President Michael Gottfredson has appointed a panel of community members to the President’s Diversity Community Council to assist him and members of the Executive Leadership Team to carry out the university’s mission in ways that enhance access, retention and opportunity for traditionally underrepresented and underserved groups.

Dear friends and colleagues,

I am pleased to announce the creation of the President’s Diversity Advisory Community Council (PDACC) which shall serve to inform our decisions, actions and presence in the community in mutually beneficial ways. As president, I personally believe that diversity is central to our academic mission and supports the common goal of making the UO the premier public research institution in Oregon.

The 21-member PDACC will provide guidance and make recommendations in the following key areas:

• Access and Retention: Assist the university’s efforts to recruit and retain traditionally underrepresented students, staff and faculty, including racial and ethnic minorities; women in science, technology and math careers; people with disabilities; and members of the LGBTQ communities.
• Educational Partnerships: Assist the university in developing and maintaining strong relationships as well as partnerships with underrepresented communities, community colleges, K-12 institutions and business, civic, cultural, social and religious organizations.
• Innovations in Applied Research and Development: Help the university develop additional opportunities for innovative research, teaching and engagement.
• Communication: Serve as a confidential sounding board for ideas and ambassadors for the university, and assist with developing new relationships, new opportunities for collaboration and resource mobilization that are mutually beneficial.

Membership in the council has been thoughtfully selected to include a diverse group of community members, not only from Eugene and its environs, but from across the state of Oregon, who represent a wide range of interests and links to communities that help the University of Oregon fulfill its mission. Council members will work in small subcommittees with members of the Executive Leadership Team and other university staff.

This council is very important to me and the advice that surfaces through the on-going, candid discourse will no doubt be valuable for my leadership team and me, specifically, as it relates to increasing the number of underrepresented faculty, enabling the mobilization of resources to support underrepresented and underserved students, and fostering a diverse and supportive campus environment for the faculty, staff and students we are recruiting.

The first meeting of the PDACC was held May 15 with great success. The group mutually decided to meet on the schedule of four times a year, which shall include one full-day retreat each year. The next meeting of the PDACC is scheduled for August 7.