Inclusive Excellence Certificate Program Opens Spring Workshops

Inclusive Excellence Certificate Program

OIED’s Inclusive Excellence Certificate (IEC) is a free-of-charge professional development program that builds awareness and knowledge on foundational diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) concepts. The program consists of four components that can be taken over the course of an academic year. This year, 300 faculty, staff and students have enrolled in the IEC for the opportunity to learn, reflect and connect with others in the Wolfpack community on DEI fundamentals. (Please note that registration is closed to new IEC participants for the 2021-2022 academic year. Registration will open in summer 2022 for the following academic year.)

Already enrolled in the IEC? If you are interested in completing the IEC this academic year, the following sessions have openings at this time. All sessions are conducted virtually.

  • Unconscious Bias: Feb. 15, 2022
  • Microaggressions: Jan. 19, 2022
  • Fundamentals of Equal Opportunity: Feb. 23 and Mar. 24, 2022

Don’t see a session that works for you? Check back later in REPORTER for more virtual workshops that will be added in the coming weeks. Workshops will occur each month through the first week of April.

Want to get started but can’t fully commit? Good news! One of the requirements, Applied Cultural Identity, is an online self-paced course that is accessible to anyone who registers in REPORTER, regardless of their enrollment status in IEC. If you complete the Applied Cultural Identity course this year and enroll in the IEC next year, the course will be credited towards your completion status.

Howl about that! Since August 2021, more than 100 faculty, staff and graduate students have already completed the certification program for this academic year. All 2021-2022 Inclusive Excellence Certificate earners will be acknowledged at the Recognizing Excellence in Diversity (RED) award ceremony on April 20, 2022 and will be listed on the website along with the previous 200 IEC graduates from 2020-2021.

Did you know? The IEC is a great option for anyone looking to meet their new annual performance plan DEI requirement set by the chancellor in June 2020. To discover other suggestions or find additional professional development opportunities, check out the offerings listed on the Inclusive Excellence web page.

Melissa Edwards Smith is director of education and campus engagement in the Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity.