Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Implementation Plan:
A number of initiatives underway, starting with announcement of Juneteenth being a university holiday. There are several workstreams, like we did with our response to the virus and for restart, that will be working on action plans around a number of issues. We will be announcing some next steps in the coming days with respect to the overall initiative. First steps announced recently:
- Requiring cultural proficiency training for all faculty and teaching assistants; training on handling race discussions in the classroom; diversity and inclusion training for students prior to the start of the fall semester; and strengthening the diversity curriculum for UK 101.
- Earmarking funds for greater diversity faculty and staff recruitment.
- Creating a mini-internship program and developing a student advisory group to increase the pipeline toward careers in higher education.
- Expanding the university’s supplier diversity purchasing program.
- Empaneling a principles of community committee (evaluate Creed and Code).
- Conducting a facilities audit as part of the development of a diversity/inclusivity master plan for the campus and creating a “percent for art fund” in which dollars for large capital construction projects would be earmarked to purchase diverse and inclusive art.
- Building out the development of — and consistency in policies around — diversity and inclusion officers within each UK college.
- Creating a research alliance — as UK did in response to the coronavirus — to study and develop strategies around the reduction of social and racial injustice and health disparities.
Rupp Arena Statement:
“The faculty and students who have expressed these concerns are deeply valued members of our community. We thank them for their continued passion and commitment to advancing equity at UK. Senior officials have been meeting and corresponding with them to address their specific concerns, which speak forcefully to the systemic and institutional racism that we must thoughtfully and urgently address as a campus. Approvals already have been made with respect to the new faculty hires requested and discussions are ongoing regarding the creation of the Commonwealth Institute of Black Studies. But more must be done. And that is what our process – which hundreds of members of our campus have stepped forward to be part of – is designed to address. The work ahead of us is bigger than a plan written down on paper. Rather, we must respond as an institution, now and from this point forward, to be a community that stands against racism and that embraces people as their authentic selves.”
Diversity Supplier Program Statement:
Our total diverse spend currently identified for the last 12 months is 16 million or about 5 percent of our total addressable spend, which includes areas that have competition and Purchasing processes and decision-making can directly influence. That would not include things like transfer, taxes, utilities, etc.