UVA_HRHR Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
The HR Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee was established in May 2020, and in partnership with UVA's Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and the Office for Equal Opportunity and Civil Rights (EOCR), promotes awareness of and respect for diversity among UVA staff and faculty; advocates for inclusion and inclusive practices and policies; and ensures equity in human resources programs and processes. Current DEI committee chairs are Brian Ford and Kimberlyn McDonald, Senior HR Business Partners. John Kosky, VP & CHRO is the HR DEI Executive Sponsor.
President Jim Ryan on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
In President Ryan's UVA Today article about DEI, he asserted that "Colleges should continue to promote the core elements of DEI, as these efforts are crucial to ensuring opportunity and access, attracting and retaining the most talented people, creating a vibrant campus culture, and promoting a richer and more robust exchange of ideas." He notes that critics fall into two camps about DEI: those who embrace the concept but who are concerned about overreach, and those "who would like to see DEI disappear altogether." His article looks for common ground among the camps.
He goes on to define diversity as "not just race, ethnicity, and gender, but a wide range of other factors and characteristics, including geography, socioeconomic status, first-generation status, disability status, religion, age, sexual orientation, viewpoint, ideology, and special talents" and equity as "an effort to ensure equal opportunity, not equal results." He defines inclusion as "an effort to make everyone feel like they belong and are full and welcome members of the community."
He concludes, saying, "To create a community that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive, those in leadership positions have to take actions that actually further those goals – through their admissions processes; their hiring and retention practices; and in the myriad decisions they make about rooming policies, the food to serve, the events to celebrate, the spaces to create for students, and who in their community they choose to honor."
