OHE Communication: March 14, 2024

Dear Campus Colleagues,

As you may be aware, Chancellor Grasso recently announced the creation of the Office of Holistic Excellence (OHE) as a newly expanded vision for diversity, equity, and inclusion for our campus. He sees this new office as a renewed, innovative, and more robust commitment to a welcoming, inclusive, and deliberate campus community. As co-directors of this office, we report directly to the Chancellor. In that role, we have been working with him to envision this office. As  long-term members of the campus community, we are strongly committed to enhancing campus belonging and fostering mutual respect and fairness, as well as addressing areas in need of improvement. We are deeply committed to supporting this diverse and vibrant campus community.

The office’s expansive name provides us with the opportunity to approach equity and inclusion deeply and broadly (e.g., peace projects, inclusive history, unity of knowledge across disciplines, equity in the application of technology) and to collaborate widely with entities and experts across campus and externally. It encompasses interdisciplinary and systems thinking, and innovation as parallel goals of diversity and inclusion efforts (i.e., nimble thinking underlies openness to differences, creativity, and innovation). This broader approach aligns with freedom of thought and speech, a tenet of public universities. Free speech requires us to approach dissenting views with thoughtfulness and rationality and to actively develop mental fortitude; the ability to function effectively and in a respectful manner in the face of challenges to our thinking.

To ensure that multiple perspectives are reflected as we move forward, we are seeking faculty, staff, and student volunteers to serve on the OHE Steering Committee. This committee will serve as a hub and sounding board for the work of the Office of Holistic Excellence. Its purpose is to provide us with input, leverage campus expertise, coordinate and share supportive resources, and identify and assess progress toward institutional KPIs (key performance indicators). We seek to develop a guiding framework based on authentic engagement with a variety of campus stakeholders.

The group's initial and long-term work may include: 

• Serving in an advisory capacity to the co-directors. 
• Reflecting a diversity of perspectives and ideas. 
• Increasing awareness of obstacles to an inclusive and equitable campus experience. 
• Engaging as members of a collaborative team. 
• Attending regular committee meetings and special events. 
• Working with the co-directors in planning or co-sponsoring campus events. 
• Promoting attendance at key campus events. 
• Sharing ideas for events, activities, and collaborations.
• Providing subject matter expertise. 
• Communicating and seeking feedback from campus constituents. 

We anticipate that the time commitment will be approximately 4-6 hours per month from September through May. We are seeking 10 campus members to serve on the committee. If you are interested in serving on the steering committee please complete this Google form by Monday, March 25th. 

Please email us at [email protected] with questions, suggestions, or ideas. If you are unable to serve on the steering committee but would like to be engaged in other opportunities, events, or projects within the OHE, we welcome your participation and encourage you to reach out to us.

We look forward to engaging with you in fostering a vibrant, supportive, and inclusive place to work, learn, and grow.

Sincerely,

Rima Berry Hung
Shareia Carter
Marie Waung

OHE Co-Directors