UVU College of Science Hosts Forum on Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity

October?25, 2023 By Nick Gledhill

The Utah Valley University (UVU) College of Science (COS), in conjunction with the Office of Inclusion and Diversity, hosted the Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity (EID) in Science forum on Oct. 24 in the UVU Sorensen Center. Topics ranging from EID initiatives at the UVU COS to career opportunities in STEM for underserved populations were discussed in an open forum among UVU faculty, staff, and students.

The program began with key EID stakeholders from the university reporting on how UVU is fulfilling its mission to be an inclusive environment for all. Rasha Qudisat, chief Inclusion and Diversity officer, shared her office’s philosophy on why they prioritize equity first, inclusion second, and diversity third.

“We lead with equity, create an inclusive environment, and diversity is a byproduct,” she said. “If we have the equitable and inclusive environment, we will automatically attract employees to want to work here, and we will attract the best students and be welcoming to all students from all experiences and backgrounds.”

Women’s Success Center Senior Director Rachel Lund shared how her department, in tandem with UVU’s student success efforts (Multicultural Student Center, LGBTQ Student Services, International Student Services, Accessibility, Veterans Success Center, etc.), has helped underrepresented populations graduate.

“Inclusion work is tied hand in hand with student success,” Lund said. “We are graduating [students] at significantly higher rates when you get involved in these centers. UVU’s student success centers are really a way to give you access to supports that will help and benefit you.”

The event’s program continued with table discussions on EID within STEM career fields, challenges facing higher education EID efforts, and proposed solutions to help close the gender gap within STEM.

The event concluded with comments from Dr. Steve Chamberland, associate professor of organic chemistry. Chamberland serves on the COS EID Committee and is the COS liaison of the UVU Campus Inclusion Committee.

“We're working hard within the college to make UVU chemistry and UVU science an inclusive place for people to encourage diversity,” he said.

The event was part of the EID 101 series, which aims to provide UVU’s colleges to inform attendees about EID efforts within their respective colleges (SoE) and examine EID within their respective professional discipline.