DEI Initiatives & Partnerships

(Image Credit: modified from a community-sourced graphic from the Internet with unknown origin.)

Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the College of Criminal Justice includes a range of actions that sustain and advance an inclusive community on campus and beyond. The following initatives highlight our actions designed to improve campus culture, retain a diverse community of scholars, and impact national conversations on diversity, equity, and inclusion in the field. 

Academic Initiatives

To help diverse students reach their collegiate goals, the college of criminal justice promotes and participates in several academic initiatives that focus on inclusion and achievement. These initiatives are particularly designed to support underrepresented students, first-generation college students, online students, LGBTQIA students, and students with disabilities.  Although, any student may participant in and benefit from academic initiatives.  Initiatives include:     

• Academic Minor in Equity & Inclusion (Get info: cjprograms@shsu.edu)
• Certificate in Equity & Inclusion (Get Info: cjprograms@shsu.edu)
• Climate and Inclusion Assessment Tools for Academic Units 
• College Access & Success Resources for Historically and Economically Disadvantaged Populations
• Curriculum Mapping and Inclusive Syllabus Analysis
• Diversity-Related Professional Development Training and Resources for Faculty, Staff, and Students
• Enhanced Educational Programs and Conversations on Equity and Race Sponsored by Academic Departments 
• Inclusive and Adaptive Teaching Techniques for Online and In Person Instruction

Belonging & Diversity Engagement Initiatives

Findings from the 2021 diversity, inclusion and culture assessment, revealed that a sense of belonging had a strong correlation to academic commitment and motivation, directly translating to retention, pride, and success of faculty, staff, and students in the College of Criminal Justice. The following initiatives were created to foster belonging and engagement in our diversity efforts:

• Social Media Engagement Platform @SHSUCJcares (Twitter)
• Multi-Cultural Meet & Greet for Faculty, Staff, & Students
• CJ FlatStanley Contest & Inclusion Campaign        
• Diversity Open Forurms
• Diversity Documentary & Discussion Series
• College of Criminal Justice Diversity Committee
• College of Criminal Justice Student Diversity Advisory Board

Campus Partnership Initiatives

• College of Education - D.E.E.D.S Advanced Certificate Program (Learn More Here).
• Academic Success Center - Embedded Tutor Program
• First Generation Center - National First-Generation Day/ CJ Mini-Conference 
• First Year Experience - Diversity Reader Program
• Diversity Summit Program - College of Education, College of Health Sciences

Community Engagement Initiatives

• CASA of Walker, San Jacinto, and Trinity Counties
• Crime Victims Institute of Texas - Diversity Seminar
• 100 Black Men of Houston Chapter - Educational Conference for African American Males
• SHSU Diversity Leadership Conference
• SHSU Professional Development Conference

Hispanic & Minority Serving Initiatives

The College of Criminal Justice "Success Starts Here" (SSH) Initiative is a student success framework designed to facilitate academic achievement for vulnerable populations. This operational initiative strives to expand opportunities for every student’s academic achievement while prioritizing the diverse needs of first generation, Black/BIPOC, Hispanic/Latin, AAPI, Native American, LGBTQIA, veteran, transfer, international groups and students with disabilities.