Dear UP Campus Community,
Whether it’s these crisp days filled with sunlight, or the promise of a new academic semester, this January has been enriching. Diversity Dialogues has been especially powerful. From the opening “Remembering MLK” session, to the many events led by students, staff and faculty, these sessions have demonstrated the diverse array of people that make our campus the vital place that it is.
I am proud to be a part of a community that places the value of every human at the core of their work. In my role as assistant provost for International Education Diversity and Inclusion, I am humbled by the chance to support and hopefully enhance this good place.
In this light, as part of our ongoing efforts to foster and sustain an inclusive environment for our campus, the entire UP community (students, staff and faculty) will receive an email from me with a link to an anonymous campus climate survey that is administered by the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS). This is the first time UP has administered a comprehensive campus climate survey that allows for benchmarking with our peer institutions.
The results of this survey will show us what we’re doing well and where we can grow in areas of equity and inclusion. It will help us carry out our mission and support one of the core strategies of President Fr. Mark Poorman’s strategic plan “to infuse our entire community with a sense of internationalization and diversity.”
As someone who understands the tyranny of the inbox, I appreciate your attention and time for reading the email when it arrives. Please also take the survey. It should take about 15 minutes.
Finally, I want to extend my gratitude to all the students, staff and faculty members who are already supporting these efforts to make everyone on campus feel welcome, respected and included.
Sincerely,
Eduardo Contreras, Ed.D.
Assistant Provost for International Education, Diversity and Inclusion
Eduardo Contreras can be reached at contrera@up.edu.
