Campus Efforts

Committee(s)

College-wide DEI Committee, fall 2021 will see this transition to a more broadly representative, elected Access, Equity, and Inclusion committee.

Strategy / Governance

One pillar of Strat Plan = Access, Equity, and Inclusion as Functional Catalysts. Bylaws for all units being reviewed or have already been revised with a focus on T&P criteria. A unified process for students to raise concerns is in the final stage of development.

Training

People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond continues to work with faculty and staff, both in short and long workshops.

Recruitment / Retention

Continuing model developed in 2018-19 utilizing provocateurs, meta-narrative and minimum qualifications that include promoting access/equity/inclusion and change. Staff Council is working to bring this model to staff hiring as well.

Research

Ryan Hope Travis awarded an Advancing Racial Justice grant from UF; Dr. Porchia Moore recovering plantation narratives from an anti-racist Museum Studies perspective; Dr. Imani Mosley destabilizing the relationship between classical music and white supremacy.

Curriculum

Adopted a form that can accompany all requested curricular changes that foregrounds how the change serves Access, Equity and Inclusion, form will roll out fall 2021. All units will be asked to develop process to review curricula with an eye to AEI; CAM has completed an Equity Audit of their curriculum.

Climate Survey

Black Arts Coalition (student group) worked with the DEI committee to distribute a survey. Results will be analyzed in the fall.

Communications

Theatre + Dance revised Student Handbook to surface how students can report concerns to the unit, the college, or the university.

Events

Gator Game Jam 2021 (co-hosts: Digital Worlds Institute, Department of Computer and Information Science, and Engineering) is focused on Anti-racism, Diversity, and Inclusion

Dean's Message

From the Desk of the Dean 

Awards / Recognition

Community

In partnership with members of the Porters Quarters and Sugar Hill communities, submitted successful ITN to City of Gainesville re occupancy of Old Firehouse on Main St. for cultural and community health.

Last Updated

July 2021

 https://dental.ufl.edu/files/2018/11/18-UFCD-Strategic-Plan-FINAL.pdf

https://dental.ufl.edu/about/administration/shared-governance/

Office of Student Advocacy and Inclusion, Financial Aid and HR received focused training on crisis intervention

Students participate in implicit bias presentations in orientation and again in the second semester of school. Faculty and staff are offered implicit bias training at various times throughout the year.

Admissions office has strengthened best practices for recruitment of Black students, adding Black student members to the committee and increasing student membership to our Admissions Outreach Ambassadors.  

Convened a powerhouse group from HSC to develop a proposal for the racial injustice seed fund- a first year Black pre-health cohort success program. Cohort begins in March 2021.

Created in partnership with local storytelling event company, Guts & Glory GNV, Black Voices in Research features a cast of five Black biomedical researchers and research professionals at UF. This event was designed to serve as a platform to amplify their stories, to bring awareness to the experiences that have shaped who they are and how their roles have evolved in their fields, and to build and enrich UF’s diverse research community. This event also aims to contribute to the growing discourses of diversity, equity and inclusivity in STEM that are currently taking place all over the world.

Assistant Dean for Student Advocacy and Inclusion has collaborated with the Office of Academic Affairs to examine best IDEA practices as it relates to the curriculum and the education of our students 

The IDEA Workgroup is in the process of developing an Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access (IDEA) Educational program where participants (faculty and staff) engage in an interactive multi-course sequence taught by UF faculty with extensive expertise in these topics. The goal is to provide a mechanism to further productive conversations and activities about diversity, equity and inequities within health care and health professions. This will also serve as a model for the continued enhancement of IDEA work within the dental curriculum having a positive impact on faculty, staff and students.

Conducting newly revised survey for students, faculty and staff this fall 

Living documents on website such as: Black Lives Matter in Academia and https://dental.ufl.edu/wordpress/files/2020/10/IDEA-Initiatives.pdf created cultural bulletins for hallways and on social media

Meeting with Black faculty to hear concerns/interests; Dr. Donna Parker presentation to first-year students on implicit bias and microaggressions, Black History month celebration: fundraiser for black-owned business, Black staff appreciation day, Instagram takeovers with topics like contributions to dentistry, diversity in dentistry and UFCD Black Alumni—who are they

 https://dental.ufl.edu/about/college-information/message-from-the-dean/

 HEED Award

The mission of Community Dentistry and Behavioral Science is to eliminate disparities in health status and access to health care services, promote optimal oral health, and prevent disease through our research, teaching and service.

Through our research, we strive to integrate behavioral, social, economic, and cultural factors into interdisciplinary multilevel studies of health. Experimental, epidemiologic, and clinical studies form the basis for the portfolio of current research on pain, oral cancer detection and prevention, tobacco use, access to care, as well as ethnic and gender health disparities.

March 2021

DCP Diversity Ambassadors; DCP Diversity Committee (meets monthly); Equity Committee formed in the School of Architecture

IDEA final plan approved fall 2020 

Racial Equity and Inclusion Workshop (10/28/2020 and 1/28/2021); School of Architecture Diversity Workshop (9/14/2020)

Hired a Black female as an assistant professor at the School of Architecture

 Multiple Master Research Projects at the School of Architecture are focusing on IDEA topics this semester.

Some Architectural Studios focus on IDEA; 2^nd Year Interior Design Studio focusing on IDEA; Discussion about Diversity Statement in the syllabus.

Climate Survey for faculty and staff planned for fall 2021

Diversity Ambassadors student organization are expanding to include the entire University of Florida Colleges. Many students are invited from other colleges and joined the last meeting. They are working on scaling out their mission, vision, and bylaws.

Diversity Ambassadors have started speaker series this semester:

        March 8^th 5:00pm

Alexa Brainard, an inspirational deaf woman whose primary research is through DeafScape

• March 26th 5:00pm
• A April 23rd 5:00pm

Keith Bostick, Deputy Director of Broward County Sheriff Office

Erika Correa, Psychologist to talk mental health in college students.

 Also, Diversity Ambassadors held weekly office hours for anyone to join and discuss any IDEA related issues.

 IDEA Symposium planned for Fall 2021

UF DCP Family Stands United 

February 2021

Committee(s)

Three IDEA Committees (museum-wide, Natural History department, and Cultural Plaza) 

Strategy / Governance

IDEA committee reports to Director; participates in strategic planning and other initiatives, including redrafting mission, vision, values, code of conduct (2021)

Training

Ongoing training options for staff; Lunch and Learn series 

Recruitment / Retention

Report and recommendations on equitable recruitment and hiring practices (drafted Oct 2020); iDigTRiO Biological Sciences Career Conference & Fair and career mentoring for high school students and undergraduates to recruit diverse students into STEM fields (Feb 2021; https://www.idigtrio.org/); Formed fund to support student diversity (Aug 2020); active IDEA recruitment efforts for faculty and staff positions

Research

Ongoing research on broadening participation in STEM learning, increasing diversity in museums, reaching more diverse audiences through online learning, documenting Florida’s Indigenous history; ongoing work with numerous indigenous tribes to document museum collections and comply with NAGPRA

Curriculum

Science and Me science communication course (Creative B 2020); Collections Management Course guest lecture on gender and museum collections (Oct 2020; College of the Arts); expanded readings and discussions in Introduction to Research and Curation in Natural History Museums course (College of Liberal Arts & Sciences); Museum Ethics course (ongoing; College of the Arts)

Climate Survey

Climate survey (July 2020); two listening sessions (July/Aug 2020); climate report (Aug 2020)

Communications

Indigenous Peoples’ Day social media statement (Oct 2020); Exhibition series with social justice messaging: Earth’s Forecast: Hurricanes and Climate Change (7/1/2020-11/29/2020); Room to Grow (opened 12/2020); Environmental justice (date TBD). Black History Month (2/21) Fort Mose exhibit

Events

Programming for public audiences: LGBTQ+ in STEM (10/19/19); Viva Museum! Cafecito Científico (9/12/20); Lab Blitz with women scientists in their labs (9/19/20); Fieldwork Fails storytelling event with women scientists (9/24/20); Invited Speaker: Dr. Porchia Moore, The Great Fire: Museums in Transition (10/2/20); Big Read Meetup: Lab Girl (10/13/20, 11/17/20, 1/12/21); Big Read Meetup: Evelyn the Adventurous Entomologist (1/30/21); Girls Do Science (2/13/21); Public keynote: Emily Graslie (2/19/21); Public keynote: Robin Wall Kimmerer (3/18/21); Earth Day public keynote: Audrey Peterman (4/22/21); Fort Mose panelist series (7/21); Black in Natural History Museums (10/17-23/21)

Dean's Message

  https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/about/support-blm/?utm_source=fet&utm_medium=blm&utm_campaign=hm

Awards / Recognition

Community

Summer camp programs for underserved youth in partnership with community organizations (ongoing); Science Surprises for after-school programs with underserved youth (ongoing); Museum in the Parks (began Fall 2020); Pop-Up Museum program (ongoing); free school field trips to the museum for all Alachua County fourth graders (ongoing)

Last Updated

October  2021

HHP Dean’s I.D.E.A. Council

IDEA-Council - College of Health and Human Performance (ufl.edu)

Christine Wegner (SPM Representative)

Daniel Rogers (THEM Representative)

Linda Nguyen (APK Representative)

Meredith Berry (HEB Representative)

Rachel Fu (Council Chair & Campus Diversity Liaison)

Beth Barton (Ex Officio Member)

Strategy / Governance

The HHP Dean’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Access (IDEA) Council, composed of department representatives and college leadership, aims to create a more inclusive environment, increase diversity of its community, promote equity for all persons, and provide open access to College resources.

The council will promote IDEA efforts across the college by addressing four goals:

• Share information on IDEA activities to facilitate work among HHP units
• Increase faculty and staff awareness of IDEA issues by promoting communication
• Coordinate with the University on IDEA policies, procedures and initiatives
• Advise the college leadership on IDEA-related opportunities and emerging issues

Training

Faculty and Staff participation in Crucial Conversations; faculty and staff to complete IDI spring 2021

Recruitment / Retention

IDEA training for faculty and staff hiring, begin data tracking re Interfolio; participate in ABRCMS minority student recruitment; participate in UF recruitment fairs fir URM and first-gen students initiatives - College of Health and Human Performance (ufl.edu)

http://hhp.ufl.edu/about/idea/initiatives/

Reports and Plans

http://hhp.ufl.edu/articles/2021/idea-council-update.html

The council created a report (.pdf) outlining its accomplishments and plans for the upcoming school year at the end of the year meeting this past May.

Curriculum

Discussion of new course and or incorporating IDEA and critical race theory / anti-racism into existing courses

Climate Survey

2020 HHP’s Student Climate Survey completed

Communications

Updated inclusion Inclusion - College of Health and Human Performance (ufl.edu); content is incorporated into newsletters and social media  News - College of Health and Human Performance (ufl.edu) 

Events

MARCH 1, 2021

https://calendar.ufl.edu/#!view/event/date/20210301/event_id/21703

FROM GAINESVILLE TO THE WHITE HOUSE - CELEBRATIONS THROUGH EVENTS

The Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute and Dept. of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management in the College of Health and Human Performance is presenting to you Mondays with EFTI.Talk.

Chynna Clayton

Barack and Michelle Obama’s Director of Travel and Event Operations and Body Woman to Michelle Obama

 https://youtu.be/VCdKg-RZxYg

March 15, 2021

https://calendar.ufl.edu/#!view/event/event_id/21751

The Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute and Dept. of Tourism, Hospitality & Event Management, and HHP Dean’s IDEA Council in the College of Health and Human Performance are presenting to you Mondays with EFTI.Talk and HHP’s IDEA.Talk.

Panelist for March 15, 2021 event

Panelists (pictured left to right):

Jodi Gentry, Vice President, UF Human Resources

 Tonjanita Johnson, Ph.D., Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic & Student Affairs at the University of Alabama System

 Shirley Raines, Ed.D., President Emerita of the University of Memphis

 https://youtu.be/YBvMNQge3FU

IDEA Council, Dept Chairs, and Interested individuals met various times in Spring/Summer 2021) to prepare further and in-depth IDEA plans strategically.

Dean's Message

Letter from the Dean; Video message.

Awards / Recognition

The college awards the initiatives - College of Health and Human Performance (ufl.edu) to recognize students who have made outstanding contributions toward fostering IDEA in the community

Community

The college, its students, faculty and staff support programs that include IDEA components, including Aces in Motion, Girls with Nerve, National Biomechanics Day and the School Health Interdisciplinary Program (SHIP).

Last Updated

January 2022

Committee(s)

IFAS wide & Department level committees

Strategy / Governance

Nature Coast Biological Station-Established an NCBS DEI Committee to strategize and enact DEI efforts.

1. Create annual DEI strategic plans developed in conjunction with all members of our organization to outline ongoing and planned efforts with measurable outcomes that will be assessed for success at the end of each calendar year.

• Created an NCBS Code of Conduct for the station that is widely distributed and posted throughout the station and which has been and will continue to be shared with any outside partners assisting with research, teaching, and extension.

Agricultural& Biological Engineering-modified our exit questionnaire to include IDEA questions in order to gauge the IDEA climate from students’ perspectives, which can be used to devise further strategies to address them.  Our departmental liaison has been participating in meetings with HWCOE IDEA Committee.

Microbiology and Cell Science-2021 DEI Plan. increase compositional diversity in the MCS department to more closely reflect the state of FL. & provide a more inclusive environment in the MCS department. We understand that these two goals are interrelated self-reinforcing; the actions we propose below are meant to achieve both objectives. 

Training

IFAS wide- IFAS Championing Diversity Equity and Inclusion Course. 12 courses offered.

Animal Science-Participation in the University Multicultural Mentor Program: 4 faculties have advised 14 students (2018-2022).UF Certificate in Multicultural Mentoring: 2 faculty.UF WOMEN LEAD: 1 faculty serving as a mentor of one student (2021-2022). IFAS Championing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: 5 faculty have completed this program

Nature Coast Biological Station-NCBS DEI Workshop Series: host regular DEI information and discussion meetings. These can have a variety of formats: e.g., guest speakers, group-led discussions, paper discussions, talks, etc. and be closed to only NCBS affiliates or open to a wider variety of participants. NCBS DEI meetings take place at minimum quarterly. As of April 2022, we have hosted 12 meetings attended by 15–45 people each on a variety of topics including: mental health and well-being; diversity benefits to research; safety concerns related to race, gender, sexual orientation, and other issues; obstacles to recruiting and retaining women faculty; accessibility through universal design; socioeconomic status and education impacts; transgender inclusion; and mentoring.

Develop and compile materials addressing DEI definitions, protocols, practices, and historical contexts, particularly for the sciences and natural resources for the benefit of members of our group. As of April 2022, we have compiled over 100 articles, resources, and documents on a wide variety of DEI topics, accessible to anyone from our group on the NCBS Team in Microsoft Teams.

Agricultural & Biological Engineering- first IDEA-themed luncheon (see Events), participants watched a presentation and discussed about intersectionality.

 Microbiology & Cell Science- recognized the need for in-house trained mentorship for DEI issues. One of our members is in the process of obtaining certification in multicultural mentoring through the UF Office of the Provost, the UF Office of the Chief Diversity Officer, and the International Mentoring Association. Educating ourselves in the field of DEI, through attending workshops, seminars, meetings reading books and articles on the topic. We have taken the responsibility for learning about racism and implicit bias, and understanding BIPOC histories, to be prepared and empowered in eliminating systemic racism in higher education. 

Recruitment / Retention

Animal Science-Beginning in 2016 and currently, The Department of Animal sciences established "The summer research internship program for underrepresented undergraduate students from 1890 Land-grant Universities". The program was designed to introduce students to research in the Animal Sciences and Agronomy Departments and make them aware of opportunities to continue their education in the Animal Sciences and Agronomy graduate programs. Students attending Florida A&M University, Fort Valley State University, and North Carolina A&T University have conducted research and presented their findings during our summer internship program. Our goal is to seek funding to expand our reach to additional students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). In 2019, the Department of Agronomy became partners with the Department of Animal Sciences in the internship program. In 2020, the program was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, and in 2021 we restarted the program again. So far, we have received 17 students. Some of them are now graduate students in our Department. This year, we have several candidates, and the graduate committee is working on matching them with the most appropriate advisor.

In 2021 Dr. Pete Hansen was awarded one USDA Food, and Agricultural Sciences National Needs Graduate and Postgraduate Fellowship (NNF) grant. This grant aimed to create a new concentration in reproductive biotechnologies in our Department. This grant includes six fellowships for master's students. In the proposal, we committed 3 of these fellowships to students from URM. Those students were recruited and started they graduate programs last fall. 

Nature Coast Biological Station-Include NCBS DEI Mission Statement in all in job postings and provide resources for recommended inclusive recruitment and hiring practices on the NCBS Team in Microsoft Teams.

The UF/IFAS NCBS Undergraduate Internship Program occurs annually and sponsors around 8–15 undergraduate interns for six weeks paired with UF faculty and state/federal agency partners conducting research and extension efforts throughout the Nature Coast region of Florida. For the 2022 cohort, we connected with Florida A&M University (a Historically Black University) School for the Environment to create a dedicated summer internship position at NCBS for one of their students. We also created one OPS summer position to extend the duration of one of our summer internship positions to ensure more equitable access for applicants who may need more secure funding for the whole summer as opposed to just six weeks in order to participate.

Microbiology &Cell Science- implemented a logo, designed by students, which emphasizes our commitment to diversity

Research

Nature Coast Biological Station- outreach metrics: implement a tracking system for all outreach and extension conducted by NCBS to more comprehensively record the number and type of outreach events and participation. We will assess socioeconomic representation using publicly available resources, such as the Alachua County list of Title 1 schools, along with other metrics such as geographic spread.

Curriculum

Nature Coast Biological Station-NCBS syllabi reviews: encourage NCBS-affiliated faculty and visiting classes to perform annual syllabi reviews to implement inclusive and welcoming language, create equity-minded syllabi, and present ‘hidden figures’ of science regularly in the classes they teach. We provide inclusive syllabus resources on the NCBS Team in Microsoft Teams.

Climate Survey

Animal Science-The Department started planning the first Diversity Climate Survey in 2020. After several meetings of the IDEA committee and receiving feedback from the faculty body, we launched the survey on April 5, 2021. Our survey aimed to explore the sense of IDEA in our Department. We include undergrad and graduate students, OPS employees, post-docs, Teams/salaried employees, and faculties. The results of this survey were published in the ANS newsletter "have you heard" (Spring 2022) and may be accessed via the following link: https://animal.ifas.ufl.edu/about/alumni--friends/ 

Nature Coast Biological Station- Created an anonymous survey at the beginning of our organized DEI efforts in 2020 to ask people to report on their personal experiences and expectations for changes they wished to see.

Agricultural & Biological Engineering-students participated in the HWCOE climate survey

Communications

Animal Science-The department update is sent to everyone in our Department once a month. We start a new section called "All colors of Animal Science". This section has been used to promote awareness in IDEA, commemorate important dates, and recognize individuals that contribute to our Department. We prepared a calendar of the upcoming sections and assign a member of the IDEA committee as responsible.

Nature Coast Biological Station-NCBS staff meetings: discuss DEI topics and specifically safety related to diverse identities at every monthly staff meeting.

1. NCBS Teams DEI channel: established a DEI channel on the NCBS Team in Microsoft Teams for sharing resources, making announcements, and celebrating accomplishments.
2. NCBS DEI webpage: created a highly visible page on the NCBS website devoted to DEI. This page includes our DEI mission statement, a summary of our DEI strategic plan, and contact information for the DEI faculty liaison, DEI committee members, and other colleagues working on DEI at the station.
3. NCBS newsletter: include a write-up of DEI events and/or progress made in at least one of our monthly newsletters per year. 
4. NCBS reports: include a write-up of DEI events and/or progress made in our annual report and other public or administration reports
5. Safety guidelines and recommendations: include and regularly discuss risks for people with diverse identities in field and lab safety guidelines, such as the importance of group field work and intervention strategies.
6. Accessibility in communications: provide closed captioning, transcripts, or other written options of any video or audio media created by NCBS; hosted an informational workshop on creating accessible PDFs and PowerPoints; ensure website media is accessible with alt-text

Agricultural & Biological Engineering- highlighted our faculty members on our social media platforms to celebrate Black History Month and Women’s History Month.

Events

Nature Coast Biological Station-Undergraduate career development: host an annual workshop for our undergraduate research interns on job and graduate school applications and CVs; will also host a natural resources and research career panel beginning in 2022. NCBS DEI Workshop Series: host regular DEI information and discussion meetings. These can have a variety of formats: e.g., guest speakers, group-led discussions, paper discussions, talks, etc. and be closed to only NCBS affiliates or open to a wider variety of participants. NCBS DEI meetings take place at minimum quarterly. As of April 2022, we have hosted 12 meetings attended by 15–42 people each on a variety of topics including: mental health and well-being; diversity benefits to research; safety concerns related to race, gender, sexual orientation, and other issues; obstacles to recruiting and retaining women faculty; accessibility through universal design; socioeconomic status and education impacts; transgender inclusion; and mentoring.

Agricultural & Biological Engineering-March 28, 2022, we organized our department’s first IDEA-themed luncheon, where students, staff, and faculty participated in IDEA activities (e.g., completing their identify wheel) and discussed IDEA issues.  It was a great way to start the dialogue about diversity and inclusion within the department.

Dean's Message

Dr. Angle’s IFAS message addresses DEI

Awards / Recognition

Animal Science -Dr. Raluca Mateescu received the 2022 UF/IFAS Diversity Difference Maker Award. This is in recognition of her substantial efforts to promote a climate of diversity and inclusion within our Department.

Dr. Carissa Wickens was awarded a University Multicultural Mentor Program (UMMP) Best Mentor Award. Carissa has mentored four students from this program.

Dr. Angela Gonella, Chair of the IDEA committee, was chosen as the Chair of the Diversity Committee of the Society for the Study of Reproduction. She will start her period ad chair in the fall/2022.

.

Community

 Nature Coast Biological Station-NCBS graduate student mentorship program: designate at least one graduate student mentor per academic year for incoming graduate students who will provide resources, advice, and host social events, as well as to serve as a point of contact in the event new students have any concerns.

1. NCBS new staff and student orientation: host a NCBS new student and staff orientation once per year that includes an overview of the lab, our code of conduct, guest speakers, and introductions to important City Officials that frequently visit the station, including the Cedar Key chief of police and a council member.
2. NCBS mentoring programs in the wider community: establish connections with the Santa Fe College Center of Excellence, Trio Santa Fe College Upward Bound, or other similar organizations to determine if we could be of any assistance in their efforts to increase quality education opportunities to underprivileged students.
3. Improving NCBS inclusion and accessibility: provide official nametags and identifying clothing unique to the station to any new members working at the station per recommended safety practices for people from marginalized identities; designated all four restrooms at the NCBS station as all-gender restrooms and promoting their existence to UF's LGBTQ+ community to ensure anyone is able to access a safe restroom regardless of their gender identity and presentation while in Cedar Key; designated a space for breastfeeding mothers at the station to ensure access to a safe and hygienic breastfeeding room while in Cedar Key; assess compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act for facilities, improve where necessary, and exceed compliance standards when possible, through station-wide discussions, brainstorming, and research to generate a working document of areas for improvement to use as funding or opportunities become available; have hosted two broad discussion sessions on accessibility so far and hosted a guest informational session by the UF Disability Resources Center.

Last Updated

May 2022

Committee(s) 

A staff task force for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) was created in Summer 2020. 

Strategy / Governance 

The goals of the IDEA task force are: (1) To create a more inclusive environment for UFIC’s diverse staff by improving knowledge of IDEA concepts. (2) To improve services for UFIC’s constituencies through the creation of educational opportunities and concrete initiatives for the advancement of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity & Access. (3) To support the University of Florida’s mission to advance representation, inclusion, opportunity and accountability as stated in the The Decade Ahead plan. (4) To offer UFIC staff opportunities to reflect and learn in response to President Fuchs’s summer 2020 calls for reflection and education on racism. 

Training 

The IDEA task force regularly offers trainings on IDEA topics for UFIC staff. Previous training sessions include:

• Diversity, equity, and inclusion in education abroad (Summer 2020)
• Social identity & Harro’s cycle of socialization (Fall 2020)
• “Inclusive Gators Use Pronouns” workshop, in collaboration with MCDA (Summer 2021)

Recruitment / Retention 

Research 

Collaboration with faculty leading study abroad programs to conduct research on Black student experiences abroad. (A proposal was submitted to the UF Racial Justice Research Fund. Although it was not funded, plans to conduct parts of the proposed research are underway). 

Curriculum 

Module on inclusive teaching and strength-based learning developed for faculty development program on curriculum internationalization.  

Climate Survey 

UFIC administers a climate survey to UF undergraduates every year to measure students' beliefs and attitudes towards other cultures.

Communications 

Since August 2020, the following communication infrastructure has been created: 

• Inclusion of IDEA on the agenda of monthly UFIC staff meetings
• A quarterly newsletter for staff on IDEA concepts, related local events, and resources
• A suggestion box allowing staff to provide feedback and ideas for IDEA events and initiatives
• An in-office bulletin board which highlights upcoming IDEA events and displays a heritage calendar updated each month
• An internal archive of UFIC IDEA activities and resources
• A new webpage for study abroad students which highlights diversity and identity-based information

Events 

• Town Hall to address international student concerns (July 2020)
• “Race & History at UF” webinar, in collaboration with UF Libraries (February 2021)
• Values workshop, connecting UFIC staff’s personal values, work values, and IDEA values (Spring 2022)

• Book Club: Social Justice and International Education: Research, Practice, and Perspectives, NAFSA, 2020 (Spring 2021)
• “Why The Help Doesn’t Help” film discussion (Summer 2021)
• Environmental justice discussion (Spring 2022)

Dean's Message 

  The World is Watching Us  

Awards / Recognition 

The International Center recognizes outstanding international students every year at the International Student Award ceremony.   

Community 

Last updated

May 2022

Faculty Diversity and Community Relations Committee (with student and staff representation); Student Bar Assn Diversity Committee; Student affinity groups: APALSA, BLSA, CaribLaw, CABA, LLSA, OutLaw, LAW; Faculty Race and Law Curriculum Committee

Roadmap for Racial Justice; Faculty and Staff Anti-racism Resolution 

Mandatory IDEA training for students (as part of Intro to Law for 1L students) 

IDEA training for faculty and staff search committees; outreach efforts for URM students including HCBUs; HBCUs graduates endowed scholarship ($1.1M); Admissions team collaborating with UF MCDA on student info sessions

Racial Justice Research Assistant Corps; Florida Law Schools’ Consortium for Racial Justice Fellows; Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations; individual faculty scholarship in the areas of constitutional law, anti-trust, property, artificial intelligence, and other subject areas

Race and Law Curriculum Committee continue work to develop stand-alone courses and/or integrate anti-racism into existing courses; small group workshop held; At least 7 courses offered that are race-based/race-related

 LSSSE (Law School Survey of Student Engagement) 2020 Law School Report – including the Inclusiveness & Engagement with Diversity module; internal climate survey being development for fall 2021 roll-out

Diversity at UF Law webpage

Faculty Diversity and Community Relations Committee meets regularly with student affinity groups, students offer input for faculty workshops/trainings and feedback on student experience; Florida Law Schools’ Consortium for Racial Justice inaugural event – “Civil Rights Litigation and Coalition Building in the 21^st Century Froum”; Student Town Halls in June and August 2020; Faculty and Staff Town Hall June 2020; Center for the Study of Race and Race Relations Summer Webinar Series on Racial Justice (topics include Choke Hold, Mandated courses on race and racism, Law Firms in a Post-Floyd World 

Standing Together Against Tragedy 

March 2021

Committee(s)

Graduate Student DEI; the ELI established a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Focus Group (now a Standing Committee); Psychology has a department level DEI Committee and a graduate student run Diversity Awareness and Affirmation Committee, DAAC; Psych, Black in Community Support Group; Academic Advising, Inclusion and Equity Working Group

Strategy / Governance

CLAS is currently conducting a national search for an Associate/ Assistant Dean for DEI.  We have engaged the services of an Executive Search Firm, Isaacson Miller.

We are also conducting searches for 5 tenure track positions in African American Studies, including a position in Artificial Intelligence.

Mary Watt has been invited to serve on the UF Task Force on Fairness and Equity in Assessment

Training

Sponsoring two faculty members to attend NCFDD Faculty Success Program

Recruitment / Retention

Chemistry submitted preproposal to become an ACS Bridge Site (aimed to increase # of URM PhDs in Chem); College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is putting together a working group on transfer admissions, to consider how the college might conduct more effective student outreach and/or partner with state colleges to promote a diverse transfer student population.

Hired two tenure track professors (one at the Assistant level and one at the Associate level) and two lecturers in African American Studies.

Research

Advancing Racial Justice Grants

• Sharon Austin: Recruitment, Retention, of Black Faculty
• David Canton: Research, Education and Transformation: Furthering Investigation of the University of Florida and its Legacies to Indigenous Removal and Slavery
• Brenda Chalfin: Black Students Sharing Stories for an Equitable UF
• Ellen Davis: Cultivating equity in STEM classrooms at UF: A multidisciplinary collaboration to create a training course in inclusive, antiracist teaching practices for Learning Assistants (LAs) in STEM courses

Curriculum

Psych DAAC created mentorship program for URM incoming students; • PSY2012 General Psychology committee looking at racist history of teaching of IQ; “Beyond120” program of professional development, experiential learning, and career readiness for CLAS undergraduate students has begun a systematic review of equity and inclusion issues in programming; Academic advising updating for-credit professional development curriculum to explicitly address issues of racism and prejudice

Climate Survey

Chemistry Graduate Student DEI Committee conducted climate survey of students; Geological Science climate survey planned for Oct; Psych DAAC conducted climate survey of grad students 

Communications

Geological Sci: regular email comm re DEI in Earth Sci

Events

Center for Humanities in the Public Sphere: Catherine D’Ignazio (MIT, data feminism) in January 2021, Ruha Benjamin (Princeton, racial bias in AI) in Feb 2021, and Sylvester Johnson (Virginia Tech, racial history and cybernetics) in April 2021; October: Event 1, UF Classics and Sunoikisis Digital Classics Consortium: Decolonizing Cultural Heritage through Digital Classics;  

"A Philosophical Forum on Racial Justice,” Dr. Tom Auxter and Dr. Arina Pismenny discuss the roots and the current manifestations of systemic racism exacerbated by the pandemic, reflecting on the Black Lives Matter movement, and ways to combat racism in our own backyards. October 29, 6pm - 8pm

Webinar: 2021 CLAS State of Diversity & Inclusion

Wednesday, April 28 • 2:00 - 3:00 pm

“Join us for an update on the College of Liberal Arts and Science’s diversity and inclusion initiatives. As we close out the academic year, learn about the next steps we plan to take as a college toward providing an inclusive educational and work experience for all”.

Dean's Message

Racial Justice and the Power of Education 

Awards / Recognition

Delia Steverson, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of English, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, was recognized as a Career Enhancement Fellow by The Institute for Citizens & Scholars. This distinguished fellowship, funded by The Andrew. Mellon Foundation, seeks to increase the presence of faculty members committed to eradicating racial disparities in core fields in the arts and humanities.

Community

Alexandra Cenatus, the Humanities Center's Assistant Director for Programming and Public Engagement, received a Florida Humanities Council grant to work with the City of Gainesville Office of Equity and Inclusion to host a 10-part virtual speaker and workshop series that shares the African, Latin American, and Asian diasporas in Gainesville and ongoing issues of food equity and farmworker justice in North Central Florida. 

Last Updated

July 2021

Committee(s) 

Smathers Libraries DEIJ Committee (meets biweekly) 

Health Science Center Library Diversity and Inclusion Team 

Strategy / Governance 

UF Libraries Strategic Directions: Strategic Directions 4 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 

Training 

In collaboration with the Libraries Training Program, DEIJ Committee, and DEIJ Curriculum Project Team to host the DEIJA Definition Series. 

Faculty Mentoring Series which includes a session on Cultivating Supportive and Inclusive Mentoring Relationships. 

Library Employee Group Discussion of the book, Knowledge Justice: disrupting library and information studies through critical race theory.  

Recruitment / Retention 

Implementing and assessing recently launched DEI Screening and Selection Rubric which accompanies the DEIJ Question Bank for faculty and staff searches 

Changes to search processes to be more inclusive for trans candidates 

Research 

Actively encouraging proposals to the Advancing Racial Justice through Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access at the University of Florida program 

Revitalizing the Digital Library of the Caribbean: 4/1/2022 – 3/31/2026 

$2,000,000 awarded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for a project to build and sustain the Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC)  

Curriculum 

Climate Survey 

Continued application of plans and projects based developed based on ClimateQUAL, with initiatives such as a staff mentoring program, a staff assembly, and DiSC trainings  

Communications 

The Libraries DEIJ Committee maintains the Upcoming Events calendar that provides events on DEI geared towards librarianship and higher education. 

Events and communications for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Haitian Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, Emancipation Day - Florida (May 20), LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Caribbean American Heritage Month, Juneteenth (June 19), and ADA Anniversary (ADA Act enacted 7/26/90) 

Events 

Events and communications for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Haitian Heritage Month, Jewish American Heritage Month, Mental Health Awareness Month, Emancipation Day - Florida (May 20), LGBTQ+ Pride Month, Caribbean American Heritage Month, Juneteenth (June 19), and ADA Anniversary (ADA Act enacted 7/26/90) 

Dean's Message 

Awards / Recognition 

Community 

Last updated 

May 2022 

JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion) Task Force to assess race and racism in the climate and curriculum of UFCOM; Bias in Assessment Task Force--faculty, administration and students evaluate concerns of racial bias in evaluation of med students

COM strategic plan including seven pillars, of which Diversity, Equity and Inclusion stands as the fourth pillar.

Implicit Bias / microaggression training with various constituents including admissions, academic status committee, 1st year and 3rd year medical student orientation

Keys to Success Mentorship Program, Accepted Students Weekend(ASW), Resident Recruitment

Collaboration on Racial Justice fund grant (HSC CDLs), NIH R25 Underrepresented and Underserved Undergraduate Students for Early Medical Research Exposure grant proposal 

Review of medical school curriculum for racial bias and addressing racism and bias in medicine.

Survey of incoming 1st year on social equity and sense of belonging; survey of URM faculty, residents and fellows on "Personal Impact of COVID-19"; underway; sense of belonging survey for faculty, staff, students and administrators at UF Shands Pediatric Hospital 

Doctor Gator – COM online magazine featuring Diverse physician stories and experiences, distribution of COM Diversity, Equity and Inclusion events happening HSC wide.

Pediatric Grand Rounds presentation, "Living Lives as Black Americans: Lessons from Our Very Own Department"; upcoming Neurology Grand Rounds presentation "Improving Care for All Patients: The Role of Mitigating Bias"; ongoing town halls with students, residents, fellows and faculty to address wellbeing; COM Diversity Week April 5-10 highlights: *Kick-Off Event: Dean’s Grand Rounds; key note speaker David Acosta, M.D., CDO AAMC ; “Emerging as Equity-Minded Academic Health Centers: The Third Dimension to Achieve Excellence.”

*First Generation Medical Student Panel with presentations from first generation medical students

*Honoring LGBTQIA+ Health Stories Panel from clinicians and prominent community leaders.

*ICHP-Pediatrics Research Day: “COVID-19 and Racism: Our Children are Watching” presented by Tina Cheng, M.D., MPH

*Health & Medicine Graduate Diversity Symposium Keynote Address: “The Power of Courage” by Dr. Reuben Brigety II, President and Vice-Chancellor of University of the South& son of one of the first African American UFCOM graduates, Reuben Brigety, M.D.

*Culminating Event: The: Emerald Ball: welcome address; Dean Koch, Keynote address by alumna Yolanda Hendley, M.D. ’05, MSc., FACC, director of the Cardiac catheterization lab and director of echocardiography at Partners Cardiovascular Health in Wilmington, Delaware; “Planting a Seed; the Power of Representation, Service and Mentorship in Underserved Communities.”

*Upcoming:

*Alumni Series featuring Gary Gomez, M.D., ’02; MBA., ’17: “MY TRAINING JOURNEY: Making the Most of Medical School Challenges.”

*Office of Educational Affairs Faculty Development Series – UF Health Jacksonville featuring Donna m. Parker, M.D., Associate Dean for the Office for Diversity & Health Equity, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics: “HEALTH EQUITY: Closing the Gap.”

Our newsletter for the College of Medicine community – A news letter from the Dean featuring various achievements, awards, upcoming events, plans; including the COM strategic development plan, ongoing activities, new developments and updates.

*2021 UFCOM Graduation featuring the first Black speaker and UFCOM alumna, Alma Littles, M.D., ‘86

*UFCOM – GME Diversity Champion Award spearheaded by Dr. Julia Close

UFCOM student diversity liaisons: building community awareness on race, inequity, health disparities through event series within their peer communities and through community outreach beyond the university.

May 2021

HSC Jacksonville IDEA Advisory Council and IDEA Champions Committees

Enacted a new policy that prohibits discrimination and harassment based on race, color, creed, religion, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, age, disability political opinions or affiliations, genetic information and veteran status. Patient, family or visitor requests, actions, comments or behaviors that conflict with UF Health values will not be tolerated and may result in termination of care.

Policy A-01-077 includes the following:

• Guidance on how to address a patient who displays discriminatory behavior against staff
• Circumstances when a patient can be reassigned
• Reporting requirements for any instance meeting the policy criteria
• Support for affected staff

All faculty, staff and residents are required to complete the Implicit Bias training by 1/31/2021; Implicit Bias in Healthcare: Does It Affect Health Equity?, August 24, 2021; lecture provided as a core topic of the Educational Development Certificate Program 

Recruitment efforts for URM students, residents, and faculty are ongoing

Center for Health Equity and Engagement Research (CHEER)

One of the main strategic priorities for the University of Florida Health Science Center-Jacksonville Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and ACCESS (IDEA) is to promote research that advance health equity. In effort to accomplish that important strategic priority, CHEER was recently established as a collaborative effort between the Office of Research and The Dean’s Office for Inclusion and Equity. CHEER aligns with the larger institutional IDEA initiatives and the research mission to advance high impact research activities on the Jacksonville campus in a financially responsible and accountable manner.

The Center’s directors (Dr. Lori Bilello and Dr. Fern Webb) report to Dr. Alexander Parker, Senior Associate Dean for Research and Dr. Madeline Joseph Associate Dean for Inclusion and Equity to ensure alignment with the ORA and the institutional IDEA research priorities and resources. Drs. Bilello and Webb provide day-to-day management and leadership for CHEER and supervise a research administrator who will provide administrative support and supervise any other staff associated with the center (community health workers, research coordinators). The co-medical directors (TBD) will assist in identifying and mentoring clinicians who have an interest in health equity research and provide leadership to the CHEER Research Collaborative.

CHEER serves as the coordinating and supporting center for research focused on health equity, stakeholder engagement, and community health/population health improvement initiatives and evaluation research. CHEER builds on a longstanding University commitment to promoting health equity research using practice-based and community engagement models.  CHEER will focus on investigating new or emerging approaches to address health equity research as well as evaluating the grants that address heath inequities. By leveraging a focused collaborative approach supported by the PCORI Engagement Award, CHEER will engage researchers, clinicians, patients and community members to (1) better understand the social determinants of health (SDOH) and underlying causes of health inequities that impact our patients and the community, (2) design interventions to mitigate them and (3) disseminate findings on a national, regional, state and community levels. Related to this, patient-centered strategies will expand UF Health Science Center and UF Health’s ability to build heath equity and community responsive research capacity by incorporating patient and stakeholder perspectives and involvement in our research enterprise.

CHEER leverages UF’s unique resources within the HSC and university-wide campuses to implement Diversity and Health Equity Research Initiatives. This is critical to catalyze ongoing and new health equity research to support the UFHSC-Jacksonville in their mission to promote health equity research to close the gaps in health disparities for all patients and in our community. As a result, CHEER will improve health, especially in underserved populations by conducting interdisciplinary research and providing education to empower individuals, clinicians, organizations, and communities to practice and promote healthier behaviors and to improve the social and environmental factors that negatively influence health.

CHEER Research Collaborative: From a UF Health enterprise perspective, CHEER will collaborate with the Urban Health Alliance of Jacksonville to implement and evaluate research to promote health equity, a primary mission of the Alliance. The Center will also work closely with UFHSC-Jax faculty, UFHSC-Gainesville (e.g. UF CTSI, College of Pharmacy, College of Public Health and Health Professions) and other researchers in the community or other academic institutions who want to partner with UF Health for healthy equity research. In addition, CHEER will collaborate with local health institutions (Mayo, Baptist, St. Vincent’s) and community-based organizations in the development and implementation of its research agenda. We also plan to collaborate with the Health Disparities program in Gainesville (Dr. Carolyn Tucker) and other health disparities researchers in the state (FSU, UCF, FIU). The collaborative will also include community members (citizen scientists) and partners who can inform the community- engaged research.

• Series of Listen and Learn sessions on Social Unrest held over summer including small discussion- groups, large town hall by senior leadership (340 attendees), department level and for medical students; IDEA faculty development lecture series; Lecture series through Jacksonville Hospital partnership Sept-Dec 2020.
• IDEA Grand Round: “Health Equity = Quality Care and Patient Safety,” featuring guest speakers Sheryl Heron, MD (Associate Dean for Community Engagement, Equity & Inclusion at Emory University), and Nicole M. Franks, MD (Chief Diversity Officer, Emory University), was conducted on Wednesday, Feb. 17, from 8–9 a.m. The learning objectives were:

1. Identify Health Equity as a key component of quality patient care
2. Leverage data to evaluate, monitor, and address health disparities through community interventions
3. Create and implement actions to support a culture of equity to enhance quality and patient safety

Speakers focused on identifying health equity as a key component of quality patient care, leveraging data to evaluate, monitor, and address health disparities through community interventions. It was open to all faculty and staff. The event was hosted by the UF College of Medicine- Jacksonville Dean's Office and UF Health Jacksonville Office for IDEA.  It came on the heels of UF Health Jacksonville joining the American Hospital Association #123forEquity Campaign to Eliminate Health Care Disparities. The #123forEquity Campaign, a national initiative dedicated to ensure that every person in every community receives high quality, equitable and safe care.

• LDI (Leadership Development Institute)--Learning to Navigate IDEA Realities in the Workplace, May 24, 2021

Colleagues:

Martin Luther King Jr. Day will be commemorated this Monday. Now is a good time to reflect on the dramatic events our organization, and our country, have navigated over the last year. COVID-19 is key among them, as are the recent events in our nation’s capital.

We are now well over 300 days into this pandemic. I cannot be more proud of how you have dealt with this crisis. From our nurses, physicians and clinical staff, to all of those who support them, thank you for your dedication to our patients and our community. This is likely the most challenging health care crisis we have had to face in our careers, and you have shown again why we are the region’s most valued health care asset. Our most recent accomplishment, one that continues today, is the vaccination of thousands of our staff, their relatives and members of the community. The task force in charge of this operation has done a magnificent job, and I commend its work.

This has also been a trying year socially and politically. The summer brought us many challenges with protests throughout the country for racial justice, and last week we saw an unprecedented assault on the Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. I join many others in feeling disbelief, sadness and frustration in the wake of that incident, but I am hopeful, as I’m sure all of you are, that we will continue to move forward as a country and find our common ground.

Even though the political discourse is incredibly disturbing, I know the people in this organization, regardless of our differences, will continue to work together to make UF Health an inclusive, welcoming place to work. It’s our duty and our mission to serve this community. The saying “think globally, act locally” means that while issues exist beyond our control on a worldwide scale, we do have the power to act here. We have the opportunity to acknowledge our differences and be supportive, even if we do not fully understand another person’s perspective. Our reaction to the summer protests, how we came together as colleagues to move forward together, is just one example of how exceptional you are, and how fortunate we are as an organization.

Together, we continue to make strides in inclusion, diversity, equity and access. UF Health comprises people from many races and cultures who care for all patients by working collaboratively with respect and compassion for each other. The hospital’s Diversity Council and the UF Health Science Center’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access Advisory Council are committed to promoting an inclusive culture of excellence throughout our enterprise.

Again, I thank you for your dedication to your colleagues and this organization.

Leon L. Haley Jr., MD, MHSA

CEO, UF Health Jacksonville

Dean, UF College of Medicine – Jacksonville

Madeline Joseph, MD Associate Dean for Inclusion and Equity, COM-Jacksonville, Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics has been appointed on the American Academy of Pediatrics Board of Directors Committee on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion starting January 1, 2021. 

October 2021

Committee(s)

Council for Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice: Formed with the overall purpose of recommending systemic changes towards anti-racism and structural equality in the College of Nursing. The council members consider the three-part mission of education research and community engagement in moving toward strategic planning for antiracism. The committee is composed of faculty, staff and students who meet monthly to facilitate the promotion and evolution of these initiatives.

Nurses Leading Change: NLC has created a safe space to empower individuals of marginalized communities to speak and be heard. The organization advocates for social issues related to race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, etc. They facilitate open discussions about how intersectional identities influence the health of underserved populations and the nurse’s role in addressing the determinants of health. They also provide resources such as upcoming webinars and credible articles/literature to encourage members, including those that represent the majority, better educate themselves on these topics. Their hope is to decrease health disparities through improved nursing practice in the College of Nursing. This organization is open for any pre-nursing student, undergraduate nursing, and graduate nursing student at the University of Florida.

Strategy / Governance

Training

Faculty have been involved in opportunities for continuous learning in diversity, equity, and anti-racism by attending workshops and webinars to learn how to be an effective agent of change toward more inclusive education. Last fall, the university provided educational opportunities for multicultural mentorship, implicit bias training, and anti-racism in education. Also, the university and UF CON are offering “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes are High” training.

 Strategically the CON is investing in minority faculty mentorship by financially supporting their participation in the National Center for Faculty Development and & Diversity Faculty Success Program. Every semester, two diverse faculty are selected to attend a 12-week online program to teach tenure-track and tenured faculty the skills needed to increase both their research and writing productivity while maintaining a healthy work-life balance.

Recruitment / Retention

In 2018, to form a diverse group of nurse leaders, the UF CON embraced the holistic admission process for the traditional BSN and the accelerated BSN programs. Since then, there has been an increase of ~ 15% in diverse admissions representation (including Hispanics, Blacks, and Pacific Islander), without decreasing standardized scores and program GPA. This year, the holistic admission practice was implemented for the DNP program. The GRE for entrance has been eliminated for both DNP and PhD programs and other student performance measures, such as diverse leaderships in the community, are being considered. 

Research

Involvement in research, national boards, and external leadership roles, working to advance diversity, inclusion, and equity not just within the College of Nursing but nationally.

• Staja “Star” Booker, assistant professor, has been elected to the board of directors for the U.S. Association for the Study of Pain. Her goals include ensuring that diversity, inclusion, and underrepresented pain scientists, patients, and research participants become embedded in the organization.
• Diana Wilkie, Prairieview Trust-Earl and Margo Powers Endowed Professor, is a program director for the Florida-California Cancer Research, Education and Engagement, Health Equity Center, or CaRE2. Specific goals of the National Cancer Institute-funded, multi-site center are to reduce cancer disparities in Blacks and Latinos, to train and increase the pool of underrepresented Black and Latino scientists conducting health disparity research, and to increase cancer disparity research.
• Debra Lyon, executive dean and the Thomas M. and Irene B. Kirbo Endowed Chair, is the director of the Research Education Core at UF for the CaRE2 Health Equity Center. She works to increase the number of underrepresented individuals, specifically Black and Latino post-baccalaureate students, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and early-stage investigators for successful careers as scientists focused on reducing health care disparities in cancer. 

Curriculum

EMBRACE program . This is a yearlong research and leadership hands on training for URM undergrads--theme for the year of 2020-2021 "Racial (in) justice in Health.” Students in the EMBRACE program complete research, leadership, educational or quality improvement projects with an assigned faculty mentor; participate in monthly mentoring meetings led by the assistant dean of diversity, inclusion, and global affairs; and present their projects at local and/or national conferences.

 Keys to Success an interdisciplinary Black student cohort program across the UF Academic Health Center. The project was selected for the competitive funding “Advancing Racial Justice Through Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access at UF.” Jeanne-Marie Stacciarini, PhD, RN, FAAN, assistant dean for diversity, inclusion and global affairs, is a PI for this initiative in conjunction with Dr. Xirau-Probert from the COD and other colleagues from the HSC. The program aims to help first-year pre-health Black students develop meaningful relationships with UF Health faculty and students, which, in turn, helps create a community that encourages academic and personal growth, wellness and a sense of belonging.

Climate Survey

Communications

The College of Nursing community goes beyond the college and our diversity efforts and successes are always shared with our 11,000 alumni, donors, UF administration, and nursing colleagues across the globe. For example, a comprehensive webpage highlights the college’s diversity, inclusion, and equity efforts and offers resources for internal and external stakeholders, including reading recommendations and listening resources, and enabling visitors to discover ways to actively participate within the college. In addition, the theme of the fall 2020 issue of The Gator Nurse (college’s magazine) was “Diversity + Inclusion: How Gator Nurses Care, Lead and Inspire.” It illustrated the college’s dedication to diversity/inclusion, focusing on the commitment to integrating respect, equality, and diversity among the three missions of teaching, research, and clinical practice.

Events

UF CON holds monthly “Think Collectively about Diversity,” dialogues dedicated to building capacity in diversity-related topics for faculty, postdocs, and staff. Meetings are held online the fourth Friday of each month. Past topics include: Implicit Bias, Leading effective conversations with students about racism, and addressing microaggressions in the clinical and classroom learning environments.

BSN Convocation with two guest speakers:  Mary Magee Gullatte, PhD, RN, ANP-BC, AOCN, LSSYB, FAAN, Corporate Director of Nursing Innovation and Research at Emory Healthcare with presentation “Navigating at an Uneven Table: And Still I Rise,”  and LaRon Nelson, PhD, RN, FNP, FNAP, FAAN, associate dean for global affairs and planetary health, Independence Foundation Professor and associate professor at the Yale School of Nursing with presentation “Ain’t I A Nurse?: A Black Man Working in a White Woman’s Profession,”

Nursing Research Summit and Malasanos Lectureship (April 2021): “Promoting Equity and Social Justice through Nursing Research and Scholarship”

“Diversity in the Nursing Curriculum” (April 2021) with guest speakers Sandra Davis, PhD, DPM, ACNP-BC, FAANP, from the George Washington University School of Nursing, Desiree A. Díaz PhD, RN-BC, CNE, CHSE-A, ANEF, FAAN, from the University of Central Florida’s College of Nursing.

Continuing education event facilitated by the CON Office for Professional Nursing Development: “Unpacking Our Biases: Exploring the Relationship Between Conscious and Unconscious Bias and Microaggressions,”

Juneteenth Activation Project: In honor of Juneteenth, the College of Nursing invited all students, faculty and staff to engage in an activation project to address anti-racism through the Six-Word Story, which has grown in popularity as a form of narrative.

Dean's Message

Statement Against Racism 

Statement condemning hate and racial violence

Awards / Recognition

Featured in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Diversity Digest April 2021 as School Spotlight.

Nurses Leading Change, student group selected by University of Florida Multicultural and Diversity Affairs for the Outstanding Inclusive Excellence Initiative Award.

Excellence in LGBTQ+ Research and Service Award presented to BSN senior Sarah White on behalf of the University of Florida LGBTQ+ Presidential Advisory Committee, the Center for Gender, Sexualities, and Women’s Studies Research and the Office of LGBTQ+ Affairs

CON Diversity and Inclusion Award for faculty recognizes and celebrates the effort of fostering diversity, inclusion, and combating anti-Black racism and other forms of racism in the areas of teaching, research, and/or service. 2021 award recipient Staja “Star” Booker, PhD, RN.

CON Diversity and Inclusion Award for students, 2021 award recipient BSN senior Kayla Elliott.  

Community

Engagement with diverse communities through UF Health Archer Family Health Care, located in the rural town of Archer, Florida. Archer Family Health is the College of Nursing’s nurse-managed health care practice, which opened 19 years ago. More than 5,000 patient visits are completed each year, offering adult, pediatric, psychiatric, and women's health services for an underserved community. 35% of the patients have no insurance and about 60% are at or below the 200% poverty level.  The clinic is managed by a diverse team of professionals including a certified translator, who provides linguistic/appropriate care to the Latino community. 

Last updated

July 2021

H.A.N.D. (Helping Advancement Nurture Diversity)

To create and foster a culturally inclusive environment, amongst our diverse population of alumni, friends, and employees, where diversity of thought and expression are valued, respected, appreciated, and celebrated.

Guiding Principles

1. Be the change - collaborate with stakeholders to educate others.
2. Recognize individuals as a person first.
3. Acknowledge that all people are capable of meaningful contribution regardless of background.
4. Value experience and thoughts of all people.
5. Educate that strength comes from diversity.

H.A.N.D. Committee Objectives

• Create synergy between colleges/departments/units diversity and inclusion action plans and initiatives 
• Share diversity and inclusion best practices across UF Advancement 
• Create, execute and promote new initiatives that support diversity and inclusion in colleges/units/departments
• Visibly recognize and communicate diversity and inclusion best practices achievements throughout UF Advancement 
• Identify and address emerging issues that can impact our diversity culture 

 UFA prepared a DE&I strategic plan for 2020-21 outlining goals in these four quadrants: Culture, Fundraising, Volunteers and Community.

Host quarterly H.A.N.D. meetings, bi-monthly Cultural Club meetings, and two-part series on micro-aggressions in May 2021 for UFA employees. UFA launched the Crucial Conversations training in 2020 and will continue to host this training in 2021 for supervisors and individual contributors. 

Ensure that recruitment strategies include a diverse focus when sourcing candidates for vacancies; provide support to colleges and units to develop diverse strategies for recruiting fundraisers and other Advancement employees; and review language in job descriptions and announcements for potential barriers and inclusivity.

UFA conducted its first DE&I Survey in 2019 and incorporated the DE&I questions into the UFA annual employee engagement survey to track continued progress.

Completed annual employee engagement survey and incorporated DE&I questions 2020.

UFA promotes participation from all employees in DE&I initiatives through organizational communications and supervisor communication/encouragement.

Completed DE&I Statement for UFA and have placed online in a highly visible place for current and potential employees to view.

UFA also hosts quarterly meetings with guest speakers to discuss relevant topics focused on DE&I.

The H.A.N.D. Committee created a series of Cultural Club bi-monthly meetings which include debrief discussions regarding podcasts, books and movies focused on DE&I.

In support of our DEI Community goal, we initiated a partnership with the UF Small Business & Vendor Diversity Office. To reinforce UFA’s commitment to promoting and supporting local diverse businesses, bi-annual meetings have been scheduled for them to share their business with our employees.

Vice President’s Message sent June 1, 2020:

Colleagues,

2020 has brought with it unparalleled challenges that have caused all of us to reevaluate certain aspects of our lives: how we live, work, interact, and participate in our community. While some of these challenges demanded definitive action to ensure our safety and wellness, others require introspection – a moment of personal reckoning to understand our role as responsible citizen-leaders. It is this introspection that I want to address today.

On Friday, President Fuchs sent out a powerful video that responded, on behalf of UF, to the multiple acts of recent violence against the black community. He called for all of us to be seen for our full humanity, while coming together against racism and hatred. Over the past week, in the wake of videos showing Ahmaud Arbery’s fatal struggle, George Floyd’s final moments, and Christian Cooper’s encounter in Central Park, we have watched with increasing dismay as our country descends into divisiveness. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged us to create distance to keep our families, friends, and colleagues safer. These senseless acts reminded us of just how much distance already existed within our intertwined communities.

As leaders in an institution centered on moving society forward by focusing on education, we have a special responsibility to live the values we wish to see echoed in the world. UF Advancement has worked hard over the past several years to ensure that each of us understands our own implicit biases and our role in fostering acceptance, respect, and a sense of belonging. Like nearly all organizations, we still have a long way to go.

In the coming days, I have a challenge and a request for each of you: find a few minutes during your day to pause and reflect. Pause to remember those we have lost to acts of violence and hatred. Reflect on your own role in promoting the type of world we want to live in. Pause to remove yourself from your routine and to take stock of where we are. Reflect on what you can do to help us all move forward. Pause to consider your actions and your influence. Pause to listen to your colleagues and hear their sorrow and their rage. Pause to be seen and pause to be heard. Reflect on how you can be part of positive change.

I am continually awed by the way our Advancement community selflessly comes together when challenges arise. I draw inspiration from this wellspring of hope. As we pause and reflect, I hope you will commit to joining me in working proactively to ensure that every member of our community is valued. This is our responsibility as leaders.

Thank you,

Tom

Thomas J. Mitchell

Vice President for Advancement

2021 CASE District III Award, Category > Diversity and Talent Management > DEI Initiatives: H.A.N.D. Initiative (Bronze)

Talent Management, Development, H.A.N.D. Advisory Committee

2020 UF Divisional Superior Accomplishment Award Winner: DE&I Category

CASE DE&I nominations Submission

UFA S.E.T. Values Awards (Service, Excellence, Team)

On the Spot Awards

May 2021

Encouraged all staff to participate in a day of reflection; encouraged staff to participate in USF DEI in the Workplace certificate program; held a group discussion regarding the USF training experience at the midpoint of the 7 week program 

Requested participation in the search for a new Director of Small Business & Vendor Diversity Relations (SBVDR) and Chief Diversity Officer

Coordinating an Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) for the Lastinger Center to identify a consultant to help with incorporating social justice into their culture and curriculum

Presentation on “Doing Business with UF” at 2020 SBVDR Business Development Workshop; Participated in Gainesville Supplier Diversity Exchange (one on one meetings with potential suppliers); Facilitated providing data on UF’s spend with small/diverse suppliers to B2G for external reporting; 

April 2021

Committee(s)

For more effectiveness, in Fall 2020, we reconstituted the one division IDEA committee into three teams led by the division directors - (1). Events/Recognition/Celebrations, (2). Professional development/education/awareness, (3). Outreach & Access. We have twenty-eight employees at all levels serving on the teams and their ideas will be implemented division wide. Based on a review of our efforts for 2020/2021 year and feedback from our summer 2021 EM-IDEA Participation Survey, the three teams have been reconstituted into two teams (1) Events, Programming and Celebrations; (2) Outreach and Access. We have a total of eighteen volunteers for 2021/2022.

Beginning in the fall of 2021, we converted our team back to one unit to cover all areas. Currently, we have 16 volunteers representing all levels of Enrollment Management.

Strategy / Governance

IDEA is part of our strategic goals, and we submit annual items as part of the University's SACSOC Institutional Effectiveness Action Items

Training

Education/training and awareness will be key focus areas during the next year, thus a committee that is primarily focused on that. As a start, eleven employees from the division are being sponsored to attend the Crucial Conversations Fall Workshop. This January we launched a Brown Bag Lunch series. Each month, Dr. Zina Evans, VP for EM and Dr. Tammy Aagard, Assoc VP, will individually host a one-hour virtual lunch meeting on various IDEA topics: January - Faith in the Workplace ; February - Experience of Anti-Black Racism in the Workplace; Advocacy and Anti-Black Racism in the Workplace; March – Women in the Workplace; April – Self-care; May – Glass Ceiling, or is it?

On February 5 Audrey Gainey from UFHR presented on Hiring for Diversity and discussed inclusive hiring practices.

Recruitment / Retention

As allowable within Florida laws, we promote the recruitment of diverse groups of students through various outreach efforts by the admissions team. We translate our admissions General Information Booklet (GIB), financial aid and enrollment checklists into Spanish and Haitian Creole. On the employee side, it is now required that all our search/interview teams be made up of diverse representation and levels across the division units instead of the previous practice of same people repeatedly interviewing because of their positions as supervisors. One of our new teams will be focused on recognition efforts.

During the fall term staff from EM Admissions and Student Financial Aid presented at several key events to support diverse and underrepresented student populations including:

• First-year Black students in the PAACT (Pledging to Advance Capacity Together) Program
• MBA minority students in the Jumpstart Program
• Racial minority scholars in Florida through the Bridges Minority Outreach Program 
• First-generation college students and low-income students who attended “FASFA Nights with UF.”  There were several of these sessions during the fall.
• First-generation students who participated in UF’s First Generation Leadership Program

Also, the Office of Admissions is leading the Gator Access Program (GAP) that provides application assistance for students attending Title I schools. In addition, EM’s UF Online Enrollment Services team is collaborating with the First-Generation Student Success Center to increase prospective and current UF Online student awareness of support services that UF provides to first-gen students.

• January 25 – 29, Office for Student Financial Aid & Scholarships (SFA) organized a Financial Wellness Week (#GatorsChompChange) designed to provide tools and resources to assist students with financial wellness. There were two presentations during that week on Financial Fitness (presented by Kimberly Dukes, SFA) and Bougie on a Budget (presented by Eric Aguia, MFOS & First Generation). Also, two additional web pages and social media posts were created with demonstrations on financial wellness and cooking on a budget.
• February 11, 2021, SFA participate in the BRACE program annual FASFA night. The BRACE program is a program in Broward County that keeps counselors informed on college application and financial aid processes. The event on February 11 was focused on helping high school seniors and their families complete their FASFA. Because this year’s event was on a virtual platform, it was open to students from other counties – Miami-Dade, Osceola, and Palm Beach in addition to Broward.
• February 13, 2021, SFA presented on general financial aid processes and finding additional funding at the annual iDig Trio Biological Conference hosted by the Office of Academic Support for low income and first-generation high school students.
• On March 6, SFA will be collaborating with the Association of Black Alumni and the UF Black Student Union to host its fifth annual student recruitment conference for students between 7^th and 12^th grade, and their families. The program provides resources on college preparation. 
• April 17, the Office of Admissions presented at the College of Business’ Emergency Leaders Conference. The event was open to all high school first-year, sophomores and junior students interested in attending the Warrington College of Business, with a special emphasis on underrepresented groups.
• Admissions and SFA presented on Saturday, April 3 for the Bridges Minority Outreach Program virtual information session.
• Admissions is collaborating with the Association of Black Alumni (ABA), on their virtual Destination ABA programs being held on Saturday, April 10. Active ABA chapters (South Florida, Tampa, etc.) will host virtual events for students in their areas.
• Welcome packet was sent to admitted Black students, including those who identified two or more races to include Black. Packet included information from ABA as well as Black Affairs in MCDA.
• April 2021, the Division of Enrollment Management and UF Online launched the “UF Online Ready Program” as a new enrollment pathway to a UF degree. This readiness program will offer a limited number of transfer students the opportunity to take missing prerequisite courses right here in UF Online, thereby lowering the burden on applicants and increasing access to Florida’s flagship university for top-performing students.
• March/April 2021, SFA sent approximately 2,500 hand-written cards to newly accepted Pell-eligible students, congratulating them on their acceptance and offering our assistance. In addition, the unit made approximately 2,500 phone calls to newly accepted Pell-eligible students to check in and help. 
• July 2021, SFA assisted the Office of Graduate Diversity Initiatives at its annual Board of Education Summer Fellowship Program Resource Day.
• July 2021, SFA presented on financial literacy and financial aid to students in the Keys to Success Program – an interdisciplinary cohort program for Black undergraduate students in the Health Science Center.
• July 2021, SFA will be presenting three sessions on Financial Aid Petitions. These presentations are designed to assist students on petitioning initial financial aid results because of financial hardships and household changes not reflected on their accounts.

Recruitment & Retention will continue to be key focus area during the next year (2022/2023). To date we have completed and/or have planned the following events and training:

• Gator Access Program (GAP)
• Virtual: A series of application and essay workshops for prospective seniors enrolled at select Title I Florida high schools.

September 1, 2021 – October 21, 2021 (large virtual GAP sessions on September 21, 2021, and October 21, 2021)

• In person: This is an application and essay workshops for prospective student seniors provided by territory representatives at select Title I Florida high schools.

September 15^th – October 15, 2021

• GAP School Campus Visit - Booker High School – On Campus: Connected current students (Cicerones and former Booker High School graduates) with Booker students for campus meal, tour, admissions presentation, and the Gator Student Experience.

April 14, 2022

• Texting Campaigns
• SSAR reminder 1 - Text message: Text student populations who historically did not complete the SSAR but submitted their application. Dates: November 17-23, 2021
• Texting Campaign - SSAR reminder 2 - Text message: Reminder text message for student populations who historically did not complete the SSAR but submitted their application.Date: November 30, 2021
• Texting Campaign - Test Score reminder - Text message: Text student populations who historically did not submit test scores but submitted their application and SSAR.Date: December 13, 2021
• SSAR Assistance Sessions: Partnered with high schools for Student Self-Reported Academic Record (SSAR) specific sessions assist students with completion of the SSAR.

Dates: November 22, 2021, and November 29, 2021

• Community Based Organizations
• National Pan-Hellenic Council (NPHC)
• FISS (Florida Invitational Step Show): Enrollment management supported the National Pan-Hellenic Council’s (NPHC) annual Greek lettered step show by purchasing AD space and speaking with attendees on ways to join the UF community through.

Date: February 19, 2022

• Kappa Alpha Psi-Zeta Phi Chapter Student Recruitment Conference: College planning sessions for high school Black males.

Date: March 19, 2022

• Alpha Phi Alpha Alumni Chapter of West Palm Beach “University College Showcase Presenter”: Presentation to middle and high school scholars from the Palm Beach County area that are mentored by Men of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc. Alumni Chapter (Black Greek Lettered Organization).

Date: April 23, 2022

• Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID):
• Gamble Rogers Middle School: Student Life and Admissions partnered with AVID on providing a campus tour with an admissions information session, dining experience, interactive current UF student lead activities, and UF basketball game for AVID participants.

Date: January 12, 2022 

• South Sumter High School: Provided students with admissions presentation, covered the Gator Student Experience, plus provided students with UF SWAG. 
• Great AM Peter - Urban League of Broward County - On Campus: Connected current students with guest for tour, admissions presentation, the Gator Student Experience, and provided students with SWAG.Date: March 30, 2022
• Targeted Group Tours: Reserved tour session for community-based organizations and Black Greek organizations. Dates: February 2, 2022 – May 1, 2022
• Take Stock - Career Pathways to Engineering - Virtual: Collaboration with the Sarasota Engineering Innovation station with a joint presentation about UF, Engineering, Admission process and the Gator Student Experience.Date: April 4, 2022
• 5000 Role Models of Excellence Mentor: Continuous partnership with 5k Role Models for all UF related admissions questions, including partnerships for visits and collaborations with campus partners. Dates: Ongoing
• Campus Partnerships

Date: March 31, 2022

• iDigTRIO Biological Career Conference and Fair - Virtual: Admissions presentation for High School students.

Date: February 25, 2022

• Eastside High School: Collaboration with African American Studies and local Eastside High School to increase awareness for students of steps for better preparing for college readiness.

Date: Ongoing

• Engineering Sarasota Engineering Innovation Station - Booker Middle School - On Campus: Collaboration with the Sarasota Engineering Innovation Station brought Booker Middle School STEM students on campus; toured campus, admission presentation, lunch, Engineering building tours, and interactive activities with current UF engineering students.

Date: February 10, 2022

• Me: Micro-Scholarship initiative for admitted Gator Access Program freshmen.
• Coalition “Ask Us Anything” Session: Panelist for coalition for colleges session that targeted for prospective sophomores and juniors in high school from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.

Date: March 2, 2022

Date: May 5, 2022

• Student Admissions Officers (SAO) Activities:
• Gator for a Day - On Campus: On campus experience for 1^st Generation prospective students to shadow a current UF student and experience campus.

Dates: September 27, 2021 – November 18, 2021

• Ask a Gator - Tackling the SSAR – Virtual: Student Admissions Officers assisted prospective students in tips on how to write and effective college essay.

Dates: November 3-22, 2021

• The Gator Experience - On Campus: On campus experience for 1^st Generation admitted students from which to shadow a current UF student and experience campus.

Dates: March 15-31, 2022

• Association of Black Alumni Collaborations:
• Association of Black Alumni & Black Student Union - Student Recruitment Conference Virtual: College planning sessions for Black middle and high school families.

Date: February 5, 2022

• Association of Black Alumni UF4U: ABA, PAACT, MCDA and the Office of Admissions hosted an event for admitted Black students to learn more about UF and the experiences of UF Black students.

Date: March 5, 2022

• Destination ABA: A series of intimate in-person welcome receptions for newly admitted Black students across the country.

Date: April 23, 2022

• Panel - Virtual: Opportunity for students to hear directly from alumni highlighting their experiences at UF and beyond.

Dates: October 6, 2021, and October 16, 2021 

• Navigating the Transfer Gator- Virtual: Opportunity for prospective transfer students and families to learn more about the University of Florida, hear from students, staff, and provide tips and tricks for naviGATORing the transfer process.

Date: December 16, 2021

Student Financial Aid and Scholarships

Fall 2021

• SFA presented to first-year Black students in the PAACT (Pledging to Advance Capacity Together) Program on financial aid basics.
• SFA participated in Adelante 2021 by providing financial aid and budgeting information for first year Hispanic and Latinx students.
• FAFSA Night at UF:  SFA conducted a walk-through of the 2023 FAFSA with low-income, in-state high school students. We provided live help as students completed their own FAFSAs and answered questions about grants and scholarships.
• SFA participated in the Bridges Conference. The Bridges Multicultural Outreach Program targets underrepresented minority students in the effort to assist them through the college application process and shape them into competitive applicants for the university of their choice.
• In partnership with the Office of Academic Support and UF Promise, SFA hosted the annual FAFSA Extravaganza, a four-hour event that includes financial literacy, FAFSA assistance, aid advising, career planning, and preparation for graduate school.
• SFA participated in the Gator Transfer Event with the Association of Black Alumni. This event provided incoming transfer students with resources for success and enabled them to hear from UF professionals who were once transfer students themselves.

Spring 2022

• Along with the Florida Association of Financial Aid Administrators, SFA participated in the Florida College Access Network (FCAN) Workshop, “You’ve been Accepted. Now, How to Pay for It?” FCAN partners with communities working to improve educational achievement for all Floridians—especially first-generation college students, low-income students, adult learners, and other students outside the mold of the “traditional” college student.
• SFA presented, in Spanish, a review of financial aid at UF for new Puerto Rican students.
• SFA presented on financial aid and financial planning in college at the iDigTrio Conference. The Mission of the iDigTRIO Conference is to provide opportunities to explore careers and graduate programs in the biological sciences to first generation, limited income, and underrepresented students (Black, Latinx, Indigenous, other students of color, and students with disabilities).
• Along with Admissions, SFA participated in the Association of Black Alumni’s UF4U outreach effort.
• Hosted EM Student Discussion Panel in honor National Student Employee Week to learn more about the perspective and experience of student employees.
• South Florida Application Workshops: Application workshops for students in South Florida region to assist with application completion.

October 22, 2021, and October 29, 2021

• Student Financial Aid and Scholarships created a personalized financial aid award offer that was printed and mailed to in-state, Pell-eligible students. The personalized offer featured a streamlined, plain-language explanation of the student’s total grants and scholarships in comparison to their estimated tuition and fees. This new customized publication aimed to break down barriers to understanding college costs, demonstrate the value of attending UF, and provide personal contacts for each family.
• March 2022, Created, distributed, and encouraged staff to use a Zoom Background to celebrate Women’s History Month
• April 2022, Hosted EM Student Discussion Panel in honor National Student Employee Week to learn more about the perspective and experience of student employees
• November 2021, facilitated a division-wide training by the Disability Resource Center to learn about ways we can better serve those with visible and sometimes invisible disabilities during National Disability Awareness Month
• Recognized all veterans across the Division to thank them for their service in the Armed Forces for Veteran’s Day.
• Office Olympics - a division-wide event to support charitable giving through Gator Gives program. October 2021 & October 2022
• Thanksgiving Food drive to help those in need during the holidays. November 2021 & November 2022
• Solemates Donation Drive - a sock drive to support the homeless in partnership with Grace Marketplace. February 2021
• Hosted a Heritage and Hometown Lunch during International Education Week to showcase diversity. Staff were encouraged to wear international attire from their own culture or a culture they appreciate. International cuisine was provided. Staff spent time getting to know about one another’s hometown, heritage, countries travel to, and languages spoken.

Climate Survey

We do not plan on a climate survey currently. We would like to wait and align with campus efforts in this area. However, in June/July EM conducted an IDEA participation survey to gather feedback on the EM-IDEA efforts over the past year. About 20% of the employees completed with incredibly valuable feedback, some of which are already being implemented.

As a follow-up to the June/July 2021 IDEA participation survey to gather feedback on the EM-IDEA efforts, we plan to circulate an additional survey in June/July 2022 to update satisfaction level based on the innovative programs we have implemented. We have also hosted several “Road Ahead” sessions with the Vice President & Associate Provost to gauge employee satisfaction. Several committees have been formed that include employees of all levels, to recommend for implementation various programs to help improve division-wide morale and increase the EM retention rate.

Communications

EM conducted accessibility reviews of its various websites and publications. These were used during redesign and updates to make enhancements that promote accessibility, compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and improved user experience. The prospective students’ recruitment materials are also translated into Spanish and Haitian Creole to improve outreach to diverse populations of prospective students and families. EM also promotes diversity efforts in the staff quarterly newsletter and beginning this spring will publish EM-IDEA newsletters fully dedicated to diversity efforts. In addition to EM quarterly newsletters that showcase IDEA initiatives, beginning July 2021, EM will send out routine weekly IDEA emails to all staff communicating EM-IDEA efforts, training/professional development opportunities, CDO’s Monday Motivator, as well as campus and other community events.

EM continues to complete accessibility reviews of its various websites and publications to redesign, update, and enhance features that will promote accessibility and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as improve user experience. In July 2021, EM began sending out routine weekly IDEA emails to all staff communicating EM-IDEA efforts, training/professional development opportunities, CDO’s Monday Motivator, as well as campus and other community events.

Events

The new teams will identify several concrete action items in their areas of focus that will be implemented across the division during the next year. During fall 2020, EM organized the following events –

• October 2022, EM-IDEA hosted a coffee chat to discuss the poetic works of Black poet Langston Hughes during LGBTQ history month.
• November 2020 EM-IDEA participated in and promoted first-gen events including highlighting first-gen staff stories on social media
• November 2020 EM-IDEA created a multi-ethnic/heritage recipe book during International Education Week
• November and December 2020 EM conducted two food drives – one at Thanksgiving and the other in December, collecting about 1040lbs of food to support families in the local community.
• January 2021, EM-IDEA hosted a presentation from the Smathers Libraries on the work of acclaimed author Zora Neale Hurston.
• January 2021, EM employees had a virtual Brown Bag Lunch with the VP and Assoc VP discussing “Faith in the Workplace”.
• February 2021, EM hosted Audrey Gainey from UFHR, presenting on Hiring for Diversity, discussing inclusive hiring, and onboarding practices.
• February 2021, EM employees had a virtual Brown Bag Lunch with the Associate VP discussing “Advocacy and Anti-Racism in the Workplace”.
• February 2021, EM employees virtual Brown Bag Lunch with the VP discussing “Experience of Anti-Black Racism in the Workplace”
• February 2021 EM-IDEA team presents “From One Seed” in celebration of Black History Month.
• February 2021, EM-IDEA team is organizing a Book and School Supplies Drive to support Lake Forest Elementary School in East Gainesville.
• March 2021, EM hosted two Brown Bag lunches with the VP and Associate VP discussing “Women in the Workplace”, a timely topic given International Women’s Day.
• April 2021, EM hosted two Brown Bag lunches with the VP and Associate VP discussing self-care, a particularly important topic given the challenges of the last year with the pandemic and racial justice issues.
• May 2021, EM hosted two Brown Bag lunches with the VP and Associate VP discussing “glass ceilings - fact or myth”.
• May 2021, EM launched a “Diversity Dialogue” channel on teams. Staff in the division may use this forum to respond to IDEA issues especially in the higher education space. 
• May 10, 2021, EM-IDEA team hosted a coffee chat in celebration of the Asian and Pacific Islander Month.
• June 2021, EM organized several events to celebrate Juneteenth including a virtual interpretative dance by one of the staff on the journey to Juneteenth; a red velvet cake celebration for all staff; encouraged attendance to a presentation by AACRAO on Reflections on Juneteenth: The History, Celebration, and Forging Forward.
• July/August – EM is partnering with the Division of Student Life, and Kids Count on a school supply drive. Kids Count is a local 501©3 nonprofit organization that provides free after school program for kindergarten through 3^rd grade students in low performing elementary schools in Gainesville.

The new team will identify several concrete action items in their areas of focus that will be implemented across the division during the next year. During fall 2021 and spring 2022, The IDEA team organized the following events:

February 2022, Black History Month

• Staff were invited to a lunch + Learn to share and recite a poem that reflects the spirit of Black History Month at a Virtual Poetry Slam
• Short Firm discussion of “Building Bridges,” a short film and interview that portraits the life and narrative of Ruby Bridges

March 2022

March 2022, Women’s History Month

• Created, distributed, and encouraged staff to use a Zoom Background to celebrate Women’s History Month

Awards / Recognition

EM’s Office for Student Financial Aid and Scholarships was awarded the 2020 First-Generation Champions Award.

Last Updated

May 2022

Attending virtual graduate fairs focused on recruiting underrepresented graduate students; Hosting virtual graduate school visits for underrepresented students; Strategic outreach to target institutions, working to develop pathways for underrepresented undergraduate students to attend UF for graduate school; 

Programming/Workshops (focused on supporting underrepresented graduate students)

• Board of Education Summer Fellowship
• Triple P Program (research opportunities for URM undergraduate students)
• Writing Workshop
• Writing Bootcamp
• Fall Welcome
• First Year Fellows Orientation
• Presenting Oral Presentations
• Wellness & Nutrition Program (collaboration with Rec Sports)
• Mental Health Workshop (collaboration with CWC)
• Black Graduate Student/Faculty Mixer • Latino Graduate Student/Faculty Mixer
• Fall Closing

Funding/Resources

• McKnight Doctoral Fellowship
• FAMU Feeder Fellowship
• McNair Graduate Assistant Program
• Supplemental Retention Scholarship
• UF/Santa Fe Faculty Development Project
• Diversity Enhancement Awards
• Doctoral Support (Emergency Funding) Misc.
• Supporting grad student organizations focused on URM identities
• Collaborating with MCDA to relaunch OUTGRAD Gator
• GradConnect Program

Working with Institutional Planning and Assessment on a compressive campus climate survey to include Graduate Students.

Edward A. Bouchet Honor Society; Graduate Education Diversity Champion Award; 2019 National Academies of Sciences’ Survey of Earned Doctorates Black and Hispanic American Numbers and Rankings for the University of Florida: Hispanic or Latino – UF ranked 6^th; Black or African American – University of Florida ranked 4th

January 2021

DEAI (Diversity, Equity, Access and Inclusion) Committee is being formed with Cecile Shellman. Shellman is a full-time consultant providing diversity, equity, accessibility, inclusion and anti-racism services for museums. Her experience includes having worked in a leadership capacity for Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, heading initiatives at Carnegie Museum of Art, Carnegie Museum of Natural History, Carnegie Science Center, and The Andy Warhol Museum. She was an American Alliance of Museums Facing Change Senior Diversity Fellow in 2019 and is licensed as a Qualified Administrator for the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), the premier research-based cultural competence assessment.

Two sessions with external DEAIJ (Diversity, Equity, Access, Inclusion and Justice) consultant, Cecile Shellman.

All Harn staff have completed the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI), which “facilitates personal growth and insight and collective change in ways that improve people’s intercultural competence and their efforts at bridging cultural differences so that relationships are strengthened and the human condition is enhanced.”

The Harn is a member of the American Alliance of Museums and supports their Statement on the Violence at the US Capitol.

• Exhibitions display diverse collections promoting intercultural awareness and understanding.
• Museum Nights events (held the second Thursday of every month) offer diverse programs promoting positive engagement with and learning about the arts of diverse cultures.
• The exhibition, Shadow to Substance, title taken from Sojourner Truth, opens July 27, 2021 and is curated by Kimberly Williams, UF Doctoral Candidate in English, Dr. Porchia Moore, UF Assistant Professor Museum Studies, and Dr. Carol McCusker, Harn Museum of Art Curator of Photography. Shadow to Substance creates a chronological arc from the past to the present and into the future using historical photographs from the Harn and Smathers Library collections and through the lens of Black photographers working today. It pictures histories of enslavement, Jim Crow Florida, the Great Migration, the Civil Rights Movement and Black Lives Matter. But it does so through images that expand ideas around healing, myth, intimacy, joy, resistance and rebirth.

• Art Kits distributed to youth through collaboration with Harn partners, including SWAG (Southwest Advocacy Group) Family Resource Center; and to Rawlings Elementary, Sharing and Caring Learning Center through collaboration with the Gainesville Chapter of the Links.
• Developing virtual K12 class tour: Living in Diverse Worlds
• Permanent collection and exhibitions are free to the public at all times, lowering economic access to barriers.

February 2021

UFHR

“Managing Bias” module as a required course for faculty and staff - Everfi Training; Managing Hidden Biases that Affect the Hiring Process; Gators Together as an ongoing series of courses available to all faculty and staff related to DEI with certification tracks for individual contributors and supervisors; Launching series of "racial justice education" webinars and resources called “Stronger Together” available for all faculty and staff starting in February 2021 and ongoing on topics related to anti-Black racism, conversations on diversity, and bystander intervention; As part of “Stronger Together,” launching series of webinars and resources starting in March 2021 specifically for leaders to help them lead more inclusively; Training for UF leaders conducted in February 2021 by Racial Equity Institute related to racial equity.

Specific training for cabinet and deans, conducted in February 2021 by Racial Equity Institute, related to racial equity and inclusion.

Ensure that recruitment strategies are diverse when sourcing for jobs; provide support to colleges and units when developing strategies for recruiting and hiring for diversity; review language in job descriptions and announcements for potential barriers and inclusiveness;   Refresh manager toolkits to communicate recruiting strategies and effective hiring practices; review job postings and encourage diversity value statements when communicating job announcements; provide customize training to colleges and units in support of inclusive hiring practices and retention.

Engage in efforts to present inclusive brand image on career websites and in other communications;

UF Engaged - Southern Region HR Excellence Award from the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources 

 February 2021

Committee(s)

Created DEI Committee in October 2020

Strategy / Governance

Training

 Inclusive Hiring delivered on March 11, 2021 to Leadership Team and their Direct Reports and the DEI Committee

Recruitment / Retention

 Requested Blind recruiting function through PageUp on 2/11/2021. July 2021, still waiting for function to be turned on.

Research

Curriculum

Climate Survey

Communications

DEIAR Spotlight: What we are reading, watching and listening to (monthly email); Created a DEI Channel in TEAMs and employees may request to join.    

Events

Celebrated Juneteenth with daily emails sharing links to videos and articles on Juneteenth. 

Dr. Canton presented Juneteenth Conversation to UFIT staff on June 15, 2021.

Speakers on DEI topics attended UFIT in July and August.  Met to discuss plans for MLK Day. Sent out email - Looking ahead to MLK day provided link to volunteer opportunities; virtual events; MLK I’ve Been To The Mountaintop” speech; “Letter from Birmingham Jail”; NBC interview 11 months prior to his assassination; Dr. Joy DeGruy Leary’s speech on Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome.

Awards / Recognition

Community

Last updated

July 2021

Two UFPA staff members (Zakiya Smith-Dore and Sam McKee) are helping to lead an Anti-Racism Working Group with the Major University Presenters (MUPs) consortium. Additionally, three other UFPA staff members are involved in the greater MUPs DEI inititatives on a national level. Further, UFPA is a member of the Cultural Plaza EDIA committee.

Anti-racism efforts are being directed by UFPA Executive Director and the aforementioned staff members. Work is underway to create additional "task forces" for progressing DEI initiatives.

Staff are working in small groups to complete monthly online training courses on subjects related to producing an Anti-Racist workplace at UFPA. This includes weekly small group discussions related to the trainings, as well as bi-weekly open discussions for UFPA as a whole. Courses currently include "Skills for Inclusive Conversations," "Teaching Cvility in the Workplace," and "How to Engage Meaningfully in Allyship and Anti-Racism." These courses will be expanded on a month-by-month basis for the foreseeable future.

UFPA is partnering with UF's Center for Public Interest Communications to identify the trends in the makeup of UFPA's current and recent audiences and develop a communications and messaging strategy that will increase audience diversity in the future.

Phase one of the work with the Center for Public Interest Communications will rely heavily on a survey of the current climate at UF Performing Arts.

Internally, weekly small group discussions and bi-weekly larger group discussions are held. UFPA consistently communicates with its external stakeholders on progress with programming in relation to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

UFPA is commissioning Shana Tucker and dance company Wideman Davis to create a piece highlighting the experiences of being a Southern black performer.

UFPA is developing a new program for presenting performances, the Driveway Theatre Project (DTP). DTP will bring performances out into different communities throughout the greater Gainesville area, with an intent toward engaging and collaborating with communities that may not have a relationship with UFPA.

January 2021

Committee(s)

Student Affairs IDEA Collective – an inclusion workgroup for Division of Student Affairs Staff

UF Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration Planning Committee – hosted by the Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement

Strategy / Governance

Student Affairs I.D.E.A. Collective areas of impact for staff 1) Education 2) Organizational Culture and Practice 3) Assessment and Storytelling. Developed staff competencies, definitions. //Spring 2021: Organizing short- and long-term goals and preparing to implement programming for staff.//Spring 2022: Planning Student Life Assessment Next Conference w/ DEI Theme

Developing Department Equity Audit based on the NASH Equity Framework for all student affairs departments.

Center for Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement  -  Identity-based and culturally-responsive resources, education, and community through 1) Academic Success Initiatives 2) Alumni Engagement 3) Assessment  

Training

The inclusion workgroup (Student Affairs IDEA Collective) began meeting in July 2020 and started structuring a comprehensive plan for staff development and education. While this was taking place, an introductory virtual dialogue series, The Long Talk, was developed to begin conversation around communication and DEI. In December 2020, an IDEA plan was shared with staff for feedback and input on implementation. January 2021, the workgroup is meeting to review feedback and create a strategy for effective and intentional development. 

The Student Affairs I.D.E.A. Collective hosts a monthly “Make It Make Sense” Discussion Series. The purpose of this initiative is to create a collective learning space for staff to share individual perspectives on an article, video, opinion column, or podcast related to inclusion, diversity, equity, or access topics. We accomplish this through collectively unpacking the layers of a new or complex topic and making sense of what has been shared. We all bring a unique perspective to the conversation and these facilitated discussions will encourage staff to learn earnestly, reflect intentionally, and act responsibly and responsively.

How it works:

Prior to each monthly discussion, we will share an article, video, column, or podcast for individual review. As we come together on the discussion date, we will share our initial reactions, ask critical questions, and reflect on how to apply what we’ve learned to our work. Discussions will be held via Zoom and will not be recorded.

 Student Affairs is managing the student DEI module using the platform and curriculum developed by EverFi.

MCDA continues to host a series of D&I Workshops and presentations for students and Gatorship, a peer-to-peer intergroup dialogue social justice education retreat

Diversity and Inclusion Training

Inclusion and Multicultural Engagement is excited to offer our REAL Workshop Series to our students. REAL TALK is our comprehensive diversity education program. REAL stands for “Respect, Equity and Allyship for Leaders” and gradually introduces participants to key concepts of diversity education and identity exploration. If you supervise students, advise a student organization or teach a First Year Florida Class, please encourage your students to sign up!

Recruitment / Retention

Including language that amplifies our values and commitment to I.D.E.A. in all job postings and providing consultation to departments around strategic recruitment (in progress). Sharing job postings on outlets that reach diverse candidate pool (Diverse Issues in Higher Education job posting page, social media platforms, NCORE job posting page).

Climate Survey

2015 and 2017 Student Affairs Staff Satisfaction Surveys. 2016 Black Student Affairs Task Force Campus Climate Survey 

Communications

Developing a website for inclusion initiatives within the Division of Student Affairs: https://team.ufsa.ufl.edu/idea/

CIME website and social media accounts help share events and content:

Multicultural.ufl.edu

Instagram: @UFMCDA @ufhla_ @ufblackaffairs @ufapida @uflgbtq

ADA compliance - videos captioned. Websites are accessible (screen reader and writing style is at appropriate grade level). Ensuring diverse representation on marketing materials. Investing in branding of programs that support inclusive campus programming - storytelling.  

Events

Staff: Make it Make Sense discussion series; Long Talk Dialogue Series

Students: CIME - various ongoing programs, services, and initiatives across areas (Black Affairs, Hispanic Latinx Affairs, APIDA, LGBTQ+ Affairs, D&I, UMMP, Gatorship) multicultural.ufl.edu

MCDA Listserv: Sign up for our Listserv!! 

Awards / Recognition

The Department of Multicultural and Diversity Affairs was awarded with the 2020 NASPA Virtual Innovation Award: https://www.virtualsuccess.naspa.org/

The Institute of Black Culture and Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures were recognized by the American Institute of Architects – Orlando with the Community Impact Award and People’s Choice Award.

2021 NASPA-FL Awards Program of Distinction:

• CIME Early Arrival Programs: PAACT, ADELANTE, FiND
• All Aboard Gators: Ready Set Thrive
• Campus Connection Coalition

UF recognized as a top ten wheelchair-friendly university by New Mobility Magazine, with leadership from the Disability Resource Center, Reitz Union, and Housing and Residence Life.

Last Updated

May 2022

• The Listen, Learn & Act Initiative (employee-focused)
• Black Student-Athlete Council (student-athlete focused)

• The driving forces behind our efforts here have been, first, enacting the UAA’s strategic purpose of “a championship experience with integrity” by supporting our student-athletes the best we possibly can. Second, we have called upon our core value of respect – we treat each other with fairness, honesty, kindness and civility – to give both a vocabulary and guiding principles to our efforts internally and externally.
• LLA Initiative Purpose: To provide resources, guidance and companionship on the journey of learning about racial injustice in the USA and to fulfill our role in working toward a more just future as a nation, community, university and workplace.
• BSAC: Coordinated by Student Development Coordinator Valerie Flournoy under the umbrella of the Hawkins Center (student services/support)

• HR training in development
• One-off training for employees who deal directly with fans on responding to people unhappy about student-athletes who express their values

Volunteer-based committees

• FloridaGators.com/LLA web page
• Monthly Listen, Learn & Act Email Newsletter to all employees highlighting learning opportunities and ways to take action
• Video message sent via email to around 200K fans with athletic director Scott Stricklin expressing the UAA’s respect and support of student-athletes who speak out and/or peacefully demonstrate
• Editorial column on Florida Gators.com by track & field head coach Mike “Mouse” Holloway expressing some of his experiences and feelings as a Black man following George Floyd’s death
• Public statement from the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and a joint open letter from all head coaches and Stricklin
• Supported voter registration with multiple posts from the @FloridaGators Twitter account (317K followers) using the #GatorsVote hashtag, providing direct links to voter registration and video messages from notable Gator greats encouraging
• In-venue video message from the Black Student-Athlete Council that will play at home events
• Coverage on social media channels and GatorZone television show of student-athletes participating in a peaceful protest in Gainesville
• Held a virtual media session with approximately a dozen reporters speaking with men’s basketball student-athlete Scottie Lewis about his activism

“A Conversation That Matters” webinar series, which have combined for over 10,000 views to date. 

• Episode 1, Men's Basketball
• Episode 2, Head Coaches
• Episode 3, Black Student-Athletes in Predominantly White Sports (members of the Black Student-Athletes from several UF Teams.
• Episode 4, A Long Talk about an Uncomfortable Truth  (staff members who engage in A Long Talk about an Uncomfortable Truth training)
• Episode 5, Former Football Student-Athletes & Coaches  
• Episode 6, Women's History Month

May 2021