1852: Mitchell Community College was chartered as a Presbyterian college for women. In the early years, the faculty of the Concord Presbyterian Female College in downtown Statesville placed heavy emphasis on music and fine arts. This focus continued as the College evolved into Mitchell College in 1917, and when the College began as a junior women’s college in 1924.
1932: Many of Iredell’s young men found their dreams of a college education slipping away in the Great Depression, and Mitchell College responded by welcoming these men to campus. It was an economic decision in the midst of the Depression and was considered temporary, but the inclusion of men became permanent.
1966: The College became racially integrated. The college yearbook for 1966 shows a woman named Ruby Hackett Johnston is listed as a Freshman. Yearbooks don’t always get a picture of every student and there could have been others.
1967: The yearbook for 1967-1968 shows one African American female -Bertha Faye Wellman. Ms. Wellman was the first black graduate of Mitchell Community College.
January 13, 1993: The position of Director of Minority Affairs was created, and the first College celebration of MLK Day took place. The President of the College, Dr. Douglas O. Eason, created the Diversity Task Force later in 1993.
March 1995: Mitchell Community College hosted a statewide conference entitled “Diversity Is Good Business.”
June 1996: The Viola Kimbrough Parker Diversity Award, named for a long-time College employee and tireless champion of diversity efforts, was established.
1994-2014: The Diversity Task Force was created and spearheaded by Dr. Eason in 1994 after school-wide diversity training was required in 1993. The Diversity Task Force, comprised of employee volunteers, coordinated readings, film screenings, and discussions to mark the achievements of African Americans, Native Americans, the LGBTQ community, women and others.
2013-2014: Dr. Tim Brewer, President, shifted the programmatic direction of the Diversity Task Force and refocused the work on assessing Mitchell’s own climate and identifying the range of our own populations. Instead of a Diversity Task Force, the administration charged a new Diversity Enrichment Committee (DEC) with collecting information from faculty, staff, and students, reporting the findings, and researching how other college campuses address and develop diversity and inclusion.
2014-2015: To increase awareness of ways Mitchell can address Diversity and Inclusion, Dr. Brewer invited outside experts in diversity and inclusion to collaborate with the DEC, the President’s Council, Deans, Directors, and all full-time faculty and staff. These professionals continue to work with the College to seek out and act upon opportunities for improvement.
2017-2018: 19 faculty and staff members were trained to lead the Diversity and Cultural Competency initiative, as outlined in the strategic plan of Mitchell Community College. The DEC was superseded by the Equity and Inclusion Council (EIC), which is composed of several subcommittees (Executive Committee, Events and Planning Committee, a Resource and Communication Committee, and Curriculum Infusion Committee).
2019-2021: The work of the Equity and Inclusion Council continued including facilitation by all sub-committees, administration, and faculty and staff. Student engagement and dialogue involving the SGA, the SAFE Club, M2M, and the Student Ambassadors progressed during this time. Continued professional development for faculty and staff including topics such as cultural competency, microaggressions, and inclusive advising were held. The Equity and Inclusion Strategic Plan was created in 2020 and approved in early 2021. This plan incorporates the collaboration of the Curriculum Division, Human Resources, Student Services, and the Equity and Inclusion Council for the purpose of promoting equity and inclusion on campus through intentional efforts concerning marginalized, underrepresented, and at-risk students, faculty, and staff.
Mitchell Community College is dedicated to maximizing the academic outcomes of all minority male students. To achieve this goal, Mitchell sponsors the Minority Males program. The purpose of Minority Males is to address and increase the progression and completion rates of minority male students across all community colleges in North Carolina. For more information about Minority Males, please click here.
Equity and Inclusion Council
At Mitchell Community College, we believe an inclusive culture puts diversity into action by producing a climate of engagement and respect where an array of beliefs, interests, experiences, and perspectives are valued and utilized to achieve our goals. The Equity and Inclusion Council (EIC), with the support of the College administration, advises and recommends policy and practice on matters related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The EIC encourages and assists the students, faculty, and staff of the College in enhancing access and opportunity for all to succeed, provides an avenue for understanding a diverse campus community, works to enrich the educational and workplace experience for all members of the campus community, and aids in the fostering of mutual respect and the valuing of differences.
Resources
For information about how Mitchell Community College supports students with mental and/or physical disabilities by prioritizing accessibility, please contact the Office of Accessibility Services.
For a downloadable PDF of support resources, click the button located to the right.
Browse the topics below to find relevant articles, journals, websites, advocacy and support groups and videos.
Resource links to external sources are provided for informational purposes only; they do not constitute an endorsement or approval by Mitchell Community College of any of the products, services, or opinions of the corporation, organization or individual. Mitchell Community College bears no responsibility for the accuracy, legality or content of the external site or for that of subsequent links. Contact the external site for answers to questions regarding its content.
Subcommittees
Dr. Beverly Brown
Kelly Wisdom
The charge of the Events and Planning Subcommittee is to develop, plan and implement activities, programs and events related to Equityand inclusion in support of Mitchell Community College’s Vision, Mission, Beliefs and Values. This includes the continued planning for the Annual MLK program, developing a series of presentations and events for all faculty and staff (ex. Equity Lunch and Learn programs for faculty, staff and students) and programs such as identity group speakers (ex. African American, Latino, Native American, LGBTQIA and women symposiums). The Subcomittee will provide consistent, continuous, and timely professional development activities for the campus community throughout the year. The Subcommittee will work closely with other groups on campus to provide timely communications about EIC events internally and externally as determined.
Current Events and Planning Subcommittee Members: Hannah Scott (Chair), Jessica Caudill, Erin Dubea, David Galliher, Austin Leviner, Jane Morgan, Jamie Vance
The charge of the Resource and Communication Subcommittee is to serve as the primary resource for the EIC and College’s Equity and Inclusion Initiative. Primarily, the role of the Resource and Communication Subcommittee will be to research, identify and/or develop articles, books, videos and other educational tools and materials related to Equity and inclusion to enhance the awareness, knowledge and skills development of Mitchell Community College’s faculty, staff and students. The Resource and Communication Subcommittee will be the “go to” group for faculty and staff to access information regarding Equity and inclusion for classroom and departmental use. The Subcommittee will work closely with all Subcommittees. The Subcommittee will develop an Equity and Inclusion Guidebook that will serve as a tool for Equity planning to help all faculty and staff recognize, respect, and embrace differences (ex. organizations, general information, workshops, conferences, policy resources). The subcommittee will provide consistent, continuous, and timely communications about the Resource Subcommittee’s work internally and externally as determined.
Current Resources and Communitcation Subcommittee Member: Tony Briceño (Chair), T’Sha Harrison, Phillip Holleran, Sarah Sowa, DeShaun Williams
The charge of the Curriculum Infusion Subcommittee is to assist faculty members and administrators in implementing Equity, inclusion and cultural competence into the curriculum and classroom related to Mitchell Community College’s Vision, Mission, Beliefs and Values. The primary goal of the subcommittee is to, along with the Resource Subcommittee, provide the needed information, tools, experiential experiences and instructional assistance to facultyand administrators to ensure that they are prepared to provide students with the awareness, knowledge and skills to be competitive in a diverse and global workforce and world. The subcommittee will work with other partners to increase the value of Equity at Mitchell Community College and increase the opportunity for students and faculty to be leaders and change agents in an increasing global society. The subcommittee will provide consistent, continuous, and timely communications about the Curriculum Infusion Subcommittee’s work internally and externally as determined.
Current Curriculum Infusion Subcommittee Members: Megan Harbach (Chair), Lisa Ausburn, Kelly Kerlie,Vermel Moore, Molly Nicholson, Aurthur Piervincenti, Emily Weddington, Mark West
The Equity and Inclusion Council welcomes all questions, concerns, and suggestions of Mitchell Community College students, faculty, and staff, as open communication is vital to achieving our goals.
Please email EIC@mitchellcc.edu and a Council member will reply at their earliest convenience.
