IDEA Diversity Summit

The 4th Annual Diversity Summit, sponsored by Iowa's I.D.E.A. was hosted
by the University of Northern Iowa on April 23. If you were unable to
join us for this year's event, please consider attending next year's
summit to be held on April 29, 2010, at Kirkwood Community College in
Cedar Rapids. For registration and more information, visit www.iowadiversitysummit.com.

Climate Survey Update

Thank you to all the students, staff, and faculty who participated in the survey.  The student participation rate was a strong 15.3% and the employee participation rate was a remarkable 51.6%.  Review the results here. (Please note the ability to toggle between the student results and the employee results.)

The Diversity Council, the Diversity Advisory Committee, the College Diversity Councils, and other units on campus will be analyzing the data and using the findings to improve programs and practices.  The Diversity Council is also developing a set of key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure progress related to UNI’s diversity efforts and several of the KPIs will be drawn from this climate study.  The survey will be repeated at given intervals in the future and the results of this study will be used as a benchmark for future analysis.

Town Hall Meeting

Thank you to everyone who attended the Town Hall Meeting on Diversity on January 22, 2009.  The meeting gave me an opportunity to further explain the organizational approach we’ll be using to address diversity at UNI.  The main entities include: the Diversity Council to provide leadership and coordination; the Diversity Advisory Committee to provide input and ideas; and College Diversity Councils to help meet specific goals and objectives.  While these groups have specific responsibilities, all of us here at UNI are responsible for making our campus welcoming and supportive to all; for connecting us to diverse communities here and around the state; for enhancing the diversity of our student body, faculty and staff; and fostering the success of all in this environment.  My vision is to see us arrive at a UNI campus where diversity is so well understood and well achieved, and so enriches every aspect of campus culture, that ‘initiatives’ are no longer needed.

To become involved in UNI’s commitment to diversity, please contact any member of the groups listed above or diversity@uni.edu. Continue to watch the Diversity Matters web site for updates of the actions of these groups.  If you have information you would like to share through the Diversity Matters web site, contact the Office of Compliance and Equity Management at 3.2846 or diversity@uni.edu.

To view the presentation slides from the meeting, click here.  Names of the members of each of the councils and committees are included in these slides.

President Benjamin Allen

January 2009

New Diversity Council formed

I am pleased to announce the formation of the University of Northern Iowa Diversity Council. The Diversity Council will report to me and is responsible for providing the leadership and coordination necessary to achieve the diversity-related goals of the university. Terry Hogan, Vice President for Student Affairs, has agreed to serve as chair of this council for fiscal year 2009.

Council members will be Interim Executive Vice President and Provost James Lubker; Vice President for Administration and Finance Tom Schellhardt; Vice President for Student Affairs Terry Hogan; Vice President for University Advancement Bill Calhoun; NISG Vice President Clarence Lobdell III; Director of Student Support Services Inez Murtha; and Assistant to the President for Compliance and Equity Management Leah Gutknecht.

Responsibility for chairing the Council will rest initially with Terry Hogan, but will rotate in the future among the vice presidents. The council will meet monthly and will provide quarterly updates to my office. It will report annually to myself and the university community.

To ensure broad participation and support for planned initiatives, the council will form and charge a Diversity Advisory Committee, and will appoint a chair who will also serve on the council.

I'd like to thank the council members for their willingness to serve in this capacity. It is important that this council provide leadership to coordinate campus diversity efforts.

President Benjamin Allen

October 2008

Dedication to Diversity

When I came to the University of Northern Iowa in 2006, I was vocal about my belief that this university should play a leadership role in the state of Iowa. Having lived in Iowa for more than two decades I have become keenly aware of the role that UNI must play in advancing a commitment to diversity statewide.

We educate many of Iowa’s business, education and government leaders – those who will influence our society in the future. Our graduates take with them the knowledge and values they learn or refine while with us. Because we believe that appreciation of diversity is an essential component of an excellent education, we must make it an institutional priority to value, promote and teach about diversity.

By dedicating ourselves to this cause, we learn and grow as a community and as an educational institution, and we assist students in developing cross-cultural competence necessary for success in life after UNI. The change we effect in our students and on our campus will benefit workplaces, schools and communities across the state and the nation.

Our commitment to diversity is a work in progress and remains a priority. This site is but one method of acting on it. Please, look around and feel free to make use of the many resources you will find listed here, and do what you can to contribute to this important goal. I look forward to your comments and suggestions for helping us make UNI a leader in diversity.

President Benjamin Allen

Fall, 2007