BCH Diversity and Inclusion Committee
The BCH Diversity and Inclusion Committee seeks to work toward broader diversity of faculty, staff, and students from underrepresented groups, both in terms of recruitment and retention; to create an inclusive and accepting atmosphere; to encourage faculty and staff to incorporate diversity into teaching, research, and service activities; to provide students diverse, co-curricular opportunities and resources; to provide minority and underrepresented students scholarship opportunities, and to provide visibility of BCH diversity initiatives.
Mission Statement
UNF is committed to embracing and accepting diversity and inclusion as core institutional values. BCH has a shared commitment to creating an inclusive environment that values and respects diversity. BCH has a commitment to promoting the dignity and well-being of every community member; this includes cultivating a culture of inclusion and safety, where each members’ talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and ways of living are welcomed and valued.
The University of North Florida has proudly received the 2022 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award from INSIGHT Into Diversity for the eighth consecutive year. UNF is recognized as a Diversity Champion, scoring in the top tier of all HEED Award institutions. The annual HEED award is presented by INSIGHT Into Diversity, the oldest and largest diversity-focused publication in higher education. This national honor recognizes U.S. colleges and universities that demonstrate an outstanding commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Diversity
Diversity is the range of human differences, including but not limited to: age, race, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, religious or ethnic values, physical appearance and abilities, social class, language, dialect, cultural norms, life experiences, political beliefs, personalities, learning styles, and educational and career aspirations.
Equity
Equity includes the creation of opportunities for historically underserved populations to have equal access to and participate in educational programs that are capable of closing the achievement gaps in student success as well as providing an equitable environment for all faculty and staff to succeed.
Inclusion
The active, intentional, and ongoing engagement with diversity (in the curriculum, in the co-curriculum, and in the intellectual, social, cultural, and geographical communities) in ways that increase awareness, content knowledge, cognitive sophistication, and empathic understanding of the complex ways individuals interact within systems and institutions.