We place cultural intelligence and belonging at the core O’Neill’s values—principles that we strive to live and model. Leveraging the commitment of students, faculty, and staff, we will increase the cultural awareness of the O’Neill community and foster and sustain a welcoming, supportive, and respectful environment for everyone who engages with our school. We will also draw on O’Neill’s multidisciplinary expertise to champion inclusive practices and equitable opportunities in society at large.
Area of focus: Culture
Strategic goal: Advance cultural intelligence and belonging
Updates on our progress
For the 2023-24 academic year:
- Developed new partnerships for graduate students with the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute and Congressional Black Caucus Foundation
- Organized a book study group for faculty – Inclusive Teaching: Strategies for Promoting Equity in the College Classroom (Hogan & Sathy, 2022).
During the 2022-23 academic year:
- Activate O’Neill welcomed an inaugural cohort of 38 students in spring 2023. Activate O’Neill is a leadership program that intends to build community, develop a professional network, and work toward social change. Activate leaders have the opportunity to engage in group travel, peer and alumni mentoring, community-building social events, and tailored support.
- Created the Civic Scholars Award, a new scholarship available to students with a demonstrated interest in civic engagement and leadership
- Formed a faculty working group focused on inclusive teaching practices
- Developed workshops for faculty during the Spring 2023 semester: (1) cultivating a sense of belonging; (2) TILT Framework (Transparency in Learning and Teaching); (3) teaching controversial topics; (4) diverse representation within course content
- Started a book study group for faculty – What Inclusive Instructors Do (Addy et al., 2021)
- Built a webpage and calendar to highlight upcoming events and recent research
- Set up a staff committee to review hiring practices and strengthen diverse representation
- Created a faculty committee focused on diverse representation in areas within the curriculum, hiring processes, etc.
- Hired two new staff members: (1) a staff member focused on recruitment efforts for historically marginalized students and (2) a staff member focused on student success and engagement