Unity Star
Distribution: All Without OPS and F
Spring 2015
Newsletter
Recap and Coming Soon
Last semester saw an array of wonderful activities for the Office of Diversity and Inclusion. We had a great time planning and preparing for Diversity Week. We had a historical guest speaker at the Diversity Breakfast, Mr. Julian Bond, as well as a record-breaking Retired U.S. Air Force pilot/author, Colonel Richard Toliver, at the fall DiversiTea. We also welcomed our new Chief Diversity Officer, Karen Morrison, to the UCF family. We want to thank every one of you that participated, presented, sat in the audience, and contributed to making this your Office of Diversity and Inclusion. As we initiate 2015, there will be numerous changes coming your way. We are introducing four new workshops this semester, and we welcome back Ms. Tee Rogers, who will be presenting Secular and Religious
Minority Awareness on February 25 and April 24. This semester we also will witness the revamping of the ODI website, and our very own Barbara Thompson has some great plans underway for the Summer Faculty Development Conference in May. We hope you join us!
Top left: Civil Rights Era Leader and American University Professor, Julian Bond, spoke at the 2014 Diversity Breakfast. Left: Mr. Bond with President Hitt and Dr. Schell. Top: Col. Richard Toliver signs a copy of his book immediately after his presentation in November. A copy of his book, An Uncaged Eagle, is available in the UCF Library.
A Message from our Chief Diversity Officer One month into my tenure as Chief Diversity Officer one thing is quite clear to me – the university leadership and community are committed to excellence and innovation. My hiring represents a new approach to developing an inclusive culture and structure. UCF has many programs designed to improve diverse representation and experience. My job is to support that work and bring cohesion to efforts as leaders in higher education diversity and inclusion. We are articulating our mission, vision and foundational work in new ways:
and interactions amongst community members. Respect for and inclusion of diverse voices
The mission of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion is to collaborate with the University of Central Florida community to advocate for and educate about the university’s goal of becoming more diverse and inclusive.
Recognizing that each of us is an intersection of many aspects of diversity emphasizes the complexity of our experiences and the need to develop a culture that appreciates difference and sees diversity as a strength in our role as educational leaders.
Our vision is to position UCF as a center of excellence that is nationally recognized as a higher education model for our diversity and inclusion practices, policies, and culture. UCF is strongest as a higher education institution, employer and community leader when we bring diverse thought and experience to our decision-making, teaching, research,
• Drive innovative thought and action; • Maximize the talent and contributions of faculty, staff and students;
• Improve recruitment and retention; and • Provide for a campus more representative of our constituents and Central Florida partners.
I invite you to participate in our trainings and events and contribute your unique experience to the success of UCF diversity and inclusion work.