Agnes Scott College
PA-6: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Agnes Scott College does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation,gender identity, gender expression, age or disability in the recruitment and admission of any student and, in addition, does not discriminate on the basis of gender in the recruitment and admission of students to its post-baccalaureate programs. This nondiscriminatory policy also applies to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the college and to the administration of educational policies, scholarship and loan programs and all other programs administered by the college. https://www.agnesscott.edu/nondiscrimination.html

At Agnes Scott College, we are committed to providing a healthy learning and work environment that is safe and is characterized by mutual trust and respect for all members of our community. We are also invested in providing resources to promote sexual assault awareness, literacy, and prevention; as well as, support to members of our community who experience, encounter, and/or witness behavior that violates the policies and ethics of our institution. To foster this environment, the college has designated and trained a Title IX Team to ensure that all students, faculty, staff, and guests are not being subjected to sexual harassment or misconduct. All faculty and staff are required to complete an annual Title IX response training, facilitated by the college's Title IX Coordinator. Agnes Scott has also designated three staff members to received Title IX reports including: the campus Title IX coordinator, the Dean of Students, and the Associate Vice President for Human Resources. Not only have these protocols and policies been developed over the last three years, but the college now has a publicly available website about the procedures for reporting any discrimination or Title IX violation.

Agnes Scott College also works with multiple scholarship organizations that serve students from underrepresented groups, including: Posse Foundation, which assists students of diverse backgrounds in entering and completing college; MasterCard Foundation, which provides scholarships to economically disadvantaged but academically talented students from Sub-Saharan Africa; Golden Door Scholars, which provide scholarships for undocumented students, as well as students that are registered with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS). The college is committed to recruit, support and retain a diverse staff and faculty, with an ultimate goal of staff that reflects the ethnic and racial diversity of the student body and an interim goal by 2020 of having at least 40 percent of exempt staff coming from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups.

There are several organizations within the student body and student affairs that support under-represented groups within the student body. First and foremost, there is an umbrella organization for multicultural student groups called the Committee of Multicultural Student Organizations (COSMO). It is an umbrella organization with at least one representative from every multicultural student group, making it an amazing group of students from various backgrounds, races, ethnicities, religions, sexual orientations and age groups. Scottie Siblings is a program that pairs incoming first years with an upper level student. Students may request to be paired based on certain identities, including race, gender, sexuality, and religion. There are also peer support groups. Scotties of Color Healing Circle is a closed group for students of color; and Transcend is a closed group for students who identify as transgender/non-binary gender nonconforming. All new faculty receive a faculty mentor who works with them for their first year on campus. This is a formal program designed to support and retain our faculty. As the college continues to recruit faculty from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups, this becomes even more imperative. For staff, there is a culture of mentorship, with campus leaders offering meetings as needed. Staff also serve as student organization advisers, which then creates a support network for these staff to work together throughout their various divisions. Lastly, Agnes Scott’s Dean of the College now hosts a faculty/staff book club as a means of providing peer-to-peer connections campus wide, while also engaging with issues that are prevalent for the Agnes Scott experience.

In the most recent National Science Foundation Survey of Earned Doctorates shows that Agnes Scott College is in the top 5% of producers of doctorates, among the 1,594 colleges and universities included in the survey. The college has produced 6.69 doctorates for every 100 every of our students. In 2015-2016, the college was also named a Top Producer of Fulbright Scholars. Agnes Scott provides students with opportunities for mentored research, including the Goizueta Foundation STEM Scholars Program. The goal of the program is to prepare STEM majors for success in graduate school in STEM fields. Students are mentored by Agnes Scott faculty conducting authentic, cutting-edge research projects. The program also includes professional development workshops and a series of seminars on research ethics. This program supports the college’s mission to foster an inclusive STEM community and train to excel and succeed in any STEM career they choose. This program has grown in capacity over the last three years, and has increased student participation and diversity that is reflective of the student body of Agnes Scott. Since the program began in 2015, over 60% of participants have been students of color. The intent of the STEM Scholars Program is to ensure that every Agnes Scott student, including underrepresented students, receive the necessary resources to pursue academic programs and careers in STEM fields. Since typically women and underrepresented groups face greater challenges in STEM fields, this program is critical to ensuring the future success of Agnes Scott graduates.

Information on Title IX: https://www.agnesscott.edu/wellnessandsafety/title-ix-sexual-misconduct-policy.html