Office of Institutional Diversity announces November series, 'Deliberative Dialogues on Diversity: A Matter of Institutional Accountability'

Office of Institutional Diversity announces November series, 'Deliberative Dialogues on Diversity: A Matter of Institutional Accountability'

Are you wondering what’s happening with diversity plans at the University of St. Thomas ? Are there strategies your unit or organization is using to enhance diversity? Are you unclear about what role your unit or organization should play in diversity initiatives? Are you ready to move from awareness to action?

If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, plan to attend a new series, “Deliberative Dialogues on Diversity: A Matter of Institutional Accountability,” next month. This program is designed as the first in a series of public forums rooted in the simple notion that people need to come together to reason and talk — to discuss assets and deliberate deficits that prohibit us — as an institution— from attaining our desired diversity goals.

The following dates and locations are reserved for these dialogues:

• Noon-1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, in Room 304, Murray-Herrick Campus Center, St. Paul campus (session for UST community)
• 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, Room 419, Opus Hall, Minneapolis campus (session for all faculty)
• 2-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 9, Room 419, Opus Hall (session for all staff)
• 1:30-3 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 15, Room 155, Murray-Herrick Campus Center (session for all students)
• 12:30-2 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 30, Room 155, Murray-Herrick Campus Center (session for UST community)

St. Thomas expresses a commitment to diversity as one dimension of living out its Catholic identity in its mission and convictions. The series will consider the five goals from the originally proposed Five-Year Diversity Plan as focused issues for deliberative dialogues. These five goals include: climate, institutional communication processes, curriculum, institutional standards for accountability and institutional transformation.

As we proactively build diversity into standards of inclusive policies, programs and practices, we must be intentional and deliberate in our processes. Diversity is a matter of institutional accountability; therefore, information recorded from these dialogues — as well as other data sources — will assist the Office of Institutional Diversity and the new University Diversity Advisory Council in establishing next steps for diversity actions to be undertaken at St. Thomas this academic year.

The “Deliberative Dialogues on Diversity: A Matter of Institutional Accountability” series will advance our institutional goal “to develop a stronger sense of community” through “civil discourse.” These forums will offer each person at UST an opportunity to join together to deliberate, to make choices with others about ways to approach difficult issues, and to work toward creating reasoned goals and actions toward accomplishing diversity. I challenge each Tommie to join other students, faculty, staff and administrators in this community opportunity as we embrace talking the talk and walking the walk!

If you have questions please contact me at (651) 962-6951 or Helen Hunter, (651) 962-5200.