Overview

The mission of the Equal Opportunity Planning Committee (EOPC) is to promote greater equity for historically underrepresented and underserved groups within the University and/or those groups that have been historical targets of discrimination.

EOPC was formed in 1983 as a response to a desegregation mandate issued by the U.S. Department of Education to all public institutions within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Although the desegregation mandate was lifted by the federal government several years after it was initiated, the Penn State administration decided to continue EOPC's mission and role in promoting equity, respect, and belonging at all Penn State locations.

The primary task of EOPC is overseeing the allocation of institutional funding to Penn State units for developing and implementing programs and activities intended to advance the equity mission of the University. Funding from EOPC is intended to provide seed money for innovative pilot programs and existing initiatives that create and support a climate of equity, respect, and belonging throughout Penn State. EOPC funds are general funds to be used in compliance with University Financial Policies and Guidelines.

All EOPC proposals are expected to include funding from their unit. While EOPC proposals may also include funding from external funds, unit contribution is required for all EOPC proposals. Programs funded initially by EOPC that prove to be successful should, in time, become part of a unit's regular operating budget, or obtain support through external funding sources. After EOPC programs have been completed, any unused EOPC funds must be returned from the programs back to EOPC.

EOPC will fund ongoing projects in decreasing increments for a period not to exceed five years; however, to be considered for subsequent years of funding a new proposal and program evaluation must be submitted every year. After five years, EOPC will not fund projects regardless of whether the program support has shifted to the unit or external sources.

All members of the University community are encouraged to develop funding proposals. To ensure the appropriate coordination of EOPC programs within units, all proposals must be reviewed and approved by the appropriate academic or administrative executive prior to submission to EOPC for consideration. Proposals are funded on a competitive basis based upon available resources. To ensure that programs are advancing our strategic goals, each proposal must demonstrate a clear link to:

  1. Penn State's Strategic Plan and/or
  2. The unit's strategic plan (see this link for a list of unit strategic plans).

Funding requests for ongoing initiatives must demonstrate that the program has been rigorously assessed and is producing its desired outcomes.

The funding categories of EOPC follow:

  1. Campus Climate
  2. Curriculum
  3. Faculty and Staff Recruiting
  4. Faculty and Staff Retention
  5. Leadership Development
  6. Student Recruiting
  7. Student Retention and Graduation
  8. Organizational Change


Often, projects receive less funding than requested by project directors. Given the competitiveness of the EOPC award process, units are encouraged to develop contingency plans to ensure that high-priority projects will continue to operate even if EOPC funds are not allocated. To maximize the programmatic impact of EOPC funds, neither EOPC nor unit/external funds can be included in proposal budgets for the following items:

EOPC cannot fund the following items:

  • Gifts, "giveaways," or prizes
  • T-shirts, buttons, balloons, and other such items
  • Conferences where travel is required
  • Research projects, computer hardware, art, or library collections
  • Wages/honoraria for 12-month full-time Penn State faculty/staff or graduate assistantships (EOPC will consider funding graduate and/or undergraduate students on wages)
  • Scholarships
  • Stipends (students are not eligible to receive stipends)
  • Instructor salaries for Penn State courses where tuition is charged unless the tuition dollars generated by a specific course are inadequate to cover the instructor's salary (programs should contact the EOPC office if they anticipate this problem)


EOPC will consider funding student conference participation ONLY if the student is making a presentation at the conference, and this support must be equally shared with the academic department. Faculty or staff conference attendance also must be shared with the unit and can only be included in the proposal budget (for either EOPC or unit costs) if it is for the purpose of facilitating student presentations at a conference. EOPC will consider funding wages/honoraria for nine- or ten-month full-time Penn State faculty and staff if they work on an EOPC program during their “non-contract” period. In other words, faculty and staff who only work during the academic year may receive wages/honoraria if they work on an EOPC program during the summer. They cannot receive wages/honoraria for a program that occurs during the academic year. Finally, EOPC will not consider in-kind support from a unit as part of their contribution toward a program. In-kind support is defined as any contribution that does not involve direct dollar support that would not ordinarily have been made unless the program occurred. For further information for in-kind support.

Proposal Evaluation

All EOPC proposals are submitted to a review team composed of graduate students, staff, and faculty volunteers from across the University. The review team decides if a proposal is funded and how much funding will be granted.

Successful proposals provide detailed goals, outcomes, and assessment methods, and address the need for funding. These proposals describe the intended impact of the program and explain how the impact will be measured.

Proposal submissions (in addition to the guidelines above) should explain clearly:

  • Engagement of the EOPC mission;
  • Alignment with the University and/or unit’s strategic plan;
  • Program outcomes (e.g., “we will enroll twenty participants,” “we will create four lectures”) and learning outcomes (e.g., “as a result of this program, participants will be able to define implicit bias, and identify three campus equity resources”);
  • An appropriate evaluation and assessment plan inclusive of each outcome;
  • Program components in support of the achievement of the outcomes;
  • A budget compliant with EOPC guidelines and aligned with program components; and
  • How your experience and expertise will aid in the success of the program.

The Campus Access and Success Grant provides seed funding for new and/or pilot programs, open to all Penn State Commonwealth Campuses that serve undergraduate students. Funding should be used toward programmatic support for new initiatives to recruit, retain, and support students under Campus Access and Success Grant guidelines. Programs may not receive funding from both EOPC and the Campus Access and Success Grant.

Compliance

Programs will comply with all applicable University, state, and federal policies, regulations, and laws. For example, an individual will not be denied “the opportunity to participate in or benefit from a University program or activity, or otherwise adversely [affect] a term or condition of an individual’s employment, education, or living environment, because of the individual’s age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, creed, service in the uniformed services (as defined in state and federal law), veteran status, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, physical or mental disability, gender, perceived gender, gender identity, genetic information or political ideas” (AD91).

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