February 2, 2007

Dear Diversity Advisory Council Members,

Thank you for your continued interest in assisting the University of Northern Colorado in its diversity initiative. Your comments at the first Diversity Advisory Council meeting about the need for concrete ways to measure the initiative’s progress helped us see some of the holes in our efforts.  In some ways we are stepping into uncharted territory and a willingness to change course when necessary is a sign of our commitment. I appreciate your patience as we move forward, and I am writing to bring you up to date and invite your continued participation.

More than 400 faculty, staff and students took part in focus groups and task forces led by our friends from Kebaya Coaching and Consulting, Inc. fall semester to begin shaping this campus-wide initiative. As the focus groups discussed perceptions about diversity on our campus, two questions emerged repeatedly. “Why are we doing this?” and “Will this really make a difference?” I’d like to share my thoughts on those two questions.

As we have learned through institutional planning and self-study, we face some challenges regarding diversity. For example, we aren’t retaining or graduating students at the rates we would like to be. We also know that as a university, we are not immune to the tensions in our community related to diversity and ethnicity.

In addition to the stated goal of fostering a campus community that is inclusive and welcoming, UNC is poised to become a national model for diversity in higher education. As we move forward with a process that is both organic and evolving, this institution has the opportunity to become the university of choice for those looking for a diverse teaching and learning environment. 

We have already begun to use some of what we learned from the fall focus groups. Faculty and staff have even greater expertise and willingness to lend to the initiative than we initially realized. So this semester, we’ll be tapping into faculty expertise and student energy rather than relying solely on outside consultants.

In thinking about how UNC can best benefit from your expertise, I have identified several areas from which I hope to draw on your insight and guidance to meet the following challenges:
 

  • Attracting and retaining a more diverse workforce
  • Identifying the skills and experiences our graduates need to be successful in meeting the demands of an increasingly diverse and global society
  • Helping us identify areas for investment, research and program development
  • Providing feedback on our efforts to create cultural awareness among majority populations
  • Advising on our outreach efforts with the surrounding community
  • Providing objective external review of our progress toward achieving our diversity goals and objectives

We had originally scheduled our next meeting for February 22.  My assistant, Elaine Quam, will be calling each of you individually this week to see if that date still works, or if we need to find a new date and time.

Thank you, and I look forward to seeing you again.

Sincerely,

Kay Norton