In 2012, I was named the inaugural Assistant Vice President/Vice Provost of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) for Ryerson University, which is located in Toronto, Ontario. As such, my mandate is to provide leadership, advocacy, and coordination for the institution such that all members of our Ryerson community have the opportunity to learn, work, and live in an … [Read more...] about What Is a Chief Diversity Officer (CDO)?
Institutional Diversity Topics and Events
Home for the Holidays: 5 Tips to Help College Students Navigate the Extended Holiday Break
Five (5) Tips to Help College Students Navigate the Extended Holiday Break You just completed your college semester. Final exams were tough but you survived and excelled in many of your classes. You arrive home excited about your extended break, exhausted, with dirty laundry in tow. But wait, things have changed! Your sibling has moved into your room and taken over your … [Read more...] about Home for the Holidays: 5 Tips to Help College Students Navigate the Extended Holiday Break
Setting Pathways for Success! GEAR UP Scholar Follows “Path” to Doctoral Studies
By Kathy Backus, Centralight Central Michigan University Alumni Magazine The Summer after sixth grade Donnesha Blake visited CMU through her participation in GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) - a national initiative to prepare middle and high school students for college - at her middle school in Flint, Michigan. The week-long visit … [Read more...] about Setting Pathways for Success! GEAR UP Scholar Follows “Path” to Doctoral Studies
Improving Access for American Indian Students One Summer at a Time
Summer camps are very common in higher education; however, camps that focus on access for Native people are not. Fortunately, the Office of Native American Programs at Central Michigan University coordinates the North American Indigenous Summer Enrichment Camp (NAISEC) to expose young Native people, from 8th to 12th grade, to higher education and improve … [Read more...] about Improving Access for American Indian Students One Summer at a Time
Celebrate and Embrace Diversity!
Diversity is a fact of life. We will find it in people that we believe ‘resemble' us and in people we believe are ‘different' from us. We are all unique and are different in some aspect - it can be in thoughts and perceptions, physical looks, cultures, or beliefs. Our perceptions play a great role in differentiating people with whom we associate. From … [Read more...] about Celebrate and Embrace Diversity!