Accreditation

The institution’s mission is clear and articulated publicly; it guides the institution’s operations.

Summary

IU Northwest, one of five regional campuses within Indiana University, is a comprehensive public university serving Northwest Indiana. A committee with broad campus representation revised the mission statement in 2021 as part of the strategic planning process. It emphasizes the integral role of teaching and learning on campus while remaining intentional about other defining attributes such as a designated HSI and MSI. Research and creative activities, diversity, and community engagement are central to our mission of teaching and learning.  

We offer our students a robust education including undergraduate and graduate degrees that are available both on campus and online. We continue to modernize our learning spaces and pedagogies, and we offer key support services and co-curricular activities to our students, 85% of whom work while earning their degrees. These efforts are designed to foster academic success and develop engaged, contributing members of our community, as well as the larger global society. 

Our mission is publicly available on our website. Additionally, our initiatives and accomplishments are showcased via news releases aligned with our strategic plan. A very deliberate expression of our mission’s commitment to the public good is demonstrated in the efforts of CURE who works to create solution-based interactions and mutually beneficial partnerships in our community. 

While committed to community partners, the primacy of our educational mission remains steadfast. From our Institutional Learning Outcomes to internships, we help students develop important skills in their curricular and co-curricular experiences, we encourage our students to be informed citizens, and to be successful in the workplace. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment on the campus through strategic programming and services for all students, faculty, and staff. As such, we work hard to foster a welcoming environment in which to learn, to work, and to grow. 

Sources

There are no sources.

The institution’s mission is articulated publicly and operationalized throughout the institution.

1. The mission was developed through a process suited to the context of the institution.
2. The mission and related statements are current and reference the institution’s emphasis on the various aspects of its mission, such as instruction, scholarship, research, application of research, creative works, clinical service, public service, economic development and religious or cultural purpose.
3. The mission and related statements identify the nature, scope and intended constituents of the higher education offerings and services the institution provides.
4. The institution’s academic offerings, student support services and enrollment profile are consistent with its stated mission.
5. The institution clearly articulates its mission through public information, such as statements of purpose, vision, values, goals, plans or institutional priorities.

Argument

1.A.1: The Mission was developed through a process suited to the context of the institution.

The Chancellor appointed an Indiana University Northwest (IU Northwest) Strategic Planning Committee to revise the campus’s mission statement and develop a campus strategic plan in 2021. This cross functional collaborative committee comprised of the president of the Faculty Organization (FO), Executive Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs (EVCAA), Chancellor’s Cabinet, Deans Council, Student Government President and Vice President, faculty, and staff representatives met monthly. The Chancellor sought feedback from faculty, staff, and students via campus town halls. This resulted in a draft mission and strategic plan, which received a hearing from all campus constituents through town hall meetings as well as the IU Northwest Board of Advisors, representing the community. After further revisions based on this input, the Strategic Planning Committee approved IU Northwest 2026 (with revised campus mission) in May 2022. The IU Board of Trustees (BoT) approved in June 2022. The revised mission is grounded in our relationship with Indiana University (IU), and makes clear our focus on inclusion, academic excellence, and student success in partnership with the community.  

1.A.2: The mission and related statements are current and reference the institution’s emphasis on the various aspects of its mission, such as instruction, scholarship, research, application of research, creative works, clinical service, public service, economic development and religious or cultural purpose.

The mission and related statements emphasize the integral role of teaching and learning on campus while remaining intentional about our identity as a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI) and Minority-Serving Institution (MSI). These designations signal our commitment to meeting the needs of our entire student body. Furthermore, the mission statements of the academic schools inform and integrate research and scholarship, diversity, and community engagement with our teaching and learning mission.  These revised statements informed our contributions and commitment to the university-wide IU 2030 strategic plan, which was approved by the BoT in April 2023. 

1.A.3: The mission and related statements identify the nature, scope, and intended constituents of the higher education offerings and services the institution provides.

The rich economic, cultural, and racial diversity of the regions we serve is found on the campus. As stated in our academic bulletin, about 68% of the students reside in Lake County; 16% reside in Porter County; and 4% reside in Jasper, Newton, LaPorte, and Starke Counties. Students, therefore, come with family backgrounds in steel and related industries, government agencies, service industries, the professions, and farming. In addition to our students, our constituents include the broader community. Our commitment to partnerships and engagement with these various communities is expressed in our mission, Goal Four of our 2026 strategic plan and Pillar 3 of the IU 2030 strategic plan. 

1.A.4: The institution’s academic offerings, student support services, and enrollment profile are consistent with its stated mission.

Academic Offerings Our mission states that as the representative campus of Indiana University in northwest Indiana, our “diverse body of faculty, staff, and students” is “committed to provide high-quality undergraduate and graduate education by engaging our communities and performing innovative research and creative activities.”  To support our students’ goals, we offer a broad range of degrees including three in-person associate degrees, 50 in-person baccalaureates, 19 online baccalaureates, 10 in-person master’s degrees, 16 online master’s degrees, 15 in-person certificates, 14 online certificates, and one online specialist degree. Some degrees are available online and in-person. Most of our online degree programs are offered as IU Online Collaborative Programs. Moreover, as we state in Goal 3 of our 2026 strategic plan, we “strengthen academic programs by supporting faculty, modernizing learning spaces, and expanding academic programs and student participation in them.” 

Enrollment Profile In fall 2024, Indiana University Northwest enrolled 3,041 students at census. The IU fall 2024 census also indicates that IU Northwest remains IU’s most diverse campus—reflecting our mission to the communities we serve. The Northwest campus is comprised of 56% students of color, with Hispanic students representing 28% of our students, upholding the percentage required for our campus to maintain its HSI and MSI designation. We have also seen increases in our online student population, with 50% of our fall 2024 enrollment taking some online courses and 26.4% taking only online courses. An estimated 85% of IU Northwest’s seniors work while earning their degrees, and of those, 38% work over 30 hours per week.   

Student Support ServicesIU Northwest created a semi-centralized advising model primarily housed in the Student Advising Center, which supports undergraduate students with advising services, coaching, and success workshops. In addition to advising, Career Services, and Counseling Services offer services designed to support student success (see 3.D.1-2). Counseling Services were expanded to accommodate increased student needs following the pandemic, and beginning in March 2023, all IU students are also eligible for TimelyCare, which provides free tele-health, on-demand access to mental health resources.  

Eligible students are supported by our TRIO Student Services Program, which also sponsors our first-generation student’s club, GEN1. As we have added more online students and programs, we have expanded our student support accordingly. All support services, including academic tutoring, are available in person and online. We have also increased our academic support of students with the recent addition of first year seminars, block scheduling, summer bridge programs, and redesigned coursework. In Fall 2024, we added EdSights which checks in with our students via text at various points in the semester. Students are then referred to relevant resources.

Efforts are currently underway to implement a One-Stop student service model for registrar, student accounts, and financial aid on the first floor of Hawthorn Hall and the campus plans to open a One-Stop Student Success Center on the third floor of Hawthorn Hall in the fall of 2025, which will include advising, the math and writing centers, tutoring, student success coaching, supplemental instruction, and study areas for students.

1.A.5: The institution clearly articulates its mission through public information, such as statements of purpose, vision, values, goals, plans or institutional priorities.

The mission and other key institutional statements are available publicly on the Chancellor’s website and the connection between the institutional priorities and the activities of the campus are regularly articulated at the start of most events on campus so stakeholders can understand both what we are doing and why we are doing it. The IU2030 Strategic Plan and our goals and metrics for it are also available publicly. Further, initiatives and accomplishments are shared with the campus via campus news releases, which include the associated strategic plan pillar.  

The five core values that serve as the foundation of everything we do are:

• Student Success: We value growth, transformation, inspiration, and achievement to ensure all students have the opportunity to reach their highest potential in an environment conducive to learning.
• Integrity: We value ethical principles and professional standards. We value authenticity, civility, and transparency in our communications, interactions, and operations.
• Academic Excellence: We value excellence in teaching and learning, innovative research and creative activities, and the pursuit and application of knowledge as we engage and collaborate with our campus community, region, and beyond.
• Community Engagement: We value working together across the region to enrich lives and promote a better future for the mutual benefit of all.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: We value diversity in all its dimensions and the pursuit of equitable and socially just practices to promote an inclusive community in which individuals are respected, supported, and learn from one another.

Sources

• 1A1.02_TownHallFeedback_SP
• 1A1.03_board-of-advisors-meeting-recap-2022-may-4
• 1A1.04_IUNStrategicPlan_through2026
• 1A1.04_IUNStrategicPlan_through2026 (page number 7)
• 1A1.05_IUNMission_BOTapproval
• 1A2.03_IU2030_StrategicPlan
• 1A2.03_IU2030_StrategicPlan (page number 5)
• 1A2.04_April.7.2023_Minutes_certified
• 1A3.02_PlanGoals-IndianaUniversityNorthwest
• 1A3.02_PlanGoals-IndianaUniversityNorthwest (page number 4)
• 1A3.02_PlanGoals-IndianaUniversityNorthwest (page number 5)
• 1A4.02_IUN_InDepth_Profile_STATSIndiana_IUNWserviceregionIUNWserviceregion_2022
• 1A4.03_IUN census_enroll_soc_race_ethnicity
• 1A4.03_IUN census_enroll_soc_race_ethnicity (page number 2)
• 1A4.05_IUN_USDOE_Eligibility_Letter_2024
• 1A4.06_Online.NW.2024
• 1A4.07_IUN_SeniorSurvey_IUN2023-24_workingseniors.pdfkingseniors.pdf
• 1A4.08_senior_survey_results_23-24
• 1A4.08_senior_survey_results_23-24 (page number 10)
• 1A4.09_StudentAdvisingCenter-IndianaUniversityNorthwest.pdf
• 1A4.11_Counseling Services Page and 2019-2024 Statistics
• 1A4.12_TimelyCare_Findresources_StudentMentalHealth_IndianaUniversity
• 1A4.14_Services-IndianaUniversityNorthwest
• 1A4.15_Gen1-IndianaUniversityNorthwest
• 1A4.16_SummerBridge.pdf
• 1A4.18_EdsightsRufustheRedhawkmessaging_Fall2024
• 1A5.01_IUN2026StrategicPlan_ChancellorPage-IndianaUniversityNorthwest
• 1A5.02_IU2030.NW
• 1A5.03_news-releases.pdf
• 1B1.04_AcademicUnitMissionStatementsatIUNorthwest.pdf
• 1C1.02_CareerServices1
• 4C3.13_Active_classroom_learning_leads_to_student_success_retention_at_IU_Northwest_ IU Northwest

The institution’s mission demonstrates commitment to the public good.

1. The institution’s actions and decisions demonstrate that its educational role is to serve the public, not solely the institution or any superordinate entity.
2. The institution’s educational responsibilities take primacy over other purposes, such as generating financial returns for investors, contributing to a related or parent organization, or supporting external interests.
3. The institution engages with its external constituencies and responds to their needs as its mission and capacity allow.

Argument

1.B.1: The institution’s actions and decisions demonstrate that its educational role is to serve the public, not solely the institution or any superordinate entity.

IU Northwest’s focus is on serving the public and the needs of the region. Recent revisions to campus strategic priorities (IU2030) underscores our commitment to providing, “high-quality undergraduate and graduate education by engaging our communities and performing innovative research and creative activities,” and seeking to be of service to the state and beyond, “by responsibly stewarding Indiana University resources and serv(ing) the community by partnering with business and industry focusing on regional workforce needs.”

This commitment to the public good is further articulated in the academic units' mission statements and strategic priorities. 

A very deliberate expression of our mission’s commitment to the public good is demonstrated in the efforts of the Center for Urban and Regional Excellence (CURE). CURE provides service to the state and beyond by “creating positive, sustainable and impactful programs and initiatives, while working collaboratively with organizations in all sectors to promote continued learning, solution-based interaction and mutually beneficial partnerships in our communities”.CURE maintains the IU Northwest Collaboratory—an online documentation platform for community engagement (a snapshot of recent activity shows over 200 community partners working with faculty and staff on a wide range of programs. Over 20 of those programs are tagged as public service.  CURE annually sponsors Kids College, a summer program designed to expose middle school students to higher education. CURE engages students in research activities, which have been of service to the state and the region by analyzing tax sale data and advancing policy changes such as Senate Bill 157. The law, which was recently signed, streamlines the process of transferring the ownership of tax-delinquent properties into the hands of municipalities for redevelopment, a longstanding issue of importance for this region. Additionally, the director of CURE has been one of the lead authors of the Indiana Civic Health Index for over a decade.  

Each year qualifying community members are invited to the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program offered by the School of Business and Economics. Approximately 100 clients are served each season. Students in the marketing and capstone courses in business provide consulting services to local entrepreneurs as part of their work and the Business Academy@IUN offers training and other services to entrepreneurs interested in starting or growing their business. In 2023-24, over 60 entrepreneurs from Gary received assistance in developing their business plan which then allowed them to be eligible to receive ARPA funding from the city. Also, the School of Nursing and others on campus partner with local health service providers to host an annual resource fair. 

IU Northwest’s commitment to the public good demonstrates its support of military veterans through the Office of Veterans and Military Services and with its designation of a veterans services coordinator to connect students to campus resources. In 2023, the campus was ranked among the Best for Vets by the Military Times. 

Research by faculty to promote the public good cuts across campus, from the geosciences, which regularly examines geological conditions that have created environmental hazards, to participation in community beautification projects such as the annual Arbor Day plantings to exploring important topics such as climate change thru the arts. During the pandemic, an economist from IU Northwest produced weekly region-focused data visualizations and research on the spread of the disease in schools, that was shared widely throughout the community and beyond. In all these ways and more, the campus works to address community needs through its daily operations. 

1.B.2: The institution’s educational responsibilities take primacy over other purposes, such as generating financial returns for investors, contributing to a related or parent organization, or supporting external interests.

As a regional campus within the IU system of public institutions lead by President Whitten, IU Northwest receives its operating capital primarily from student tuition & fees, grants and public funds from the State of Indiana. We do not have investors, a parent organization, or external interests. The educational mission is primary as defined by the state of Indiana. According to our IPEDS financial submission for fiscal year 2023, instruction and academic support make up the majority of our total fiscal expenditures.  

1.B.3: The institution engages with its external constituencies and responds to their needs as its mission and capacity allow.

The Chancellor’s office maintains a Board of Advisors made up of community and business leaders, local and state government officials, school superintendents, alumni, and others in the community who provide input on the campus’s role and activities in the economic development of the region. Minutes for the last two years of meetings are provided here. Several other advisory boards connect various departments to insights from the community and help guide the work of the campus such as the Garden Advisory Board, the Business Alliance Advisory Board, and our faculty members regularly engage with community partners in researching issues of interest related to environmental, economic, and academic concerns. Many hold positions on local non-profit boards and engage in their academic discipline as members of editorial boards, and as members and officers in disciplinary associations. All venues facilitate the exchange of ideas and reveal opportunities to respond to needs where possible.   

Founded in 1973, the Calumet Regional Archives at IU Northwest serves as a unique community resource documenting and preserving the history of IU Northwest, the City of Gary, and the Calumet region of Indiana. The John W. Anderson Library and the Information Commons located inside extends library privileges to community members and houses the Ivy Tech-Gary library. The library is also a Congressionally Designated Repository for U.S. Government documents, with public access to the government documents collection guaranteed by law.   

Through the Chancellor’s office, Special Events, and other units on campus, the university regularly partners with community organizations to host events and activities offered at no cost to the public. For example, the campus recently offered Just Leadership USA Emerging Leaders training for justice-involved individuals; annually sponsors the Public Forum on Child Abuse since 1991; houses the Small Business Academy (SBA), which annually runs a series of programs specifically geared toward helping entrepreneurs prepare for the realities of business ownership; annually hosts the Gary International Black Film Festival, now in its 13th year; and 2024 was the 24th year we have hosted a Science Olympiad Regional Tournament. Between 2022-2023 alone, the total cost of campus space donated to external partners exceeded $93,000.  

Strategic partnerships in academic offerings include transfer agreements with Ivy Tech Community College in Indiana, and Moraine Valley Community College in Illinois. To enhance relationships with P-12 partners, the campus offers a free summer Kids College through CURE. Additionally, for two decades now, the campus has offered Senior University learning opportunities through CURE to engage individuals ages 55+ in lifelong learning opportunities.  The School of Education has established partnerships with the Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago schools to offer the Urban Teacher Education Program (UTEP) as a path to full licensure in elementary or a secondary content area to reduce the number of teachers on emergency licenses in Northwest Indiana. Through the high school partnership programs of IU Northwest, the campus provides under-resourced school systems with access to dual and concurrent enrollment, and the Indiana College Core Certificate, which supports increases in the college going and completion rates of traditionally under-represented students in the region.

Sources

• 1A5.02_IU2030.NW
• 1A5.02_IU2030.NW (page number 9)
• 1B1.01_IU-Northwest-Mission-Statement
• 1B1.04_AcademicUnitMissionStatementsatIUNorthwest.pdf
• 1B1.05_CURE_and_Collaboratory
• 1B1.05_CURE_and_Collaboratory (page number 2)
• 1B1.05_CURE_and_Collaboratory (page number 3)
• 1B1.08_Kids-College
• 1B1.09_Analyzing-Tax-Sale-Data
• 1B1.10_Senate-Bill-157
• 1B1.11_2023_IndianaCivicHealthIndex
• 1B1.12a_TheBusinessAcademy_IUN-IndianaUniversityNorthwest
• 1B1.12b_Resource-Fair
• 1B1.13_Veteran-Services-Coordinator
• 1B1.13_Veteran-Services-Coordinator (page number 3)
• 1B1.15_Geosciences
• 1B1.16_Geological-Conditions
• 1B1.17_Arbor-Day
• 1B1.18_Climate-Change
• 1B1.19_1B1.COVID.Pollak
• 1B2.02_fy2022-IUfinancialreport
• 1B2.02_fy2022-IUfinancialreport (page number 4)
• 1B2.03_Policy_on_Regional_Campus_Roles_and_Missions_2019-06-13
• 1B2.05_2023_NW_IPEDS_Finance
• 1B2.12 Facebook_Post_VITA.pdf
• 1B3.01_BOA_Policy
• 1B3.01a_BoardofAdvisorsMembers-IndianaUniversityNorthwest
• 1B3.02_Board-of-Advisors_Purpose
• 1B3.02a_BOA_minutes_2022 and 2023
• 1B3.03_Garden-Advisory-Board
• 1B3.04_Business-Alliance-Advisory-Board
• 1B3.05_Editorial-and-Review-Activities-by-Faculty.pdf
• 1B3.06_AcademicSocietyMembershipReported_IUNFacultyAnnualReports
• 1B3.07_CalumetArchives
• 1B3.08_CommunityLibrary
• 1B3.09_Account_JohnWAndersonLibrary
• 1B3.10_JustLeadership-USA
• 1B3.11_AnnualForumonChildAbuseandNeglect-IndianaUniversityNorthwest
• 1B3.12_SmallBusinessAcademy
• 1B3.13_GIBFF
• 1B3.14_IUNScienceOlympiad-IndianaUniversityNorthwest
• 1B3.15_Community-sponsored-events-for-comp-room-usage-2022-2023
• 1B3.16_ArticulationAgreements_BeforeYouTransfer
• 1B3.18_Senior-University
• 1B3.19_IUNaddsHammondtoUTEP_IndianaUniversityNorthest
• 1B3.20_UrbanTeacherEducationProgram
• 1B3.21_HighSchoolStudentPrograms-IndianaUniversityNorthwest
• 2B2.25_IUN_Collaboratory_datareportoverview2024

The institution provides opportunities for civic engagement in a diverse, multicultural society and globally connected world, as appropriate within its mission and for the constituencies it serves.

1. The institution encourages curricular or cocurricular activities that prepare students for informed citizenship and workplace success.
2. The institution’s processes and activities demonstrate inclusive and equitable treatment of diverse populations.
3. The institution fosters a climate of respect among all students, faculty, staff and administrators from a range of diverse backgrounds, ideas and perspectives.

Argument

1.C.1: The institution encourages curricular or cocurricular activities that prepare students for informed citizenship and workplace success.

IU Northwest’s mission recognizes our role in Northwest Indiana as well as within IU. Our vision clearly indicates our goal of “advancing learning, personal and professional growth, economic development, social justice, inclusivity, equity, cultural enrichment, and a healthy, sustainable community” for our students and the region.   

IU Northwest supports its students in curricular and cocurricular activities which promote informed citizenship and workplace success in numerous ways. 

The Office of Career Services provides students with opportunities to participate in paid and unpaid internships (semester long as well as micro-internships) and job shadowing. Students have access to various tools that invite them to explore careers, including VitaNavis and Handshake.The Office also offers numerous events designed to enhance career readiness including career fairs, resume assistance, a professional clothing closet, and job search and interview support. The campus hosts a month-long slate of activities focused on careers each November, designed to enhance workplace success. Career-focused courses offered in the academic units help prepare students for entering the global workforce. Our campus faculty participated in an IU regional pilot program in 2023 centered on embedding career competencies in the curriculum. The participating faculty agreed to include a career competency, as defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) as part of their course learning outcomes. Students indicated skills related to professionalism, critical thinking, and communication were the most critical to their career objectives and felt that the course materials helped them better understand certain career skills (69%).   

Our long-standing diversity general education principle provides students with an opportunity to explore and deepen their understanding of the diversity of the human experience, as exemplified in race, ethnicity, social class, language, region, gender, sexual orientation, age, and disability (See C.4 for assessment data). Our recent revision of general education deepens our commitment to diversity by moving Diversity into the Category of Foundations for Effective Learning and Communication, indicating its fundamental role in understanding our lived experience. Recent assessments of the coursework in this principle can be found here. This general education component also aligns with the Institutional Learning Outcome of Social Consciousness, which states that IU Northwest “graduates will be informed citizens who consider multiple perspectives. They will be attentive to diversity and seek to understand how their actions affect both local and global communities.” 

The IU Northwest Student Government Association (SGA) advocates for and represents the IU Northwest student body and has representatives from every academic unit. Each academic unit (and Academic Affairs) has an SGA liaison that meets regularly with the Deans and EVCAA to daylight concerns and opportunities. Moreover, the SGA serves as a liaison between the students and faculty and the administration by holding a seat on the IU Northwest Council, Strategic Enrollment Management, and the Student Affairs Committee of the FO. The SGA provides them with updates on issues of concern to the students, and actions and activities undertaken by student government and the student body. The student voice is valued and supported through collaborations with both faculty and the administration. Two recent examples are the IU Northwest menstrual product initiative and the food climate survey conducted by the IU Northwest SGA.  

The SGA is but one of our diverse student groups committed to voicing student concerns while ensuring a diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus environment. Student activities, including clubs and organizations that support community service, government and politics, diversity and inclusion principles are at the heart of student engagement. Recurring co-curricular activities that support global citizenship and workplace success are listed here. 

Students regularly find opportunities to participate in community service volunteer activities to cultivate an appreciation for active citizenship. For example, most recently, over 100 students signed up to volunteer to serve at five different non-profits for our annual Martin Luther King Day of Service. 

1.C.2: The institution’s processes and activities demonstrate inclusive and equitable treatment of diverse populations.

As an HSI, IU Northwest supports inclusive and equitable treatment of diverse populations. The Office of the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion provides guidance and support for all campuses.  At the campus level, a parallel approach articulates the vision and mission of both IU Northwest and the IU Northwest Office of Diversity, Equity and Multicultural Affairs (ODEMA). In partnership they produce the IU Diversity Annual Report. The Chancellor’s Office has appointed a Faculty Diversity Fellow every year since 2022 to ensure that faculty have input into activities and resources made available to them and our students through ODEMA. 

ODEMA works to create an inclusive campus environment through strategic programming and services.  Included among ODEMA’s purposeful initiatives are a widely recognized diversity programming and film series, funds for faculty fellows working to institutionalize inclusive teaching practices, a diversity library, and celebrations of those exemplifying the diversity mission (annual Diversity Awards). The Community Center, a safe space dedicated to promoting the value of diversity, broadening multicultural awareness and sensitivity, advancing cultural competence, and encouraging cross-cultural collaborative relationships was opened in 2020. The Center contains space to conduct workshops, meeting space for campus and community groups, study stations for students, and a lounge area. The Diversity Advising Council (DAC) is organized through ODEMA and meets regularly to prioritize and report to the Chancellor on systemic approaches toward advancing the broader context of diversity, equity, multiculturalism, and the strategic plan. ODEMA has hosted an annual Graduation Celebration for students that have been involved in certain organizations on campus or involved with ODEMA programs (e.g., Brother 2 Brother, Minority Opportunity for Research Experience (MORE), My Sisters’ Keeper, Black Student Union, Hispana de IU Northwest (ALMA), The Latino Enhancement Cooperative (LEC), the Muslim Student Association (MSA), the Asian American Student Association (AASA), among others) since 2015.   

IU Northwest’s Office of Human Resources and the IU Northwest Office of Institutional Equity and Title IX (OIETIX) support the operational functions related to recruitment, retention, and the development of a diverse workforce. They created search and screen guidelines for staff and the Office of Academic Affairs, in consultation with OIETIX, created search and screen guidelines for faculty, to help ensure a fair and equitable search process. Faculty search committees have an equity advisor assigned to them, but recognizing a broader need, the campus is in the process of training all faculty on these processes. The presence of the Director of Institutional Equity and Title IX (or designee) is required at the first meeting of the Search and Screen Committees to provide advice and counsel. University-wide policies address non-discrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action, e.g., UA-01 Non-Discrimination, Equality Opportunity and Affirmative Action. Recently IU announced a seven-year Presidential Diversity Hiring Initiative ($30 million) to accelerate efforts to hire a more diverse community of tenure-track faculty. IU Northwest has hired six faculty within the last three years through this initiative. 

OIETIX advises IU Northwest campus members on practices to ensure compliance and equitable treatment of students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Discrimination and harassment complaint processing, and legal compliance training are also provided.  

In alignment with our status as an HSI/MSI the office of Admissions has implemented an outreach strategy for recruiting a diverse student population. This includes events where students are invited to campus such as the Black Knowledge Bowl, and the partnership with the Indiana Latino Institute which provides full ride scholarships and participation in college preparedness summits for Indiana youth. As a result, by the fall 2024 semester, the campus boastsa 27.9% Hispanic and 20.7% African American/Black student population. 

1.C.3: The institution fosters a climate of respect among all students, faculty, staff and administrators from a range of diverse backgrounds, ideas, and perspectives.

IU Northwest tries to live out its shared definition of diversity for students, faculty, and staff. The campus contribution to the IU 2030 plan clearly states a commitment to fostering a climate of respect. Under Goal 1 of Pillar 1 IU Northwest commits to ensuring that diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the heart of every student success initiative, both curricular and cocurricular, as described in 1.C.1-2. 

The campus recognizes that a diverse campus and a climate of respect contribute significantly to student success. The number of full-time faculty has decreased significantly over the last 10 years, however the overall percentage of faculty of color has increased by almost 20% during that same time and is in the top quartile of our peer institutions. The number of degree seeking students of color has increased by almost 9% during that same period.  

The NSSE added three questions related to belongingness in 2021.  We have been using them to track the impact of our efforts to promote a climate of respect on campus. The results show statistically positive effects for both first year and senior students as the result of our efforts through AASCU’s Reimagining the First Year, the HLC’s Student Success Academy, and our two HSI grants.  

As a result of campus feedback provided in the MyVoice staff survey conducted every two years (last in 2022), IU Northwest has established a Staff Advisory Committee to increase belonginess and engagement, implemented campus-wide DEIJ training through the Vector Solutions platform and adopted the Performance at IU evaluation program.  

The campus evaluates aspects of the faculty experience using the HERI Faculty Survey every three years.  There are questions focused on campus climate and campus commitment to diversity and faculty responses indicate they believe IU Northwest is committed to recruit more traditionally underrepresented students, generally promotes gender, and racial and ethnic diversity in faculty and administration and has effective hiring practices and policies that increase faculty diversity. The faculty indicate they are not as prepared as they could be to deal with conflict over diversity issues in the classroom.  The campus has invested in DEIJ training through Vector Solutions and ACUE in part to address these concerns. The Office of Academic Affairs provides resources for faculty including suggested syllabus language, addressing discrimination and harassment, and expectations of classroom behavior. 

Economic diversity is a primary consideration for regional campuses, and in 2023 IU Northwest was ranked in the top 20% of US universities for economic mobility outcomes as well as having the strongest return on investment for a college credential in Northwest Indiana. The campus has a full-time Indiana 21st Century Scholar (full tuition scholarships provided by the state to students who are eligible for the free/reduced lunch program in 7th/8th grade) coordinator who supports the scholars on campus, resulting in an 80% first- to second-year retention rate in 2023 as compared to the campus overall rate of 71.4%.   

Another consistent and continuous effort aimed at fostering a climate of respect is the One Book, One Campus, One Community Program. Now celebrating its 10-year anniversary, this program builds intellectual and social rapport among students, staff, faculty, and community members through the collective experience of reading, thinking, and discussing challenging ideas, including mass incarceration, the lived experiences of veterans, climate change, and hidden biases.

Sources

• 1A4.03_IUN census_enroll_soc_race_ethnicity
• 1A4.03_IUN census_enroll_soc_race_ethnicity (page number 2)
• 1A5.02_IU2030.NW
• 1B1.01_IU-Northwest-Mission-Statement
• 1C1.02_CareerServices1
• 1C1.04_CareerFocusedCoursesofferedFall2024
• 1C1.04a_CareerCompetenciesPilotResults
• 1C1.05_diversity-general-education-principle
• 1C1.06_2024-General_Education-Principle1-IndianaUniversityNorthwest.pdf
• 1C1.07_diversity-assessment
• 1C1.08_Institutional_Learning_Outcomes-IndianaUniversityNorthwest
• 1C1.09_SGA-Constitution
• 1C1.10_Student_Government_Initiatives
• 1C1.11_menstrual-products-article
• 1C1.12_menstrual-products_IUNCouncilMinutes
• 1C1.13_Food-Climate-Report
• 1C1.14_Student-Activities
• 1C1.15_Organizations-Engage at IUN
• 1C1.16_co-curricular-activities
• 1C1.17_MLK-Day-of-Service.pdf
• 1C2.01_IUNorthwest-earns-Hispanic-Serving-Institution-designation
• 1C2.02_OVPDEI
• 1C2.03_About ODEMA
• 1C2.03_About ODEMA (page number 3)
• 1C2.04_Diversity-Annual-Reports
• 1C2.05_Diversity-Programming-Spend-by-Category-Fiscal-Year-2019-2024-Final
• 1C2.06_Diversity_Fellows_and_Awards
• 1C2.06_Diversity_Fellows_and_Awards (page number 2)
• 1C2.08_Diversity-Advisory-Council-Indiana-University-Northwest
• 1C2.09_ODEMAGraduation2018-2024
• 1C2.10_Human-Resources-IndianaUniversityNorthwest
• 1C2.11_Office-of-Institutional-Equity-and-Title-IX.pdf
• 1C2.11_Office-of-Institutional-Equity-and-Title-IX.pdf (page number 2)
• 1C2.11_Office-of-Institutional-Equity-and-Title-IX.pdf (page number 3)
• 1C2.12_Staff-Recruitment-IndianaUniversityNorthwest
• 1C2.13_Academic-Search-And-Screen-Process-IndianaUniversityNorthwest
• 1C2.14_UA-01-Non-Discrimination-Equality-Opportunity-and-Affirmative-Action
• 1C2.15_Investing-in-faculty-diversity-across-IU
• 1C2.15a_PresidentsDiversityInitiative-Hires
• 1C2.19_Diverse-Student-Recruitment
• 1C2.20_Indiana-Latino-Institute-Partnership
• 1C3.03_IUN Faculty and Students of Color
• 1C3.03_IUN Faculty and Students of Color (page number 3)
• 1C3.05_NSSE-Results-on-Belongingness
• 1C3.06_RFY
• 1C3.07_HLC-Student-Success-Plan-2022-Final-Version
• 1C3.08_ED-grants
• 1C3.09_myvoiceGallup.NW
• 1C3.10_Staff-Advisory-Committee.pdf
• 1C3.11_Vector-Solutions
• 1C3.12_Performance-at-IU_HR_IndianaUniversity
• 1C3.13_HERI-FAC-presentations_2020and2023
• 1C3.14_Office-of-Academic-Affairs
• 1C3.15_IUNorthwest-scores-highest-economic-mobility-index
• 1C3.16_Campus-Retention-and-Graduate-Rates-from-2014.pdf
• 1C3.17_One Book - About the Program - Indiana University Northwest
• 1C3.17_One-Book-One-Campus-One-Community.pdf
• 4C3.17_CareerExplorationMonth.pdf