Help shape diversity-related initiatives by joining a work group
There is much work to be done at St. Thomas in the area of diversity. Therefore, I invite all interested faculty, staff, students and alumni to participate in organized diversity work-groups designed to give interested university stakeholders an opportunity to help shape institutional diversity-related initiatives.
These groups meet under the sponsorship of UDAC to deal with diversity-related tasks and/or issues specific to the core focus of revising the originally proposed Five-Year Diversity Plan. The Diversity Work Groups (DWGs) will study, formulate and recommend to the executive director of institutional diversity strategies to change, enhance, develop and execute diversity initiatives related to St. Thomas. In addition, DWGs will operate as sub-teams to UDAC; and, provide information, assistance and suggestions to UDAC. DWGs will abide by the rules, principles, and operations governing UDAC as described in the approved by-laws. There will be six DWGs:
- Institutional climate and inclusion
- Recruitment, retention and continuous improvement
- Curriculum infusion and transformation
- Diversity programs, training and education
- Diversity assessment and accountability
- Special Projects: Funding, outreach and communication
Each sub-group will be co-coordinated by two to three members from UDAC. UDAC will help organize and align DWG initiatives with other initiatives in the same focus area. The two types of sub-teams are task-focused and issue-focused.
Interested faculty, staff, students and alumni should contact Helen Hunter in the Office of Institutional Diversity to sign up for one or more of the six diversity work groups listed above no later than Friday, Feb. 17. The announcement of co-coordinators and charge for each group will be announced at the first meeting for each group. Meeting dates, times and locations are to be determined after work groups are finalized.
