University of Missouri
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The University of Missouri-Columbia has an office called The Chancellor’s Diversity Initiative (CDI). The mission of CDI is to integrate diversity and inclusion throughout the University by • Providing leadership, expertise, and resources to the MU community to further MU’s strategic goals. • Collaborating with others in the campus community to build the infrastructure and capacity for students, faculty and staff to work and learn in an inclusive and welcoming environment. • Promoting the understanding that diversity is inclusive of a community of people of differing genders, racial-ethnic backgrounds, languages, religious beliefs, sexual orientations, disabilities, national and geographical origins, socio-economic class, veterans’ status, and political views; and • Ensuring that diversity is reflected in the campus climate, curriculum, intellectual discourse, leadership, scholarly products, and recruitment and retention efforts. CDI’s efforts will result in a more inclusive, creative and innovative research and learning environment that facilitates the competent functioning of students, and employees in a diverse and competitive global society. NB: Each School and College is encourage to write a diversity statement on how they address diversity enhancement and cultural awareness. You can view the list of colleges/school and their statements here http://diversity.missouri.edu/about/mission-vision.php http://cdi.missouri.edu/programs-services/ or http://diversity.missouri.edu/learn/training/ (Link includes opportunities offered by entire campus, not just CDI.)

-Cultural competency and leadership development program—Customized professional development sessions, workshops and coaching for faculty, staff and students to become culturally-competent leaders. -Diversity 101—a 4-week online class for faculty and staff is a highly interactive introduction to diversity particularly as it pertains to working at MU. A core aspect of the course design is peer-to-peer learning through discussion boards in order to draw upon the rich and diverse experiences of colleagues across campus. Other aspects of the class include videos, reflection journal, and self-guided activities. -Workplace Diversity Series—offered seven times per year, the Workplace Diversity Series provides staff, supervisors and faculty an opportunity to learn about and discuss various workplace diversity issues with colleagues from across campus. These sessions focus on a wide variety of diversity-related issues and are led by experts from across campus. Sessions take place during the lunch hour so that more people may be able to attend. -Diversity, Difference and Conflict—A free 20-30 minute online training tool to help participants explore how they approach conflict in the workplace and what effect diversity has on conflict and relationships. -Diversity in Action seminar series—Seminar series highlighting current research by faculty and graduate students on diversity-related topics. -You in Mizzou—A dialogue program for MU students that challenges participants to discuss differences and discover similarities in a safe and respectful environment while experiencing the rich diversity of Mizzou and the beliefs of those around them. -Equity and Hiring Training and Consultation—The MU Equity Office offers customized training and consultation on effective strategies and best practices for faculty search committees as well as training on equity issues in the workplace. -Safe Space Training—Provided by the MU LGBTQ Resource Center, participants in the training learn about the challenges of homophobia, campus resources, and how to be supportive to members of the LGBTQ community. At the conclusion of the training, participants have the option to display a Safe Space symbol as a signal to LGBTQ individuals that they maintain a safe and affirming environment. Open to all students, staff, faculty and administrators. -Diversity Peer Educators (MU Multicultural Center)—Diversity Peer Educators offer cultural sensitivity education and training to cultivate a greater sense of respect and understanding of culture. This program challenges students to look at cultural assumptions, stereotyping, and the different "isms" everyone faces, with a critical eye. -Accessibility and ADA Education Training—Customized training workshops for students, staff, faculty, and administrators on etiquette for respectfully interacting with persons with disabilities; disability rights and current issues; universal design and workplace accommodations. -Difficult Dialogues Faculty Development Program—This program helps faculty learn and practice classroom techniques in conflict resolution and deliberation; encourage cross-cultural empathy through interactive theatre; and gain awareness of diversity issues in higher education related to race, gender, sexual orientation and religious literacy. -The Chancellor’s Diversity also provides additional custom training and workshops to all divisions on campus upon request.

The University of Missouri (MU, or Mizzou) has made great strides in increasing the diversity of our campus community and nurturing an inclusive campus climate for faculty, students and staff. The broad range of life experiences, values, cultural practices and perspectives in our community establishes an institutional foundation for innovative learning and discovery. It further expands the university’s ability to become a globally-recognized epicenter for education, research and entrepreneurship. As a comprehensive research university, it is essential for our scholarship to reflect our commitment to diversity. Faculty all across campus are actively engaged in research that contributes to a better understanding of the complexity of human experiences, and integrates academic research with the world of policy and action. Researchers are tackling such issues as: Black women’s working-class activism and the politics of urban decline; lottery funded scholarships and their effect on access and retention of minority students; designing adaptive clothing for individuals with disabilities to decrease stigma; and creating technology to enhance aging in place. Diversity research is enriched by the work of faculty in the Black Studies and Women’s and Gender Studies departments, as well as research centers such as the Cambio Center, Center on Religions and the Professions, the Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, the Afro-Romance Institute for Languages and Literatures of the African Diaspora, and the Vietnam Institute, among others. Diversity in Action, a program of the Chancellor’s Diversity Initiative (CDI), showcases new diversity research in a monthly seminar format. We believe that our curriculum must offer courses that will prepare all of our students for the increasingly multicultural 21st century. Our schools and colleges are committed to infusing discipline-relevant diversity into the curriculum. This has resulted in such groundbreaking efforts as the Trulaske College of Business’ Global Mindset and Multicultural Learning Map and the College of Education’s Personal Transformational Pathways. And our students actively seek out a diversity curriculum: an estimated 8000 undergrads are currently signed up for MU’s Multicultural Certificate program which gives credit for a multitude of courses, including, for example: Global Animal Agriculture, Blogging the World: the Web in Cultural Context, African Diaspora Folklore, and Theory and Practice of Theatre of the Oppressed. The MU International Center offers more than 300 study abroad programs; and a record 1,371 student studied abroad in 2012, making the University one of only 66 campuses in the country to send more than 1,000 students abroad annually. Diversity extends to our student body and to the many co-curricular opportunities we offer. The Disability Center, Multicultural Center, Black Culture Center, Women’s Center, LGBTQ Center, and Veterans Center provide support and leadership development for the growing number of demographically diverse students and allies we enroll. Student organizations run the gamut from professional organizations (National Association of Black Accountants, National Association of Hispanic Journalists), to affiliation groups (Triangle Coalition, Legion of Black Collegians, Muslim Student Organization) to service organizations (Peer-to-Peer, Enhanced Leaders Inspiring Through Excellence). These student organizations greatly expand our diversity programming and events on campus. At MU, inclusion and equity are more than a matter of compliance. The University of Missouri is dedicated to creating and maintaining an environment in which no individual is discriminated against based on their race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, disability, or status as a veteran. But that’s our floor, not our ceiling. We want all members of our community to feel welcome at Mizzou and to understand their responsibility for making our institution a welcoming place for others. We are pleased with our progress in improving the ability of members of our community to function successfully in a multicultural climate given that often people are not prepared to deal with others whom they perceive as different from themselves. The Chancellor's Diversity Initiative offers such innovative programming as Diversity 101, a four-week interactive web-based class; Workplace Diversity, a monthly brown-bag skill-building workshop; and superb online professional development modules on conflict resolution and respectful workplaces. We reach into the classroom to improve instructors’ cultural competency through our Difficult Dialogue fellows, Guide to Religions (with dates for necessary classroom accommodation), universal design and teaching tips for an inclusive classroom.