UWF recognized for excellence in diversity with 2018 HEED Award

“This is an exciting and timely acknowledgment as we implement the 2018-2022 Diversity Plan,” said Dr. Kim LeDuff, chief diversity officer and vice president for academic engagement. “The Office of Equity and Diversity at UWF has lots of engaging and innovative programming planned this year. It is an honor to do this work at a place like UWF where inclusive excellence is truly a priority.”

Among the University’s diversity initiatives is an annual Diversity Week, co-sponsored by Student Government Association, dedicated to celebrating the diversity of UWF students, faculty, staff and community members. The week features campus events promoting awareness, acceptance and respect among students and lectures by guest speakers. Independently of this week is an Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Awards Ceremony hosted to recognize those who have shown commitment in support of diversity, inclusion and global engagement on the UWF campus and to the Pensacola community.

Additionally, in May the University announced its newest massively open online course, Cross-Cultural Competency. Structured around the concepts of awareness, acceptance and respect, the nationwide course takes a conversational approach to sometimes sensitive subjects and aims to help participants understand and respect one another as well as how to function in diverse environments encountered in the workplace, the classroom or in social settings. More than 700 people are enrolled in the course, with participants from around the world, including Egypt, Denmark, Zimbabwe and more.

UWF will be featured in the November 2018 issue of INSIGHT into Diversity magazine along with the other HEED Award recipients. To learn more about the award, visit insightintodiversity.com.

For more information about diversity and efforts towards inclusive excellence at UWF, visit uwf.edu/respect.