Zaneta Rago-Craft, Ed.D., director of the Intercultural Center at Monmouth University, was appointed to serve on the Working Group for Safe and Inclusive Learning Environments, one of five working groups assembled and commissioned by New Jersey Governor Philip D. Murphy and former Secretary of Higher Education Zakiya Smith Ellis as part of the State Higher Education Plan released in 2019. The state plan is intended to serve as a blueprint to strengthen the quality of, and improve access to, New Jersey’s colleges and universities.
Rago-Craft has served on the safe and inclusive learning environment working group since March 2019, working over the past year with the team to produce supplemental best practices and recommendations focused on “enhancing safety and support services on campus and giving students a voice in these important campus matters,” according to the state plan.
“It was an honor to be selected to serve as a contributor to this statewide initiative. In my working group, I was able to share and learn ideas, strategies, and best practices from expert colleagues who are driving change on their respective campuses,” Rago-Craft said. “Each of us had our own expertise and knowledge, and we were able to craft a framework for colleges and universities to reenvision their institutions as vehicles for social equity.”
The final working group documents were released to the public and to institutions in March 2020. In particular, Rago-Craft’s working group was charged with:
- Promoting the practice of data analysis through campus climate surveys.
- Establishing best practices for creating campus safety and inclusive environments.
- Drafting an implementation guide for colleges on the recommendations set forth by the 2017 Task Force on Campus Sexual Assault.
Rago-Craft provided expertise in establishing best practices for creating campus safety and inclusive environments.