Hello Everyone!

Welcome to the first edition of the “University of Diversity” Blog. There have been a number of important developments in the area of diversity here at the University of Toledo and this blog will be one of the ways that the Office of Equity, Diversity and Community Engagement will help spread the word about all of these efforts.

Our office reports to Mr. Lawrence J. Burns, Vice President of External Affairs and Vice President of Equity and Diversity and is lead by myself, Dr. Shanda Gore, the Associate Vice President of Equity, Diversity and Community Engagement. I also oversee the Minority Business Development Center and the Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women.
Our mission is to create an organizational culture that is welcoming to all individuals regardless of their age, color, ethnicity, gender, religion, disabilities, socio-economic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, and national origin. This culture will result in an environment that allows individuals to have the opportunity to excel in all aspects of their academic and professional endeavors.

In order to fulfill this mission, we are working on a variety of different projects to help create a welcoming and inclusive environment while supporting diversity in all of its dimensions. One way that we are doing that is through our “Building a Culture of Diversity” Workshop which you will read more about from our staff in the next blog post.
Please check back with the “University of Diversity” and visit our website http://www.utoledo.edu/diversity/ for more information about UT’s diversity efforts. Thank you for your dedication to diversity.

Sincerely,
Dr. Shanda Gore
Associate Vice President of Equity, Diversity and Community Engagement