Diversity and Inclusion Master Plan

Graduate Diversity Fellowship Program The College offers graduate fellowships to students who have been admitted to the OD program or to the graduate program and who will contribute to the diversity of the student body in these programs. This program assists students who demonstrate that they would contribute to the diversity of the student body, especially those who can establish that they have overcome a disadvantage or other impediment to success in higher education. Performance at SUNY Optometry SUNY Optometry offers a rigorous four-year lock-step curriculum, which includes didactic courses, laboratories, and clinic. Students must achieve passing grades in all courses before advancing to the next academic year. Students’ academic and clinical performance in the SUNY curriculum was analyze d to determine if there are differences in performance across race/ethnicity categories that need to be addressed (Table 16). Didactic, Clinical, Overall, and OTP data from the classes of 2013 until 2019 were used in this analysis; since the total number of students in certain categories is low, a larger sample was used to partially resolve sampling issues. In the didactic portion of the program, the average didactic GPA was 3.1, with International, White, and Asian students scoring the highest, 3.27, 3.16, and 3.04 respectively. Two or more races and URM students had the lowest performance, with average GPAs of 2.95 and 2.92, respectively (F[4,577]=4.6, p<.00). Performance of URMs was statistically significantly lower only when compared to International and White students. In regards to clinical performance, the overall GPA was 3.4, with International scoring 3.55, Whites 3.47, URM 3.43, and Asian 3.31. The differences between groups were statistically significant (F[3,385]=5.8, p<.00), with Asians scoring significantly lower than Whites and International. The average Overall GPA was 3.09, with International students scoring 3.23, Whites 3.15, Asians 3.02, URMs 2.92, and Two or More Races 2.82. Differences between categories was statistically significant (F[4, 577]=5.7, p<.00), with URM students scoring significantly lower compared to International and White students.

Table 16. Descriptive Data of Didactic, Clinical, Overall and OTP GPA by Ethnicity at SUNY Optometry

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