In an effort to provide institutions with tools to engage students around equity and student success issues, APLU this week released Powered by Publics Equity Roundtables: A Guide for Universities. The report is a how-to guide for institutions interested in deeply engaging students around taking steps to better support them and ensure their success. It is informed by the experience of four equity roundtables held last year that convened administrators and students from 20 public universities.

Why it matters: The roundtable format allows students to share ideas for resources, policy changes, and process improvements that will help them be successful at the university. The ultimate goal of the roundtables is to identify and address drivers of inequitable outcomes in student success.

How it works: This resource  provides comprehensive guidance on designing, planning, and convening equity roundtables. This includes topics related to:

• Recruiting and selecting student participants;
• Developing an agenda;
• Choosing facilitators;
• Creating inclusive spaces;
• What data to collect ahead of the session;
• Information collection during session; and
• Post-roundtable debriefing and evaluation.

The bottom line: The guide provides institutions an adaptable resource for hosting equity roundtables of their own to engage students and administrators in addressing barriers to equitable student success.