In 2001, College of the Mainland approved the formation of the Multi-Cultural Team. The mission of the Multi-Cultural Team aims to foster the awareness and appreciation of diversity, multiculturalism, and global interdependence by sponsoring, supporting, and promoting educational and cultural events and activities on campus and in the communities of the college district. The Multi-Cultural Team believes in its vision that the awareness and appreciation of diversity, multiculturalism, and global interdependence are essential for quality education, progressive political change, and the development of a more inclusive and egalitarian society.

At its annual fall planning retreat, in 2002, the Board of Trustees identified goals to guide college planning and budgeting processes for 2003-2004. Included in those strategic goals, the Board sought to increase overall credit enrollment by 7% and overall minority enrollment to reflect Galveston County population, and increase the overall retention rate by 5%. At that time, the statistical profile of the College’s student demographics reflected 57.7% Caucasian; 19.3% African-American; 18.3% Hispanic, and 4.7% Other. The District demographics showed 60.4% Caucasian; 18.6% African-American; 18.6% Hispanic; and 2.4% Other. While the College’s student and District demographics closely corresponded to one another, the Faculty and Administrative Staff of the College did not.

Therefore, in the fall of 2003, the Vice President of Human Resources and the President of the College approved a personnel justification request to create a new position entitled Director of Diversity & Equity in Human Resources. The function of the new position was designed to direct, coordinate and evaluate recruitment programs for filling human resource vacancies and to support diversity initiatives at the College. In the spring of 2004, the Board of Trustees approved the Search & Selection Committee’s nomination and the position was filled in April of 2004.