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Following the murder of George Floyd, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion issued a Call to Action outlining what the university is doing and how any individual can become a partner in doing equity work. In recognition of this anniversary, we encourage each of us to pause and consider our role to learn more about what we can do as an individual, team, academic unit or division to educate ourselves and become part of the solution to name and dismantle hate in all of its various forms.

We cannot change the past, but we can commit to creating a more equitable future for all.

What We Are Doing


We are aiming to create a new system that fully embraces the practices of equity, diversity, and inclusion by purposefully replacing those that have been exclusive. We must fix the system so that it works for everyone.

National Conversations


Shared Equity Leadership

It takes the courage and dedication of many leaders, with diverse talents and strengths and united vision, to create a more equitable university environment. How could this type of distributed but collaborative leadership look?

New Leadership Academy Fellows Program

The New Leadership Academy (NLA) Fellows Program changes the expectations that surround leaders, leadership and leadership development across higher education. NLA is wrapping up its curriculum with its first cohort under the University of Utah, and applications and nominations for the next cohort (2023) are being accepted until September 12, 2022.

George Floyd Memorial Fund

President Emerita Ruth V. Watkins announced on June 10, 2020, the creation of the George Floyd Memorial Fund in the Black Cultural Center at the University of Utah, which will directly support students and programs committed to advancing the interests of the next generation of aspiring black leaders. Give to the Fund here.

Friday Forums on Racism in Higher Education

Friday Forums is a commitment to the state and region in elevating national conversations and showcasing models of disrupting complicit racism. Each session welcomes national thought leaders to lead discussions and provide opportunities for participants to share ideas on actionable items towards a diverse, equitable, and inclusive campus.

Racism as a Public Health Threat Lecture Series

This lecture series seeks to demonstrate what we fiercely believe to be true: that the physical and mental health of the whole of society is negatively impacted when racist attitudes and practices are allowed to continue uncontested. The series selects speakers whose community and intellectual efforts help connect this understanding. This series is hosted by the Department of Family and Preventative Medicine.

Join us on May 25, 2022, for Dr. Jonathan Metzel’s presentation “Dying of Whiteness: How the Politics of Racial Resentment Affect Health and Well-being,” which will be followed by a 30-minute panel discussion facilitated by Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI).

Ongoing & New Campus Initiatives


EDI Strategy Council

The purpose of the EDI Strategy Council (EDISC) is to provide direction, support, and oversight for the work of the university to become more diverse, equitable, inclusive, and anti-racist through its policies, practices, and programs. Over the past year, EDISC brought together members from across campus to become the change agents who center equity at the University of Utah.

Presidential Commission on Equity and Belonging

The President’s Commission on Equity and Belonging, or PCEB, joins together members of leadership across the university to guide the U’s short-term approaches to address harm, bias-motivated violence, and hate on campus. The PCEB leadership affirms that all members of the U should have an equal opportunity to thrive, and that systems and behavior centered in inclusivity and equity are essential to ensuring our community has equal access and ability to contribute to the U’s mission.

Juneteenth

In 2021, Congress approved Juneteenth as a new federal holiday, honoring June 19, 1865, the day enslaved people in Galveston, Texas, learned of their emancipation. The Utah Legislature passed a bill this last session that added Juneteenth as a state holiday in recognition of the end of slavery in the United States.

As June 19 falls on a Sunday this year, we will observe the holiday on Monday, June 20. Plans are in the works to have celebrations on campus in honor of the holiday. It will be up to the discretion of professors whether they would like to cancel classes on Juneteenth this year. Going forward, and for all future years, this holiday will be included as part of our regular holiday schedule.

Operation S.U.C.C.E.S.S.

Operation S.U.C.C.E.S.S powered by George Floyd Memorial Fund is a competitive, application-based program with a focus on nurturing future leaders and empowering effective problem-solving skills at the University of Utah and the greater Salt Lake community. After a successful first cohort, the Black Cultural Center has proven that this initiative is not only a success but is indeed establishing a legacy of successful leaders and powerful stories. For the 2022-2023 cohort, Operation S.U.C.C.E.S.S. has expanded its cohort size and added an alternative break to further its goal of creating justice-oriented leaders.

Educational Opportunities


Professional Development & Education

The Office for Inclusive Excellence provides the campus community with professional development and education opportunities to achieve diversity and inclusion goals and outcomes to reinforce the university’s strategic plan.

Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Events

With the goal to increase accessibility to the dialogues, spaces, and opportunities provided through Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, we have expanded our public event archive on our website and YouTube channel. This includes recordings from Friday Forums on Racism in Higher Education, Reframing the Conversation, and annual events such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Week or Pride Week at the U.

While we continue to identify and remove barriers and bias incidents targeting our campus community, persistent strides towards an institution where every member is given opportunities to be educated on equity, diversity, and inclusion efforts will remain at the forefront of our work.

EDI Partners Quarterly Meetings

The goal of these quarterly meetings is to draw connections between the colleges, units, and divisions’ diversity, equity, and inclusion strategies. This session has been created as a place where diversity, equity, and inclusion practitioners can share successes and challenges – a place where we can discuss our work; engage colleagues; share resources and initiatives on racial equity, social justice, and community engagement.

Campaigns & Communication


IntersectX12

IntersectX12 is a reminder that we must strive to honor individuals’ intersecting identities not only during nationally recognized months, so we encourage you to honor, celebrate, and engage with our communities every day, 12 months a year. As members of underrepresented groups have made and continue to make countless contributions to our campus community, IntersectX12 serves as a year-round acknowledgment of the work being done to create an inclusive space where everyone feels they belong.

One U Thriving Newsletter

One U Thriving was launched as a synergistic approach in developing methods to achieve inclusion and equity on throughout the University. Learn more about One U Thriving and updates from Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion by subscribing to the One U Thriving Newsletter.

What You Can Do


Each of us, in EDI or across campus, has a role and a responsibility. The legacies that constrain us are deep and long, and we are not going to solve our discomfort with training alone. We must recognize that racism lives in the everyday and pervades the structures that have raised us and that we in turn have fostered. We cannot run from that system, but we can dismantle its roots.

Share your expertise at an EDI event
Request an Implicit Bias & Microaggressions Training for your department
Give to the University of Utah George Floyd Memorial Fund
Volunteer to join an EDI event planning committee
Keep EDI efforts top-of-mind by following our socials (@uofuEDI) and mailing lists
Attend and share educational opportunities on equity, diversity, and inclusion
Incorporate the IntersectX12 initiative into your programming