News

Mari Castañeda

Castañeda to Give Talk About Civic Engagement in Diverse Latinx Communities

Mari Castañeda, professor of communication and associate dean for equity and inclusion in the School of Social and Behavioral Science, will give a talk titled “Civic Engagement in Diverse Latinx Communities: Learning from Social Justice Partnerships in Action” at the University of New Mexico on Friday, Oct. 18 at 10:30 a.m.

Castañeda’s work focuses on community-based learning and civic engagement, Latinx/ethnic media studies and global communications.

For more information...

“What if I Say the Wrong Thing?” supports the goal of the learning community, which is to create spaces to develop skills and unpack challenges to building respectful community.

Learning Community Book Groups on Inclusive and Respectful Communication Now Seeking Participants

The Office of Equity and Inclusion is continuing the Learning Communities Book Group  initiative with nine new groups, which will begin meeting this month. Groups are now open for anyone in the campus community to join. These small informal discussion groups will center around Verna Myers’s book “What if I Say the Wrong Thing?”

“What if I Say the Wrong Thing?” supports the goal of the learning community, which is...

Nilanjana “Buju” Dasgupta

Dasgupta to Lead Network to Increase and Diversify STEM Workforce

For years, science and engineering educators, social scientists, industry leaders and policymakers in Massachusetts have struggled to expand and diversify the STEM workforce, each coming at the problem from different disciplinary and institutional perspectives, says professor of psychology Nilanjana “Buju” Dasgupta, director of the campus’s Institute of Diversity Sciences (IDS).

With a recent three-year, $500,000 grant from...

Nefertiti Walker

Campus Community Invited to Participate in Equity and Inclusion Initiatives

In an email to the campus community on Thursday, Sept. 12, Nefertiti Waker, interim associate chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, offered descriptions of several campus-wide initiatives designed to foster a culture of equity and inclusion.

The content of that email is as follows:

Dear Campus Community,

I’d like to offer a warm welcome to all as we enter a new fall semester.

My name is Nefertiti Walker, interim associate...

Theater Partnership to Present "Baltimore" on Campus

The theater department is collaborating with the Office for Equity and Inclusion and Student Affairs and Campus Life to present Kirsten Greenidge’s “Baltimore.”

In the play, as a racist incident divides her first-year students, reluctant resident advisor Shelby finds herself in the middle of a conversation she does not want to have. As pressure to address the issue mounts from residents, the new dean and even her best friend, Shelby must decide if she will enter the fray or watch her...

Campus Community Invited to Participate in Workshops to Foster Inclusivity and Respect

Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 18, all members of the campus community are invited to participate in Dignity and Respect in Action: Community Conversations (DARIA).

DARIA is a series of workshops for students, faculty and staff to build skills to overcome division while talking about real issues affecting the campus and society at large.

The schedule of workshops, which include a...

Book groups are forming for new and past Learning Communities participants.

Learning Communities Aim to Foster Dialogue on Diversity and Inclusion; Groups to Meet Throughout the Fall

The Office of Equity and Inclusion (OEI) will be continuing the Learning Communities Book Groups initiative throughout the 2019-20 academic year. Piloted in Fall 2018 with students, staff, and faculty across campus, this initiative invited the campus community to participate in small informal book discussion groups. 

Faculty, staff and students who are new to  the Learning Community initiative are invited to...

Search Advisory Committee Named for Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Chancellor Kumble R. Subbaswamy has appointed a search advisory committee to recommend candidates for the position of vice chancellor for diversity, equity and inclusion. The committee will be chaired by William Brady, vice chancellor for human resources, and a list of recommended candidates is expected to be forwarded to the chancellor by Nov. 1.  

Members of the committee include: Rolanda C Burney, interim vice chancellor for student affairs and campus life; Nilanjana Dasgupta,...

Leykia Nulan

Leykia Nulan Awarded 2019 Professional of the Year

AMHERST, Mass. – Leykia Nulan, director of freshman admissions and assistant provost for diversity and enrollment at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, along with five others, received the 2019 Professional of the Year Award at the 2019 New England Association for College Admission Counseling (NEACAC) annual conference.

The conference, held this year at the University of Rhode Island, provides admissions professionals an opportunity to connect with colleagues from...

Lee Badgett

Public Policy's Lee Badgett to Chair American Economic Association Committee on the Status of LGBTQ+ Individuals in the Economics Profession

M.V. Lee Badgett, professor of economics and public policy, has been tapped to co-chair the American Economic Association's newly formed Committee on the Status of LGBTQ+ Individuals in the Economics Profession. The new standing committee will monitor the status and support the advancement of LBGTQ people in the economics profession, through mentoring and other activities. AEA President Ben Bernanke announced the...

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