4
OUR COMMITMENT
TO DIVERSITY, EQUITY,
AND INCLUSION
ANNABELLE GOODWIN, PHD
DIRECTOR OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION
As the death of George Floyd rocked the nation in early June, many of us had the opportunity
to advocate and speak out against systemic racism and injustices facing people of color
in this country. On June 5 and June 29, NCU hosted roundtable discussions for faculty,
staff, students, and alumni to share their experiences and thoughts on how NCU can be
an agent for change. Throughout the month we also hosted twice weekly group sessions
where students and team members could come to talk about how they were feeling.
If you haven't already, please read thoughts from President Harpool, Provost LaNear, and
me, as well as this follow-up email on NCU's response to racism, hatred, and intolerance.
NCU's leadership will continue to do more to fight for a more just future. In the near term:
• We're forming task forces in the following areas: inclusive curriculum, inclusive
pedagogy, hiring, retention, and promotion, disability services, and feedback
mechanisms.
• We've compiled a resource list/Lib Guide of resources that were shared at the
first roundtable.
• Here are links to the first and second roundtables, if you missed them.
• We have launched a Black, Brown, and African American Connection group in
The Commons.
I'm also pleased to note that the University Diversity Committee is updating NCU's
suggested guidelines around gendered pronouns. Look for those soon. In the meantime,
you may see colleagues who have chosen to share their preferred pronouns in their email
signature, and I encourage you to learn more about this step toward inclusivity here.
NCU HAPPENINGS | SUMMER 2020
