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Hewlett Foundation: Pluralism and Unity Program In this second year of a two-year pilot program, thirty first-year students will be supported each year in building competencies that enable them to communicate effectively and forge relationships with others whose racial and ethnic backgrounds are different from their own. It will also prepare these students to provide leadership in cross-cultural relations on campus. Macalester has a longstanding commitment to multiculturalism. Recent new initiatives on campus include establishment of a broad-based Council on Multicultural Affairs, added multicultural staff positions, a major three-year program that supports curriculum and faculty development on issues of race, programs to support pre-college and entering students of color in achieving college success, and acceptance into Andrew W. Mellon Foundation's Minority Undergraduate Fellowship Program. Many students coming to Macalester, while eager to participate in such a multiculturally focused environment and a student population that includes a 14% international enrollment and 14% U.S. students of color, have limited experience in overcoming racial and cultural barriers. Especially evident in recent years is a decrease in overall communication and social skills among incoming students, thus limiting their ability to negotiate disagreements and form bonds. While the students understand intellectually the value of cross cultural communication, their attempts to initiate it often become tension filled and fragmented. The thirty students in the Pluralism and Unity Program will be immersed in experiences of study, community engagement, discussion, and reflection to strengthen their cross-cultural communication and relationship skills and to foster their development as leaders in creating a more civil and unified campus. The program, led by three faculty and three student affairs staff, will involve this select group of students in September and end-of-year retreats; a series of five stimulating engagements in the community hosted by alumni and other people of color and ten follow-up discussion sessions; hosting a major public lecture on multiculturalism and leading post-lecture discussions; assembling a portfolio of notes, journaling, and other resources; and providing leadership in related activities on campus. The participants will probe the complexities of racial and ethnic differences and their effect on communication and relationships, and work to assess and build the competencies necessary for effective communication, conflict resolution, and decision making in multicultural environments. At the end of the year, they will create personal plans of their own continued knowledge and skill development and for becoming change agents through leadership opportunities in their final three years at Macalester. All incoming students are sent a survey in the summer prior to matriculation asking them to assess their abilities in dealing with people different from themselves. A follow-up survey at the end of the year, along with other assessment strategies, will help to determine the effectiveness of the program and determine areas of needed improvement. Assuming the program?s success, Macalester is committed to continuing the program at the end of two years.
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