Sessions on successes at the UO and other universities to support students, faculty, staff and partners

EUGENE, Ore. – (May 5, 2014) – The University of Oregon is taking its next step in efforts to foster equity, inclusion and diversity with a daylong event about supporting under-represented minority students, building mentor programs, and hiring and retaining diverse faculty and staff. 

Attendees at the free, public event will learn how equity, inclusion and diversity enhance academic excellence when the UO’s Division of Equity and Inclusion presents “Showcase Oregon: Incorporating Best Practices in Equity, Inclusion and Diversity,” on Thursday, May 22, in the Ford Alumni Center.

The UO is in the process of crafting its new equity, inclusion and diversity framework for 2013-2016. Campus and community members have participated in meetings throughout the year to offer input into the planning process. Showcase Oregon brings together past participants and others to review issues discussed  to date, successes within UO schools and colleges, and best practices on campuses across the country.

“The Showcase symposium is an opportunity to reflect on all of the great work the university has done in examining where we’ve come since the last Diversity Action Plan in 2006, where we are now, and where we need to go in the future,” said UO Vice President of Equity and Inclusion Yvette Alex-Assensoh.

The symposium will feature nationally renowned speakers covering a variety of topics for everyone involved in the shared responsibilities from university leaders to students and community partners. The event kicks off with a breakfast discussion featuring UO President Michael Gottfredson and Charles Martinez, a clinical psychologist and UO education department head who formerly led the Office of Equity and Inclusion. The discussion will be hosted by Alex-Assensoh, and followed by panels and workshops, luncheon plenary, afternoon panels and workshops and poster sessions.

“It’s an honor to have an opportunity to bring so many on campus together with distinguished guests to work collaboratively on tactics that will make equity, inclusion and diversity commonplace at the University of Oregon,” said Alex-Assensoh.

National experts presenting at Showcase Oregon include:

• Damon Williams, senior vice president and chief education officer of the Boys and Girls Club of America, who will lead the luncheon plenary, “Synergistic Partnerships and Equitable Access to Higher Education.”
• Gilda Ochoa, professor of sociology and Chicana/o-Latina/o studies at Pomona College, who will lead the workshop, “Nurturing Diversity for Graduate and Undergraduate Student Success.”
• Leslie Traub, chief consulting officer of Cook Ross, Inc., who will offer “Moving from Cultural Clashes to Academic Excellence in the Classroom.”

UO faculty and staff participating in the afternoon poster session will show how they have incorporated equity, inclusion and diversity into teaching and research. Community members and students will share their work in various aspects of equity, inclusion and diversity, as well.

Showcase Oregon is free. Participants must register for meal and space accommodations by May 15.

About the Office of Equity and Inclusion
The UO Division of Equity and Inclusion seeks to make equity, inclusion and diversity commonplace at the UO by offering best practices in research, training, diversity hiring, coursework and student support. It comprises several units: The Office of the Vice President for Equity and Inclusion, the Many Nations Longhouse, the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence (CMAE), the Center on Diversity and Community (CoDaC) and the Multicultural Center (MCC).

MEDIA CONTACT: Aria Seligmann, director of strategic communications, UO Office of Equity and Inclusion, 541-346-5284, mobile: 541-543-1482, arias@uoregon.edu

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