Inclusive Excellence

Vice Chancellor for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer André L. Churchwell reflects on the recent merger of the Provost’s Office for Inclusive Excellence with the Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion as a way of broadening and deepening Vanderbilt’s resources for fostering a welcoming and supportive culture across campus. To subscribe to the monthly "Inclusive Connector" newsletter, visit vanderbilt.edu/diversity/stay-informed. Read More

The Provost’s Office for Inclusive Excellence has joined forces with the Office for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in a move to broaden and deepen Vanderbilt’s resources for fostering a welcoming and supportive culture. In addition, the Office for Planning and Institutional Effectiveness, or PIE, will become part of the Office of the Chancellor after previously reporting to the provost. Read More

A number of Vanderbilt graduates participated in recognition ceremonies supported by the Provost’s Office for Inclusive Excellence May 13–14 as part of the university’s 2021 Commencement celebrations. Read More

Money Matters Week, which aims to uplift and broaden the Vanderbilt community’s understanding of the ways in which people and students from low- and lower-income backgrounds experience and navigate systemic and social barriers, will feature a week of events March 30–April 2. The programming will include a faculty panel, virtual workshops and games, and online information on financial literacy and wellness. Read More

The Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center and the Provost’s Office for Inclusive Excellence invite Vanderbilt faculty, graduate and professional students, postdoctoral fellows and staff to apply for an upcoming two-day workshop to be conducted virtually by the OpEd Project, which is committed to increasing the number of women thought leaders contributing to key public forums through their writing. Read More

Two Provost Postdoctoral Fellows have joined Vanderbilt University this academic year as part of the Academic Pathways program. Academic Pathways creates a bridge from academic training to entry-level faculty positions for recently graduated doctoral and law students from a diverse array of backgrounds, identities and experiences. Read More

A virtual town hall-style discussion about identity, language and race is set for Wednesday, Feb. 17, as part of Vanderbilt’s ongoing commemoration of Black History Month. “The Intersection of Identity Conversations in the Disabled Community: From Person-first to Identity-first Language” is scheduled from 3 to 4 p.m. CT and will be hosted by the Student Access office, Provost’s Office for Inclusive Excellence and the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center. Read More

Collecting demographic information in ways that are inclusive to all identities is a positive step for any organization to make toward greater accuracy and equity. This guide from Vanderbilt's Office of LGBTQI Life offers a few specific ways to ask about gender and sexuality in ways that are respectful and inclusive. Read More

Chris Purcell, director of Vanderbilt’s Office of LGBTQI Life since 2013, will leave the position Dec. 31 to become assistant dean of students at Chatham University in Pittsburgh. Rob Nelson, assistant director of LGBTQI Life, will serve as the interim director while a national search is conducted to fill the role, William H. Robinson, vice provost for academic advancement and executive director of the Provost’s Office for Inclusive Excellence, has announced. Read More

Vanderbilt’s Provost’s Office for Inclusive Excellence and identity centers coordinated a number of initiatives and events during the fall 2020 semester to support the university community—in particular, those members with systemically nondominant identities—amid the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing social and political unrest in the country. Read More

The deans of Vanderbilt’s 10 colleges and schools each have named liaisons to work directly with the Provost’s Office for Inclusive Excellence. These Deans’ Diversity Designates will serve as advocates for inclusive excellence as well as equity-, diversity- and inclusion-related initiatives at their respective schools and in their specific areas across the Vanderbilt campus. Read More

Members of the Vanderbilt community will participate in First-Generation Celebration Day, a nationwide event planned for Sunday, Nov. 8, that seeks to honor the motivations and accomplishments of first-generation students and graduates at colleges and universities across the country. Read More

Franklin Ellis Jr. has been named director of the Provost’s Office for Inclusive Excellence (OIE), Vice Provost for Academic Advancement and Executive Director of OIE William H. Robinson has announced. Read More

New resources for faculty search committees are available through an online learning community and asynchronous resource repository. These resources will support the efforts of departments and schools to attract a strong, diverse pool of candidates and to recruit the best new colleagues. Read More

Vanderbilt University today launched Destination Vanderbilt, a $100 million university excellence initiative to recruit new faculty. Over the next two to four years, the university will leverage the investment to recruit approximately 60 faculty who are leaders and rising stars in their fields. Read More

Diverse ’Dores Day, an annual event showcasing the offices, organizations and departments on campus designed to empower and equip Vanderbilt community members to be agents of positive social change, is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 15, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Read More

The university has scheduled additional listening sessions for staff next week to provide a space for discussion about how Vanderbilt can meaningfully respond and take tangible next steps for action in the wake of George Floyd’s death and subsequent protests for racial justice in a number of cities. Read More

The death of George Floyd has served as a “clarion call”—an unmissable sign that indicates an urgent need for action—and it's up to each of us to hear the call and channel our knowledge, experience and compassion for others accordingly, writes William H. Robinson, vice provost for academic advancement and executive director of the Provost’s Office for Inclusive Excellence. Read More

Discussions open to all faculty on the issues of racial injustice in America, and on the challenges and inequities that emerge at the intersection of identity and crisis, are scheduled for Friday, June 5, and Tuesday, June 9. Read More

Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente today announced the appointment of William H. Robinson as Vanderbilt’s vice provost for academic advancement and executive director of the Provost’s Office for Inclusive Excellence. Read More