Pacific University
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion was established July of 2018 and its led by the Chief Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Officer. The Chief EDI Officer is a standing member of the University Diversity Committee which operates as a standing committee in the university governance structure. The Diversity Committee has representation from administration, faculty, staff and students at the undergraduate and graduate level. The primary role of the Chief EDI Officer is to lead and manage an institution-wide effort to support and further develop a diverse community of faculty, students, and staff through policy development and programs that foster equity and inclusion on the broadest scale possible. This includes providing strategic, operational, and organizational leadership that grows capacity for intercultural competence, nurturing of diversity populations, and inclusive leadership across campus.

The University recently hired a new Director of Human Resources/Attorney. This leadership role is currently working closely with the Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion to strategize implementing cultural competence training via software module. For example, in AY 2018-2019, we will be requiring all staff, faculty and students to take, the The Lawroom course “Managing Bias.” Since July 2017, there have been 13 Cultural Competence trainings that have taken place at the undergraduate and graduate level. These trainings were conducted in person by the Chief Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Officer and the participants have been students, faculty, staff and administrators. These trainings involve, basic training in the following areas: Privilege, Microaggressions, White fragility, internalized oppression and institutional racism. Pacific University also conducts an annual Social Justice Retreat for twenty students to attend. The curriculum is delivered by faculty and staff. The University sent twenty-four students to attend the Student of Color Conference in Washington State. The event empowered students to attend cultural competence workshops. In addition, twenty-five students attended an Asian Pacific Islander Conference in Washington and five students attended the State of Oregon MENTE conference for Latinex men at a local community college. In addition, external speakers have been invited to campus to deliver narratives about Latinas, LGBTQ, Black History Month and all stakeholders of the college are invited. In spring of 2018 the Pacific University leadership including the president and a member of the Board of Trustees worked with our Chief EDI Officer to take a group of faculty, staff and students to the national conference on race and ethnicity in higher education (NCORE). The conference offered participants the opportunity to attend keynotes and workshop sessions related to race, equity, diversity and inclusion issues in higher education. The team plans to meet to discuss learning outcomes and possible initiatives for future development in this area.