University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
PA-5: Diversity and Equity Coordination

UMN has a Vice President for Equity and Diversity and an Office for Equity and Diversity. The institution's chief diversity officer is responsible for leading efforts to reach the U of M's most ambitious diversity goals across five state-wide campuses. The Office for Equity and Diversity works with every campus, college, unit and department - and with individuals of all identities - to create a truly inclusive university. This includes students, staff and faculty. Units reporting to the Office for Equity and Diversity include the Office for Community and Business Development, Office for Conflict Resolution, Disability Resource Center, Office for Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action, Gender and Sexuality Center for Queer and Trans Life, Multicultural Center for Academic Excellence, and Women’s Center. https://diversity.umn.edu/

The Equity, Access and Diversity Committee (part of the University Senate) is primarily concerned with the impact and compliance of University policies, programs, and services on equal opportunity, affirmative action, and diversity from a system perspective. http://usenate.umn.edu/committees/equity-access-and-diversity-committee-ead

The Diversity Community of Practice is a grassroots community of faculty and staff from collegiate and administrative units across the Twin Cities campus. Its purpose is to develop and leverage personal, professional, and technical expertise, effectively creating innovative strategies that ensure successful implementation of equity and diversity goals at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. http://dcop.umn.edu/

Many of the colleges and departments have their own diversity committees with goals and objectives particular to their population.

ECHO: My Role in Equity and Diversity Work
Description: If “diversity is everybody’s everyday work,” then what is my role? This foundational workshop introduces participants to the core concepts around equity, diversity, and social justice. Key topics include foundational terminology, understanding our own identities, exploring bias and oppression, and how to work to be an ally and advocate in this work.
ECHO: Navigating Challenging Conversations
Description: This workshop addresses one of the most significant aspects of equity and diversity work: navigating challenging conversations. In each of our ongoing developmental paths around equity, diversity, and social justice, we will find ourselves in more situations that call for self-reflection, careful listening, nuanced language, and thoughtful questions. This workshop introduces skills in the following areas: noticing and naming our own triggers and activation, developing nuance in our understanding of our intentions, and developing empathy and active listening skills when we impact others.
ECHO: Addressing Implicit Bias and Microaggressions
Description: The University of Minnesota is committed to increasing equity and diversity among its staff, faculty, and students. This includes supporting people of color, people who identify as women, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA communities, and other identities across campus. It is essential to recognize and address the presence of implicit bias and microaggressions in our everyday lives. This workshop exposes participants to the concept of implicit bias and how it produces microaggressions that can impact the classroom, work, and social environments.
ECHO: Collective Access for All
Description: Growing out of efforts to increase access for marginalized people with disabilities in social justice organizing, the term "collective access" refers to an approach toward inclusion that envisions a world where everyone's needs are understood as valid. Whether it's captioning, gender-neutral restrooms, rooms for silent prayer, curb cuts, or inclusive language, the work of equity and diversity involves paying attention to how we design our classrooms, labs, offices, residence halls, work, curricula, and events to be as welcoming and inclusive as possible. In this workshop, participants learn critical concepts of collective access and are given opportunities to assess the inclusivity of their own spaces, products, and communities.
ECHO: Ableism & Disability Justice
Description: Ableism and discrimination towards people with disabilities and disabled communities play out on the individual, cultural, and institutional levels in the U.S. and worldwide. In this workshop, participants learn about the foundational frames and the nuance involved in fighting ableism and working for disability justice.
ECHO: Challenging Classism
Description: The impact of classism in our society leads to many barriers on our campus and in the broader community. Exploring classism is an essential part of understanding how wealth, status, and income are intertwined with social, cultural, and historical issues in the United States. Class and classism intersect with our identities and experiences, and challenging assumptions and biases about class is an essential step in creating positive change at the University.
ECHO: LGBTQIA Identities and Communities
Description: In discussions of “diversity,” not everyone recognizes that gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation are important points of cultural difference that merit recognition and voice. Members of the University who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, asexual, and/or queer often face isolation, silence, and invisibility. This workshop offers an opportunity for participants to learn about LGBTQIA identities and communities and identify strategies they can employ to create a more open and welcoming campus climate.
ECHO: Race, Racism, and White Supremacy
Description: This course provides education about the concepts of race, racism, and white supremacy, historical and current facts, figures, and insight on resistance movements. This course also addresses the importance of talking about white privilege, white dominance, and white fragility as a way for white people to understand their own socialization and participation in systemic racism.
ECHO: Religious and Spiritual Identities
Description: For many people, religion and spirituality are deeply personal and create values that offer a sense of purpose and community. However, religion may be seen as either impolite to talk about or as dangerously divisive in the public sphere. This workshop will explore how religious, spiritual, and humanist identities interact with other social identities and the power and privilege within historical and modern contexts. We will address the complexity of balancing religious and spiritual expression in the public sphere where church and state are separated.
ECHO: Understanding and Advancing Gender Equity
Description: The media makes it sound like women have reached equality. What's the truth? In this interactive workshop, increase your knowledge of women’s stats today, discuss how women’s equity benefits everyone, and share ideas for advancing equity.
Workshop: Addressing Implicit Bias and Microaggressions
Description: The University of Minnesota is committed to increasing equity and diversity among its staff, faculty, and students. This includes supporting people of color, people who identify as women, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA communities, and other identities across campus. It is essential to recognize and address the presence of implicit bias and microaggressions in our everyday lives. This workshop exposes participants to the concept of implicit bias and how it produces microaggressions that can impact the classroom, work, and social environments.
Workshop: Navigating Challenging Conversations
Description: This workshop addresses one of the most significant aspects of equity and diversity work: navigating challenging conversations. In each of our ongoing developmental paths around equity, diversity, and social justice, we will find ourselves in more situations that call for self-reflection, careful listening, nuanced language, and thoughtful questions. This workshop introduces skills in the following areas: noticing and naming our own triggers and activation, developing nuance in our understanding of our intentions, and developing empathy and active listening skills when we impact others.
Workshop: My Role in Equity and Diversity
Description: If “diversity is everybody’s everyday work,” then what is my role? This foundational workshop introduces participants to the core concepts around equity, diversity, and social justice. Key topics include foundational terminology, understanding our own identities, exploring bias and oppression, and how to work to be an ally and advocate in this work.
Workshop: Addressing Implicit Bias in Search and Selection Processes
Description: Departments across the U of M regularly participate in searches and selection processes. The University is committed to increasing diversity among its staff, faculty, and students in admissions, promotions, scholarship decisions, and other selection processes. The presence of implicit bias in these processes can inhibit this goal. This workshop exposes participants to the breadth of implicit bias research and will help them recognize shortcuts resulting from unconscious or unexamined bias. Participants will learn promising practices and resources for addressing implicit bias in the context of search and selection processes.

https://diversity.umn.edu/education/departmental-trainings