View the Humphrey School of Public Affairs Equity and Inclusion Strategy & Implementation Plan

Representational Diversity

• Goal 1: Recruit and matriculate candidates with high potential to graduate as engaged, generalist pharmacist practitioners who are patient care providers and change agents, prepared to practice interprofessionally across diverse practice settings to meet the needs of patients and communities, as well as pursue post-graduate training/dual degree programs.

We will engage in strategic hiring of a diverse faculty and faculty development, preceptor development, and thoughtful recruitment of a diverse pool of candidates to our Pharm.D. Program. Student development will be based in a patient care practice model that emphasizes leadership and interprofessional communication. Graduates will be prepared as generalist practitioners who are able to pursue further specialty training. Longitudinal assessment of the curriculum is essential to meeting this goal.

• Goal 2: Recruit and improve support for a diverse graduate student body that includes underrepresented domestic and international students.

The college needs to aggressively recruit, including the use of a dynamic web-based presence, domestic students from underrepresented groups in order to create a more diverse and inclusive student body. Outreach to prospective students must be expanded and resources allocated to reach prospective undergraduates before other career choices are made, perhaps through college participation in career fairs and via scientific presentations at feeder institutions at the College of Pharmacy’s expense. Aggressively recruit, including use of a dynamic web-based presence. We need to ensure that adequate logistical, educational, and social resources exist to support students who come from diverse backgrounds.

• Goal 3: Continue to develop recruitment strategies that celebrate and promote diversity as well as being reflective of the greater population of Minnesota.

We will tailor recruitment efforts to help prospective students understand how pharmacists connect and serve their diverse communities. By investigating current and potential pipeline programs and expanding our mentorship program to include high school students and pre-pharmacy students outside the University of Minnesota system, we facilitate diverse students in having greater access to the Pharm.D. and graduate programs. We will also reach out to communities to expand our pipeline programs. We will ensure that adequate resources and assistance are in place to support the unique and diverse needs of each student and ensure their success once they have enrolled in our program. These resources to support current students will be equitable across campuses and adequately prepare students to provide inclusive health care for the increasingly diverse population.

Campus Climate

• Goal 1: Establish and foster a climate in the college that recognizes the importance of cultural diversity and inclusion and demonstrates a commitment to health justice.

The college seeks to create a supportive and respectful workplace and learning community where the values and behaviors expected of health care professionals are modeled in our daily cross-cultural interactions. This includes valuing diversity in race, ethnicity, gender, age, ability, beliefs, sexual identity or orientation, or socio-economic status. In addition, we will create and sustain spaces and opportunities for cross-cultural dialogue. We will create a framework that fosters a common understanding of expectations for college members. We will develop and provide training, education and self-development opportunities; and recruit, develop, and support leaders at all levels of the college community who value health equity and diversity in all its aspects, e.g., students, employees, preceptors and alumni. We will be able to demonstrate actions that recognize a sincere desire to increase personal awareness of implicit biases.

Strategic Partnerships and Initiatives

• Goal 1: Foster a culture within the college that promotes inclusiveness and civic responsibility toward public engagement, population health and the development and implementation of quality public health partnerships and collaborations.

Continued support, incentives, and recognition of engagement efforts are important to ensure widespread participation within the college and alignment with the University goals and definitions of public engagement.

• Goal 2: Partner with local and national professional and global communities to join University knowledge and resources with those of the public and private knowledge and resources sectors to enrich scholarship, research, service, practice and teaching to address critical societal issues.

To demonstrate the value of community engagement, college faculty must be supported in initiatives and activities that exemplify the quad-partite mission of Research, Practice, Teaching and Service. Continuation of the work on opioid abuse in Northern Minnesota exemplifies pharmacist’s answering a call for a public health crisis where pharmacists are lending expertise and leadership in developing strategic partnerships with those with similar goals for addressing a critical issue.