Update: Establishing a Black Community Advisory Board

Dear University Community,

In 2020 Chancellor Haefner announced the University of Denver’s DEI Action Plan.  Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are priorities for university leadership and are built into its larger vision in IMPACT 2025. In response to input by members of the university community including students, faculty, and staff, as part of the action plan, the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) is investing in resources to support and address the lived experiences of Black community members at DU. These investments will build support specifically for the University’s Black community. 

To launch this initiative, ODEI hired a Black Community Experience Coordinator in January 2021. The Coordinator will identify real and meaningful recommendations to confront the systemic and institutional exclusion of Black people at DU. To achieve this important goal, it is critical that Black students, faculty, staff, and community members have a meaningful voice concerning actions and issues that affect the Black DU educational experience. Recognizing this premise and DU’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, the University will establish a Black Community Advisory Board, a board that will provide input and recommendations to Chancellor Haefner and University leadership about issues, policies, and actions that affect Blacks on DU’s campus. The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion will collaborate with the Office of Government Relations and Community Affairs to support the advisory board. 

As the first step in establishing the advisory board, the Black Community Experience Coordinator will convene a steering committee to help define the mission and vision of the board, its by-laws, and membership structure. The steering committee will also be comprised of Black students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members. The work of the Steering Committee will last through the first week of March 2021 with the goal of naming a Black Community Advisory Board by April 2021. This time frame is set to ensure that the advisory board is established soon.

Stay tuned for updates. If you are a Black student, faculty member, staff member, or community member and have interest in participating on the steering committee or being considered for the Black Community Advisory Board, please email andriette.jordanfields@du.edu  or complete this information Qualtrics: https://udenver.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_enu5PV2feK1KeRo by midnight on February 28, 2021. 

Sincerely,

Tom Romero, J.D., Ph.D., Interim Vice Chancellor of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Stephanie Y. O’Malley, J.D., Associate Vice Chancellor of Government Relations and Community Affairs

Andriette Jordan-Fields, Ph.D., Black Community Experience Coordinator, Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion