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Championing Diversity

for Campus and Beyond

A UW-Madison Diversity Update | Edition 16 | February 20 , 2020

"There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about." - Margaret J. Wheatley

Dear colleagues,

February is a reminder that no matter what race, ethnicity or culture we celebrate, all are essential components of American history. Diversity and inclusion is the premise of our society, which is why we must improve our commitment to acknowledge, embrace and celebrate our global campus and communities.

Celebrating American heroes provides plenty of impetus. The campus launched spring semester in January by celebrating the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. holiday with Dr. Mae Jemison's realization of the dream. To the delight of countless children in the audience, Jemison shared her journey to become NASA's first woman of color astronaut and her childhood dream to rise among the stars.

Our Black History Month speakers and celebrations included the familiar with the return of First Wave graduate Danez Smith ('12) as a nationally-awarded poet to upcoming keynote speaker, professor and E mmy-Award winning producer Pierce Freelon. He will discuss Afro-Futurism: B(l)ack to the Future, a movement to educate, celebrate and support contemporary and future Black existence.

You may have seen a Madison Metro bus around town with UW students featured on one side and #Iamuw with our beloved finger-and-thumb "W" on the other. #Iamuw is a movement and an invitation for students to come together around what it means to represent the campus, community and identities that make up UW-Madison. No one belongs on the sidelines -- our community belongs to everyone.

The latest Campus Climate update delineates our progress toward creating a more diverse, safe and inclusive campus. UW-Madison supports its Hmong community members with informational resources for students, faculty and staff following news reports that the federal government has opened negotiations to deport certain Hmong residents to Laos.

In addition to a surge in diversity and inclusion training being offered across the campus, LaVar Charleston was recently named the School of Education’s first associate dean for diversity and inclusion and Lisa Imhoff was named assistant dean of diversity and inclusion initiatives at the School of Pharmacy. UW-Madison received 4.5 out of 5 stars for LGBTQ+ friendly campuses in the 2019 Campus Pride Index and University Health Services in Student Affairs hired additional mental health providers focused on students of color and LGBTQ+ students.

On Feb. 27, the Center for Educational Opportunity (CeO) and the McNair Scholars program will host TRIO Day to celebrate their amazing work and people. UW-Madison has been a partner with TRIO's federally funded programs for disadvantaged young people and adults since 1993. Join the national TRIO Day celebration at #NationalTRIODay.

The year 2020 is going to be rich in teaching moments on citizenship, democracy, self-efficacy and other issues that are at the base of our work in diversity, equity and inclusion. Your view, your conscious and your interest -- in my opinion -- is more important than ever.

We may slow down a little during winter, but deep hibernation is not an option. I value all the effort, feedback and support our campus and community partners contribute regardless of the season. To quote Dr. Jemison, “the best way to make dreams come true is to wake up.”

In community,

Patrick J. Sims

Deputy Vice Chancellor for Diversity & Inclusion

Elzie Higginbottom Vice Provost & Chief Diversity Officer

Division of Diversity, Equity and Educational Achievement

University of Wisconsin-Madison

12th Annual Outstanding Women of Color

On March 5, we'll celebrate the 2019-20 cohort of UW-Madison Outstanding Women of Color . The public reception will be 5 p.m.-7:30 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge of the Pyle Center.

Please join us in saluting the honorees in one of the warmest, joyful events we host each year. An annual UW-Madison tradition since 2007, the event celebrates women of color who are deeply rooted in the campus and the larger Madison community through their work for social justice, service, research and community building.

Campus News and Announcements

2020 Women in Leadership Symposium

The 8th Annual Women in Leadership Symposium hosted in conjunction with the National Diversity Council, will be Tuesday, March 24. This year's discussion centers on “Creating a League of Your Own: Women in Action.” Read more.

Forward Under 40 cites former PEOPLE Scholar

Aaron Olson (’12, MS’14, PHD’18), who earned his undergraduate degree through the PEOPLE program, is among the UW Alumni Association 2020 awardees for outstanding early career achievement.