Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Plan
Our mission, values, and vision statements are the foundations for the Office of Instruction’s Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Strategic Plan which sets goals to improve our practices in teaching, serving, and inquiring.
The Office of Instruction established its Unit Goals with the intent of fostering a diverse, inclusive, and equitable learning, teaching, and working environment across our units by developing and delivering focused, holistic resources.
The Office of Instruction is well positioned to support the three Priorities and Goals in UGA’s Diversity and Inclusive Excellence Plan.
Building an inclusive living/learning environment that supports access and success for diverse students
- Unit Goal 1.1 will create an inventory of all such efforts within the Office of Instruction to help identify spaces where we need additional programs.
- Unit Goal 1.2 will create data dashboards to help us understand learning gaps and design resources to support students and faculty. Closing equity gaps for first-generation, low-income, rural, and underserved students is already a part of the Office of Instruction’s 2025 Strategic Plan.
Recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce
- Unit Goal 2.1 seeks to increase the diversity of the full-time staff in the Office of Instruction.
- Unit Goal 2.2 is focused on expanding community-building programs and activities for faculty and staff in the Office of Instruction.
- Unit Goal 2.3 seeks to expand support and recognition for diversity and inclusion efforts by employees within the Office of Instruction.
Expanding partnerships and outreach to strengthen diverse communities
- Unit Goal 3.1 will increase outreach in rural and other parts of the state where traditionally underserved students live. We are mindful that approximately 380,000 Georgia students attend rural public schools, and we are committed to the citizens of our state to provide support and programing to ensure that rural students at UGA have the same Experiential Learning opportunities as all other students (Goal 3.4).
- Unit Goal 3.2 is designed to increase the number of applications from students, including transfer students, from rural counties in Georgia by increasing outreach to these students.
- Unit Goal 3.3 will increase community engagement in Athens-Clarke County and surrounding communities. We will utilize GivePulse to track, monitor, and report how we are reaching out to the local community.
- Unit Goal 3.4 is designed to increase Experiential Learning engagement of students from rural and underserved areas.
As articulated in our 2025 Strategic Plan, we are committed to being a national leader in promoting success particularly among rural students.