Welcome to The Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. The office serves the School of Social Work by:
- Providing strategic leadership and expertise that enriches the experiences of individuals and builds stronger communities
- Supporting the efforts of units across the school to achieve their diversity, equity and inclusion goals.
- Collaborating with units across the school to develop student, faculty and staff programs and initiatives focused on social justice, anti-racism, anti-discrimination, racial healing, and culturally humble conduct
- Providing consultation on DEI related issues
- Promoting accountability
Some of our focus areas include:
- Campus Climate, Belonging and Community
- Training, Learning, and Professional Development
- Access, success and equity
- Curriculum, Instruction & Research
- Accountability
The School of Social Work DEI efforts are facilitated through the IDEA framework, which is comprised of the following four pillars. We strive to be:
- Inclusive where all community members feel a sense of belonging and where SSW is actively inviting the contribution and participation of all people.
- Diverse where we represent and appreciate the range of differences in our community
- Equitable where we seek to ensure fair treatment, equality of opportunity, and fairness in access to information and resources for all.
- Anti-racist and anti-oppressive actively identifying racist and oppressive behaviors, actions, policies, practices, and procedures and replace them with more inclusive and equitable ones.
By grounding our work in this framework, we focus on :
- Developing and engaging SSW departments and communities in opportunities that enhance campus climate and interpersonal communication.
- Better incorporating issues of equity, implicit bias, and cultural understanding in initiatives such as searches, onboarding, training, and exit interviews.
- Providing more educational opportunities for students, faculty, administrators, and staff across campus to learn more about diversity, equity, inclusion and anti-racism
- Strengthening community connectivity and support students, faculty, and staff as they work toward reaching personal and professional goals.
- Establishing and supporting affinity groups
- Engaging campus departments and programs in evaluating existing diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and efforts
- Assessing the use of communications tools to educate the community on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion; and then develop targets and tactics to improve overall outreach.