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Diversity Profile

Commitment to Equal Opportunity: 

Vision Statement

The Equal Opportunity/ADA Office seeks to facilitate a welcoming and inclusive environment which supports the right of every member of the Carolina community to learn and work in an atmosphere that promotes fairness, equity and access to its employment and educational programs.

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Mission Statement

The mission of the Equal Opportunity/ADA Office is to provide leadership and guidance in support of the University’s commitment to equal opportunity, affirmative action and diversity; effectively partner with leaders and members of the university community to promote equity and fairness in employment, education and university life; and continually advocate for a diverse, welcoming, and inclusive environment at UNC Chapel Hill. The Office carries out its mission by:

• Developing and implementing equal opportunity/affirmative action policies and procedures and ensuring compliance with applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations;

• Advising and assisting the Chancellor, Senior Administrative Officer’s and the university community regarding equal opportunity matters;

• Providing access and accommodation assistance for employees and applicants with disabilities consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA);

• Receiving, investigating, and working collaboratively to resolve complaints of harassment and/or discrimination;

• Monitoring recruitment efforts and selection decisions and providing guidance in adhering to UNC’s nondiscrimination and equal opportunity guidelines;

• Communicating the University's commitment through training and education programs on harassment and discrimination prevention and other equal opportunity/ADA topics.

Equal Opportunity/ADA Office news and events available by clicking here.

AA/EEO Office: 

Visit our Equal Opportunity/ADA Office online by or in person at 100 E Franklin St., Unit 110, Chapel Hill, NC 27599. Phone: 919.966.3576

Contact: Dr. Ann Penn, EEO/ADA Officer, (919) 966-3576, ann_penn@unc.edu

Commitment to Diversity: 

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has a long-held tradition of striving for excellence. A critical element for any twenty-first century educational institution is a diverse and inclusive community. The vision of the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs is to build and sustain an inclusive campus community and to foster a welcoming climate that values and respects all members of the University community. The mission of the Office affirms the University’s commitment to diversity as a critical element of academic excellence.

The Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs (DMA)

DMA is an administrative unit in the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost. Diversity and Multicultural Affairs is lead by the associate provost for diversity and multicultural affairs who serves as the chief diversity officer for the University and advises the executive vice chancellor and provost and the chancellor on diversity policies and issues. The associate provost for diversity and multicultural affairs collaborates with senior University officers and campus units to identify and implement strategies/ initiatives for achieving the goals of increased diversity and for building an inclusive environment that values and respect the contributions of all members of the University community. Partnerships and collaborations with the Vice Chancellors, deans, and other unit heads are leveraged to accomplish the University’s diversity goals for increased racial, ethnic and gender diversity within our faculty, staff, and student cohorts.

Our Framework for Understanding Diversity at UNC

The University of North Carolina in the 21st century functions in a global context. The historical, political, economic, and educational contexts of the University, the state, and the nation shape our present circumstances and inform the measures we must take to accomplish our highest aspirations of excellence. We acknowledge that we face an ongoing challenge to overcome the effects of the continuing influences of adverse historical, social, political, and economic factors. The University engages in teaching, research, and service to expand and discover knowledge, promote educational enlightenment, inculcate intellectual rigor, and improve understanding with the ultimate end of uplifting humankind. Education takes place most productively among persons with differing social backgrounds, economic circumstances, personal characteristics, philosophical outlooks, life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, expectations, and aspirations, to mention some salient factors. The University works to assure that we have a complement of students, faculty, and staff that broadly reflects the ways in which people differ. We speak of these differences as representing “diversity.”

Core Values With Respect to Diversity

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as an educational institution, must be committed to the following core values with respect to diversity:

• The University supports intellectual freedom, promotes personal integrity and justice, and pursues values that foster enlightened leadership devoted to improving the conditions of human life in the state, the nation, and the world.

• The University believes that it can achieve its educational, research, and service mission only by creating and sustaining an environment in which students, faculty, and staff represent diversity, for example, of social backgrounds, economic circumstances, personal characteristics, philosophical outlooks, life experiences, perspectives, beliefs, expectations, and aspirations, to mention some salient factors.

• The University will achieve and maintain diversity on the campus through the admission of students and employment of faculty and staff who broadly reflect the ways in which we differ.

• The University promotes intellectual growth and derives the educational benefits of diversity by creating opportunities for intense dialogue and rigorous analysis and by fostering mutually beneficial interactions among members of the community.

• The University provides an environment that values and respects civility and cordiality of discourse in order that all members of a diverse community feel welcomed and feel free to express their ideas without fear of reprisal.

The Diversity and Multicultural Affairs website, with extensive links to information and resources, can be found by clicking here. Get the latest news and events from our Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs by clicking here.

Diversity Resources: 

Diversity and the University: The Office Diversity and Multicultural Affairs is committed to supporting current Carolina faculty, their departments, and efforts to address diversity issues at the University. Faculty are invited to contact the office for:

  • information on diversity-related initiatives at UNC or other institutions
  • consultation on faculty/student recruitment and retention strategies
  • identifying resources for new diversity-related initatives

For more information, contact Dr. Cookie Newsom at (919) 962-6962 or newsom@email.unc.edu

Further Resources:

Diversity Incentive Fund

Faculty Statement On Principles of Service, Diversity and Freedom of Inquiry ( adopted April 24, 1998)

University Statement on Equal Opportunity and Non Discrimination

Community: 

Chapel Hill has built a reputation as being a leader in North Carolina on social, economic and environmental issues. The Council has introduced programs to holistically address issues of sustainability through social equity, economic vitality and environmental protection. With the passionate involvement of our citizens, we intend to move toward becoming a sustainable community. Learn more by clicking here.

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