Dear Colleagues,
The University of Miami is committed to advancing racial justice on our campuses and in our local and global communities. Over the past few months, we have taken several important steps to making this commitment actionable. These include, but are not limited to the:
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Appointment of Professor Don Spivey as the Special Advisor to the President on Racial Justice
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Establishment of an ad hoc committee of the Board of Trustees on social justice and diversity
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Appointment of Professor Osamudia James as Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
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Investment in the Center for Global Black Studies
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U-LINK funding to address race, equity, and diversity
An important next step is the expansion of implicit bias and diversity development opportunities for faculty. As a first step, we are providing two immersive online programs: “Managing Bias” and “Diversity: Inclusion in the Modern Workplace.” As UM’s faculty members, we are all UM’s most visible and influential leaders; our commitment to advancing our own personal growth and development should be sincere and demonstrable. Our expectation is that you use the break between the end of the semester and the start of Spring 2021 on Jan. 25 to join the four of us and the rest of the University’s leadership in completing these modules. The modules, which represent our first steps toward a more comprehensive and tailored engagement, can be accessed in ULearn. They are:
Managing Bias
This module defines bias, describes how it affects the workplace, and encourages learners to use that knowledge to reduce the negative effects of bias.
Diversity: Inclusion in the Modern Workplace
This module will help you think about the importance of a respectful working environment and the barriers that prevent full participation.
As we have discussed with the Faculty Senate leadership who share in this commitment, the Faculty Senate’s Committee on Equity and Inclusion, and faculty representatives, these two modules are considered a baseline for future immersive opportunities on diversity and inclusion and implicit bias. These future opportunities will be specifically tailored to faculty members. Additionally, we encourage you to please share your thoughts with us on what these additional opportunities should include. One way you can do this is by completing the engagement survey recently sent to you from the Office of Faculty Affairs: https://umiami.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_1MI05m6Z7PrRaol
Thank you in advance for your continued support and commitment to advancing social justice at the U.
Julio Frenk
President
Jeffrey Duerk
Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost
Guillermo (Willy) Prado
Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
Osamudia James
Associate Provost for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 