- About Western Carolina
- Diversity at WCU
- Recruiting Diversity Faculty and Staff
Faculty/Staff Training and Resources
Making Diversity personal requires that each one of us accepts the responsibility for our workplace culture and the educational climate at Western Carolina University. The Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity Programs (EODP) offers training and compiles resources, published here, for all members of our WCU community.
Training Offered
Listed below are diversity-centered trainings offered by various units on-campus.
An initiative to support student veterans and educate the campus community. For more information, contact Briana Ford, Director of Military Student Services, at 828-227-3074 or blford@wcu.edu.
The Safe Zone Program provides training to students, faculty, staff, and community members to increase awareness and sensitivity to issues of gender and sexuality. Safe Zone also creates a network of support, resources, and allies committed to supporting gender, sexuality, and identity issues reflected in the campus and the local community. REGISTER Now
Please, direct your questions to safezone@email.wcu.edu.
CareZone is a two-hour program that provides instruction in understanding mental illness in day-to-day life. Participants will have an opportunity to develop a basic understanding of the disorders recognized in the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM 5) and to learn to be effective allies of people with mental illness.
CareZone is a DegreePlus event and is open to WCU faculty, staff and students. To register, contact Jessica Zellers at jhzellers@wcu.edu or 828-227-3801.
"The National Coalition Building Institute is an international non-profit leadership
development network dedicated to the elimination of racism and other forms of oppression."
EODP has established a group of trainers at WCU that are equipped to facilitate diversity
and inclusion training across campus. Sessions are currently being scheduled for Fall
2020. Learn more about NCBI
Please, direct questions to ncbi@wcu.edu.
Diversity Resources
WCU Resources/Groups
- LGBTQ Working Group - The mission of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ) Working Employee Resource Group is to facilitate conversations and actions that increase and sustain an affirming campus climate for individuals and groups from a diversity of gender expressions and sexual orientations. Further, we promote dialogue around gender and sexuality that are supportive and educational in support of the University mission and values.
- Intercultural Dialogue Group - The We Walk Together Intercultural Dialogue Group has monthly gatherings, which either involve a potluck meal and culture presentation on campus or a shared service project. An added benefit of this group is WCU students can earn DegreePlus Cultural Responsiveness points and WCU staff can use their Community Service Hours.
- International Faculty and Staff Council - A group of international faculty and staff at WCU, to promote diversity and inclusion at WCU and the local community. The Council consists of faculty and staff with international heritage as well as faculty and staff who are interested in promoting international cultural understanding on WCU campus and in the communities of western North Carolina.
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Community of Practice -
Staff and Faculty at WCU are engaged in creating and growing a Community of Practice (CoP) around diversity, equity, and inclusion. A CoP is a group of people who share a common concern, set of problems, or an interest in a topic. They come together on a regular basis to work as a whole and in smaller groups. CoPs are a way to share best practices and create new knowledge to advance a domain of knowledge. We invite any faculty or staff member to join us in this important work. For more information, contact Dr. Ricardo Nazario-Colon.
External Resources Supporting Diversity in Higher Education
- The National Education Association (NEA), the nation's largest professional employee organization, is committed to advancing the cause of public education.
- The American Council on Education provides a compilation of resources for leadership development in higher education.
- The Access and Diversity Collaborative (ADC) provides guidance to colleges, universities, and state systems of higher education in developing and implementing their access- and diversity-related policies.
- Diversity Digest is a quarterly newsletter published by the Association of American Colleges and Universities (AACU).
- The Center for Research on Learning and Teaching (CRLT) has compiled a list of resources for responding to difficult discussions in the classroom.
- Learn More about the Annual National Conference for Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE®) to address the resurgence of racist incidents in higher education.
- The NASPA Foundation is the leading association for the advancement, health, and sustainability of the student affairs profession and promotes diversity in these areas.
- The American Association of University Professors has a longstanding commitment to increasing diversity in higher education.
- This toolkit will serve as a foundation for a national effort that will enhance diversity, inclusion, and cultural and linguistic competence; cultivate partnerships; respond to increasingly diverse communities across the country, and develop strategies for continuing efforts to better serve diverse populations.
Conferences on Diversity
Related Links
Upcoming Events
Diversity Dialogues
In 2019, more than 120 women reported to the United States Congress, nine women became state governors, and more women ran and won in the midterm election than any other time in history. In this installment of WCU's Diversity Dialogues, we examine what it means to be a woman in leadership and explore what the future may hold.