Updates to UNF’s Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence

The University of North Florida’s Office of Diversity and Inclusion is diligently working to implement action steps on UNF’s Strategic Plan for Inclusive Excellence. The plan has five goals, 53 strategies and 171 action steps to help further integrate high-quality diversity initiatives and infuse diversity into recruiting, admissions, hiring and administrative practices throughout the University. Highlights of the actions undertaken in the first quarter include:

Goal 1: Improve recruitment of students and employee from underrepresented communities

• Hosting continual meetings with Enrollment Services to discuss ways the University can remove barriers to help attract a more diverse student application pool
• Strengthening relationships between Enrollment Services and high school counselors, particularly at Title 1 schools
• Partnering the Commission on Diversity and Inclusion with University faculty to attend a recruiting event for Ph.D. scholars to encourage their applications to open faculty positions

Goal 2: Support retention and success of students and employees to create an inclusive University climate

• Developed a “Inclusive Excellence: Navigating Race at UNF” training course by an in-house committee that is required for all new students
• Strengthening relationships with Panhellenic leadership and organizations
• Looking at ways to remove biases from Instructional Satisfaction Questionnaires (ISQs), used by students to confidentially rate their UNF learning experience
• Adding a new additional question to staff performance appraisals that addresses diversity and inclusion competencies
• Creating leadership programs for students, faculty and staff that focus on purposeful engagement and mentoring that supports participants in developing their pursuits

Goal 3: Provide innovative and transformative learning experiences to advance inclusive excellence

• Discussing strategies for advancing inclusive excellence in the classroom and programming for faculty within the diversity, equity, and inclusion College Collaborators team. The DEI College Collaborators team was created by the Commission on Diversity & Inclusion and is comprised of a faculty member from each college appointed by the dean, athletics, Department of Diversity initiatives and the Chief Diversity Officer.

Goal 4: Communicate UNF’s accomplishments, initiatives and innovations as the University advances inclusive excellence to all stakeholders

• Developing and publishing a quarterly Office of Diversity and Inclusion newsletter for the campus community
• Drafting a DEI strategic communications plan to identify and document processes and stakeholder involvement and to clarify the relationships between audiences, messages, channels, activities, and materials

Goal 5: Lead Northeast Florida in diversity education by establishing and sustaining partnerships with businesses and organizations who will partner with UNF in championing inclusive excellence

• Leading intentional conversations and events within the community, including those surrounding key social justice issues
• Supporting underrepresented entrepreneurs in pursing their business goals with a new partnership between UNF’s Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (CEI) and Swisher