UW to Hold Diversity Workshops Next Month

The University of Wyoming will be holding diversity workshops next month, as part of their five-year strategic plan.

The workshops will take place on the UW campus in the Wyoming Union Ballroom on Feb. 12-13 and will be led by a nationally recognized expert in creating inclusive environments, Kathy Obear, UW says. Obear is a consultant with the firm Alliance for Change and is coming to the UW campus at the invitation of UW Chief Diversity Officer Emily Monago.

UW Spokesman Chad Baldwin said that while the university has had diversity-minded events in the past, it has never held anything on this scale. Baldwin said while he isn't  certain that these particular workshops will be a regular event, the university is planning more programming on diversity and inclusivity as part of the strategic plan and the campus will see more of this kind of event in the future.

The workshops will include separate sessions for faculty, students and staff. Baldwin said attendance is not required, but the campus community is being encouraged to attend. Registration for the workshops is required. The workshop’s registration webpage says participants will "learn how to create greater inclusion, interrupt and engage microagressions" and other tactics to create a more inclusive environment on the UW campus.

Monago was hired in May to lead the university’s efforts to increase diversity on the UW campus, among both faculty, staff and students. Monago is tasked with overseeing the development of UW’s strategic plan for diversity, inclusion and community engagement.

Baldwin said that boosting enrollment is certainly part of the goal of the strategic planning, but it isn't the only aspect of it.

"The university wants to be a more inclusive, welcoming place," Baldwin said. "There is some room to improve in that regard."

The university has taken many strides to increase diversity on campus, including hiring its first Native American Program Adviser late in December. Reinette Redbird Tendore, a UW graduate and  was hired last month to work directly with Native American students, including the recruitment and retention of students, particularly those from Wyoming.