University of Richmond
PA-4: Diversity and Equity Coordination

The Office of Common Ground, the University's diversity and social justice initiative, focuses 75% of its time on students and 25% on faculty and staff. The President's Advisory Committee for Making Excellence Inclusive (PAC) focuses on all constituents. The Interim Coordinating Council (ICC) is also a University-wide initiative which advises the president's office of issues of thriving and inclusivity for faculty,staff, and students. The Office of Common Ground is charged with overseeing diversity and inclusivity for the University. The office spends about 75% of its time supporting students through trainings, workshops, programs and policy recommendation, and approximately 25% of its time with faculty and staff support. Student oriented programs include leading social justice weekend retreats, training student leaders on diversity and inclusive community building, supporting lgbtq and first-generation students, and making policy recommendations on best practices for transgender students across campus functional areas. Faculty support includes training faculty how to work with underrepresented students, and training diversity advocates on faculty search committees to optimize the likelihood of recruiting a diverse faculty. Staff support includes promoting inclusive health insurance policies for trans-identified staff, and creating affinity group space for faculty and staff of color, as well as those in the LGBTQ community, offering trainings and programs on topics like inclusive pedagogy, working with first-generation students, and social-justice ally development on a regular basis. The PAC has subcommittees focused on the thriving of all students especially under-represented groups, as well as new ways to maximze opportunities for faculty to receive training and support in working with our diverse students. The ICC is focused on creating a structure that will allow any future diversity and inclusion efforts to be efficiently coordinated across departments and populations.

The revised three-part Safe Zone Ally program is offered to faculty, staff, and students multiple times a year on LGBTQ, trans and social justice ally development. Common Ground sponsors workshop on inclusive pedagogy for faculty, as well as working with first-generation students. All students are welcome to apply to the enVision social justice retreat which is offered twice annually, and Common Ground provides training for hundreds of student leaders attend mandatory training every year, including all resident assistants, orientation advisors, international orientation advisors, and cultural advisors on awareness and skill-building around inclusivity and connecting across difference.