Marquette University is developing and implementing new strategies to foster diversity and inclusion on campus. These efforts are being led by Dr. William Welburn, the executive director of Marquette’s new Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion.
“We have to see ourselves as living up to the mission of our institution and our creative environment,” said Welburn, who assists Marquette Provost Daniel Myers in creating strategic initiatives for diversifying faculty and academic administrative positions.
“It’s not just that everyone is welcomed, but that everyone is respected and valued,” he said. “We embrace each other. In this way we ensure a really good quality educational experience.”
Welburn wants to bring cohesion to the diversity and inclusion efforts already on campus and hopes to partner with Marquette community members to facilitate new initiatives as an “engineer of new ideas.”
In addition, a campus climate study was completed in fall 2015 and a new LGBTQ Resource Center and Center for Gender and Sexualities Studies was developed. Moreover
- • Last fall, the inaugural Faculty and Staff Excellence in Diversity and Inclusion Awards were announced with winners named this spring.
- • New resident assistant and student diversity training programs were implemented.
- • Marquette joined the National Center for Faculty Development and Diversity.
- • A new Committee for Recruiting and Retaining Native American Students was formed.
- • New course development grants will be offered for the Center for Gender and Sexualities Studies.
- • The Office of Institutional Diversity will launch a faculty fellows program.
- • A campus-wide forum replacing the First-year Reading Program will begin in the 2016-17 academic year.
- • An associate director position will be created for the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion. This person will be responsible for Hispanic student recruitment and community engagement.