UMBC Diversity and Inclusion Resources

Mon, 06 Feb 2017 09:29:44 -0500
diversityandinclusion

Inclusive excellence is a hallmark of UMBC and a foundational value of our community. We take great pride in the diversity of experience, background, and thought represented by our campus community and the respectful ways in which our students, faculty, and staff engage the civic issues being debated in our country today.

In this time of change, we have received many requests for information and guidance. We are pleased to introduce several new campus resources developed in collaboration with the University Steering Committee and other campus groups:

Information Regarding Recent Executive Actions: UMBC’s Office of International Education Services has developed a set of resources/FAQs to offer guidance for UMBC community members regarding President Trump's recent executive order on immigration. In addition, President Hrabowski has joined other college presidents and the American Council on Education in sending a letter to the Secretary of Homeland Security expressing concerns about the executive order.

The Diverse Classroom: This new Faculty Development Center resource page is designed to assist faculty in facilitating difficult classroom conversations and harnessing UMBC's diversity to create vibrant learning environments that both challenge and support every student.

Appreciating Differences in a Changing World (Feb. 13): The campus community is invited to this interactive concert, which will explore powerful questions through music and discussion. Singer-songwriter and trainer Bob Sima will lead the community in exercises to increase and improve self-awareness, interpersonal communication, and appreciation of differences.

The UMBC Freedom Seder, hosted by UMBC Hillel, the vice president for Student Affairs, and other campus partners, will be held on Wednesday, March 29, 7 – 9 p.m.Participants will celebrate the promise of freedom and learn about the diverse personal narratives of the UMBC community. The event will also honor the leaders, both past and present, who have fought and continue to fight for an egalitarian society. A certified kosher meal will be served.

Campus leaders also have joined together to create a new webpage that gathers a wide range of resources to support and celebrate diversity and inclusion, from campus-based organizations and services to external resources offered by nonprofit and government agencies. We know that the list is not exhaustive, and if you know of any resources that we have not included, please email us at inclusion@umbc.edu.

We are encouraged by the substantive programming and resources organized to support our students, faculty, and staff. We are confident UMBC will continue to be a model for inclusion—not because all members of our diverse community always agree with one another, but because we willingly engage with difficult issues and are respectful in our differences

Thank you for your commitment to our mission and for all that you do to strengthen our community.