Message from the Associate Provost for Inclusive Excellence

Dear members of the University of Denver community,

As DU continues to find ways to embed Inclusive Excellence (IE) and diversity into the fabric of our community for the benefit of all, the Center for Multicultural Excellence (CME) has made several changes that will maximize our limited resources and place both CME and the University in an optimal position to address many of the institutional priorities outlined in the 2011 DU Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan

Following a year-long conversation with campus constituents including students, faculty, staff, administrators, and alumni, we have made various shifts, both organizationally and conceptually, in the work of the CME. Some of these changes include:

• revising the Center’s mission, vision, values, and goals.
•  reorganizing staff roles and responsibilities in alignment with the new mission and vision.
• reshaping two professional positions and adding an additional position, to engage in the work of access and success pipelines for students, faculty, and staff.
• redistributing of operating funds to align with the goals of the IE Strategic Plan.
• increasing and systematizing collaboration with offices on campus, including admission, academic advising and human resources.  

Specifically, we reorganized CME into five key areas of programming: 

• Student Success & Leadership Development, comprised of programs targeting students from historically underrepresented communities to ensure their success while at DU. Led by Tracey Adams-Peters, Director.
• Educational Programs & Services, providing direct IE-related learning opportunities, and supporting partner initiatives, for all DU affiliates. Led by Dr. Thomas Walker, Director.
• Campus and Community Partnerships, supporting and encouraging collaborative efforts on and beyond campus to advance CME priorities. Led by Johanna Leyba, Assistant Provost.
• College Access & Campus Pipeline Programs, coordinating on and off campus efforts to promote higher education access at DU and beyond for historically underrepresented undergraduate and graduate students. Led by Anthea Johnson Rooen, Director*
• Faculty and Staff Diversity Recruiting, supporting DU efforts to recruit, retain and promote faculty and staff from historically underrepresented communities. Led by Dr Debra Mixon Mitchell, Director of Diversity Recruiting*

*Recently filled positions with staff having joined CME this fall.

Our team also includes recently promoted CME Office Manager Stefanie Ungphakorn Cowan, a to-be-hired Assistant Director of Student Access & Success Programs, and various graduate and undergraduate student staff. 

In addition to staffing changes, CME is supported by three additional bodies: 

• CME Advisory Board, created in 2011, these members of the DU community advise and guide the Center's work.
• Inclusive Excellence Incubator as part of the Renew DU initiative.
• Inclusive Excellence Collective, serves as campus-wide working group to both generate and solicit ideas to embed Inclusive Excellence into our community, as well as to pilot and implement best practices. 

We are excited about the changes in the Center for Multicultural Excellence and look forward to an exciting year that will include new programming and support that includes:

• expanded online resources in all areas
• single system and clearer cooperation for elementary and middle school student campus visits
• more comprehensive IE initiative sponsorship and support process
• Train-the-Trainer programs to empower additional campus leaders for IE-related programs and presentations
• targeted programming to support graduate students
• results of the 2012 campus climate survey (winter quarter)
• further expansion of the annual DU Diversity Summit (spring)   

If you’d like to be connected with CME-sponsored affinity groups, please complete this brief online form. For details on all these opportunities and resources, you can also look through this website, and watch for future campus communications. 

I look forward to working with all units, organizations and individuals across campus in developing stronger systems and structures to advance Inclusive Excellence and diversity at the University of Denver.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at the Center for Multicultural Excellence.

Sincerely,

Dr. Frank Tuitt
Associate Provost for Inclusive Excellence
Asc Professor of Higher Education, Morgridge College of Education