporarily drop out of school for some
  reason, DoIT will continue to employ them and enable them to finance their
  college expenses.

Goal 5 Increase the number of faculty, academic staff, classified staff and
administrators of color, so that they are represented in the UW System workforce in proportion to their current availability in relevant job pools. In addition, work to increase their future availability as potential employees.

• The representation of people of color on DoIT’s staff compares favorably to regional availability. As of November, 2001, 5.7% of DoIT’s permanent staff are people of color. There is a slight increase in our student population to 16.7%, which is about twice that of the minority student population on campus. DoIT continues to participate in statewide committees dealing with recruitment issues and looks for ways to better recruit and retain staff. We participate in the Wisconsin Recruitment Advisory Board (WRAP), a statewide advisory board to DER, to develop additional strategies to diversify our workforce. These strategies include starting early to attract students who have an interest and then nurturing those interests by encouraging the appropriate education and training to keep students motivated.
• DoIT offers internship programs and student employment throughout
  students’ college careers to help support them financially and provide invaluable
  work experience to enhance their marketability upon graduation. We try to retain more of these students within DoIT, but the outstanding experience they gain makes them more competitive in the private sector, which provides more attractive salary opportunities.

Goal 6 Foster institutional environments and course development that enhance
learning and a respect for racial and ethnic diversity.

• DoIT’s nine-member Equity and Diversity Committee (EDC) works with the
  campus Equity and Diversity Resource Center to take advantage of their expertise to continue the education of DoIT staff in this area. Over a dozen DoIT staff have attended the Leadership Institute Training and transfer their experiences and knowledge to others throughout the Division. EDC also provided input for the 2002 DoIT staff climate survey and arranged discussions which in part addressed diversity issues.
• DoIT has scheduled workshops provided by the Employee Assistance Office and
  the Office of Human Resources Development in topics that apply to diversity and
  respect for our differences.

Goal 7 Improve accountability of the UW System and its institutions.

• DoIT prepares an annual Utilization Report to monitor the organization’s
  accomplishments in diversifying our workforce and to acknowledge where we
  succeed and where improvement is needed. We also conduct a Salary Equity
  Exercise and prepare a Recruitment and Retention Report to evaluate our
  progress, identify problems, and discuss how to improve or resolve them.

Challenges and Barriers to Success

Historically, DoIT has been very active in and committed to diversifying the workplace. We have developed numerous programs, partnered with state agency IT departments and DER to duplicate our program for statewide use (Career Opportunities for Minority Students in Information Technology was endorsed by the Governor), and conducted targeted recruitment for both student and permanent positions.

The challenge for us is to find qualified applicants of color. Once we find qualified applicants or train students in IT, a challenge is to attract people of color to move to Madison where the minority population is still relatively small and the community may feel limiting. At senior levels there are additional issues concerning the portability of benefits like retirement and the tax-sheltered annuities. Well-qualified people of color are in demand and have the opportunity to relocate to other institutions to continue their career growth and opportunities. A deciding factor in turning down an offer at UW-Madison may be the attraction of living in a larger urban area and being eligible for more attractive salaries and benefits. The campus has recognized these issues, and work is underway to review and improve them where feasible.

In spite of these barriers, we have done a good job of getting programs started. Sustaining them requires time and effort to create, monitor, and improve. The cost might include increased training of staff and managers who interview and provide training, job coaching and mentoring. There is also the time devoted to developing and implementing new programs as the focus changes and technology changes.