ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½

The following message was shared with the Ohio University community on Tuesday, April 29.
 

Dear ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½Community,

Since the Advance Ohio Higher Education Act was signed at the end of March, our leadership team has communicated with elected officials, with our peers at other public universities in Ohio and with the Ohio Department of Higher Education as we sought clarity on the language in the bill. Those conversations have confirmed that we must make organizational changes in response to the law as it pertains to the prohibition of diversity, equity and inclusion offices and positions at public universities.

Since 2018, Ohio University has had a Division of Diversity and Inclusion led by a Vice President as part of the presidential leadership team. As President, I personally have appreciated the contribution Interim Vice President Russell Morrow has made as an integral member of my cabinet. Dr. Morrow and his team members have served as thoughtful advocates for our students, faculty and staff and as champions for belonging in all its forms.

Building and supporting a sense of belonging within our University community is absolutely essential to meeting our mission of holding the door open for all who are eager to learn. We must continue to ensure every person we invite to be a part of our University community finds their place here and develops connections. Without forgetting that essential commitment, we must also follow the law.

The Advance Ohio Higher Education Act requires that we no longer operate a Division of Diversity and Inclusion, and as such, over the next several weeks, we will sunset the division, including the Multicultural Center, the Pride Center and the Women’s Center. Some immediate changes will include:

• Student Affairs will provide expanded support for student organizations and University-wide programming, including Make Respect Visible.
• Support for the University’s prestigious Templeton, Urban, Appalachian, and Margaret Boyd Scholars programs will move to the Honors Tutorial College, which administers the ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½Honors Program and provides coordination for other honors and scholars programming.
• OHIO’s LINKS program will move to University College, aligned with other Signature Academic Experiences.

Similarly, the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Office of Inclusion will be retired at the end of the semester, and the Heritage College Office of Student Affairs will provide expanded support services for medical students.

As shared with staff in each of the impacted offices this morning, these changes will necessitate the elimination of all positions within the Division of Diversity and Inclusion and other staff positions in the University dedicated primarily to diversity and inclusion work. Employees will continue in their current roles for the next several weeks and will be given the opportunity to interview for any open University position for which they apply and meet minimum qualifications. They will receive full separation benefits should they not find other opportunities at OHIO.

The Office of Accessibility Services and the Veterans and Military Students Service Center, both of which serve regulatory compliance functions, are not impacted by this new law. The Advance Ohio Higher Education Act also does not impact our Office of Civil Rights Compliance, which will continue in its role of ensuring compliance with applicable Civil Rights laws.

As we consider how we can and will continue to build a community where all belong while navigating these changes, we need input from students, faculty and staff passionate about inclusion and belonging. We will be reaching out to our University community in the coming days to invite your input as we move forward with this necessary change. I realize many of our students and faculty may have summer commitments, and we will provide you with a variety of ways to provide input, whether in person or remotely, while in the midst of your summer experiences.

I want to be clear that the task ahead for all of us is not to look for ways to recreate the same approaches under a different name. Rather, the charge is to invent something new that meets the moment and delivers results for our students. I cannot imagine a university or a group of people more suited to this assignment than our Bobcat community. Ohio University has long been a place that has worked to welcome all learners and celebrate differences. That ethos is not owned by any unit on campus; every member of our community has a responsibility to uphold the institution’s values, mission and vision.

Ensuring Ohio University will always and forever be for every person seeking the opportunity to solve humanity’s most urgent challenges will require an ongoing renewal of focus and ideas. But we must and we will find the energy to continue chasing that ambitious goal, because I know you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Finally, I hope you will all join me in recognizing and celebrating the lasting impact that the Division of Diversity and Inclusion – as well as all the staff members who have dedicated their time and talent to diversity and inclusion work at ÌìÃÀ´«Ã½â€“ will forever have on our University, on the students we serve, and on each of us. We must work collectively to preserve the legacy of their work and carry it forever forward.

Forever thankful for each of you,
Lori

Dr. Lori Stewart Gonzalez 
President