Diversity

Everyday Inclusion

Everyday Inclusion 2023 was held during August 2023, focusing on the theme of Inclusion in Action. Previous initiatives included Implicit Bias Awareness Month in February 2018 and Everyday Inclusion in February 2019, February 2020, August 2021, and August 2022. Everyday Inclusion builds workplace communities through small "everyday" moments of connection, reflection, and effort. It also provides ways to reflect on our implicit biases and address those biases by questioning our assumptions, reorienting our perspectives, and finding ways every day to learn with and about our colleagues, work place, and world around us.

Throughout the year, if you are looking to attend events centering multiculturalism, diversity, equity, and inclusion, or connect with group working on these issues, check out these campus-related resources: https://vpfa.uoregon.edu/resources-events-and-groups-working-diverse-issues.

Black History Month

In celebration of Black History Month, we invite you to participate in the UO events being held throughout February and explore a list of resources curated by members of our diversity committee.

Our Diversity Action Plan

A draft of the Finance and Administration Diversity Action Plan (DAP) was initially submitted to the Division of Equity and Inclusion (DEI) on March 17, 2017. After receiving input from an administrative review team led by DEI as well as input from stakeholders within our portfolio, an updated Action Plan was submitted to DEI on September 15, 2017.  Following the rollout and completion of numerous initiatives from the 2017 DAP, the portfolio is taking some time to reflect on progress made. A one-page summary highlighting progress made in the 2017-2020 Finance and Administration Diversity Action Plan provides a high-level snapshot of the implementation of different initiatives. 

In November 2022, the Senior VP for Finance and Administration shared the next version of the divisional Diversity Action Plan (DAP), which is also available in Spanish. The first portfolio-wide plan ran from 2017-2020 and was extended through to 2022 with the 2020 addition of some important recommendations around countering racial injustice. Of the 20 goals outlined in the first DAP, 15 were achieved and many of the remaining five have been revised and incorporated into the second DAP.

The new DAP was developed following months of consultations in 2022—conducted primarily by the diversity committee—and discussions with the Leadership Council (department heads) and Executive Leadership team (AVPs and VPs). The 2022 Diversity Action Plan outlines six new projects and nine projects that are continuing from the previous DAP. Based on the campus climate survey results, there may be additional initiatives for the Finance and Administration that are added to the DAP. The 2022 DAP also notes five projects that have potential value in terms of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, but which are impossible to currently implement effectively, due to capacity constraints. Leadership will consider ways to to incorporate these ideas into future activities.

Diversity and inclusion are vital strengths for our combined success. Please share any comments and suggestions regarding the 2022 DAP with the diversity committee (see updated list of members below).

"VPFA Ducks for Diversity" Fund

Following recommendations from the diversity committee, the VPFA created the VPFA Ducks for Diversity fund to support diversity and inclusion. Employees within the Finance and Administration (VPFA) portfolio are encouraged to actively seek or create diversity-related events and trainings; the fund will help reduce financial barriers. Making these funds available for diversity initiatives increases access to diversity-related events and trainings, empowers individual employees to choose or develop events and trainings, and enriches workplace across the Finance and Admin portfolio. Apply online and get started on your ideas to improve diversity and inclusion!

VPFA Employee Spotlight

The Office of the Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration (VPFA) and its units include a broad portfolio of administrative units that directly serve and support all aspects of campus life. The VPFA Employee Spotlight shows some of our diverse employees and the myriad positions they hold across the portfolio.

Welcome for New Finance and Administration Employees

In fall 2019, Finance and Administration piloted quarterly welcome sessions for employees who joined the portfolio during the previous few months. The pilot welcome initiative emerged in part from the work of the VPFA diversity committee and in part from networking sessions conducted by the senior vice president with staff from all over the portfolio. During Covid-19, the quarterly welcome sessions were paused. We are looking for ways to safely restart this initiative.

Finance and Administration is also gathering information on what's great about Eugene and Springfield to give new employees--and the rest of us--some ways to spend free time. We are putting together a resource list which will be posted for everyone to enjoy and for our Human Resources personnel to share with prospective and new employees. If you are a current Finance and Administration employee, please share your recommendations online, one great idea at a time.

The VPFA Diversity Committee

Since Fall 2014, the VPFA has engaged a portfolio-specific diversity committee, with representatives from across Finance and Administration, to advise her on issues of equity and inclusion by identifying best practices and making recommendations for piloting new activities, training and enrichment opportunities. The committee meets monthly. Beginning in 2017, members serve two-year terms.  Specifically, the VPFA diversity committee has been working on the following initiatives:

  • Engagement in the portfolio-wide Diversity Action Plans.
  • Implicit bias awareness training. The committee’s work in 2014-15 led to two trainings for managers in July 2015. The committee piloted the division's first-ever "Implicit Bias Awareness Month" in February 2018, and has followed up with annual Everyday Inclusion initiatives every year since (2019-2022). The committee and continues to look for opportunities to broaden training on implicit bias for all staff within the portfolio.
  • Reducing implicit bias in the search process. Some of our units have piloted redacting gender pronouns and names from application materials. In September 2016, the committee presented to the VPFA leadership about how this method could be used in the search process.
  • Development and implementation of the VPFA Ducks for Diversity fund.
  • Exit interviews as a means of understanding diversity-related (and other) issues in our workplace. The committee made recommendations to the then-vice president for the implementation of exit surveys and exit interviews in September 2016. Both were implemented beginning February 2017.
  • Exploration of an overarching multicultural organizational development approach. The senior vice president will engage the committee for identifying opportunities to intertwine diversity and inclusion efforts into the portfolio’s strategic planning efforts.

Current Diversity Committee Membership

Chloe Barnett, Human Resources
Deborah Butler, Office of the Senior VPFA; co-chair
Jay Butler, Business Affairs
Tamara Clark, Vivian Olum Child Development Center
Annalisa Conroy, Budget and Resource Planning
Eric Grape, CPFM Utilities and Energy
Lisa Howard, FASS
Louise Hutson, Human Resources
John Johnson, UO Police Department
Becca Jones, CPFM Facilities
Anupam Katkar, Information Services
Alex Milshtein, Transportation Services
Jamie Moffitt, SVPFA
Heidi Pohl, Print Services
Shannon Rose, Office of the Senior VPFA
Lindsey Salfran, Safety and Risk Services
Debbie Sharp, Office of the Senior VPFA; co-chair
Cassandra Taylor, CPFM Campus Planning
Daisy Wu, FASS

Members serve two-year terms on the diversity committee. Contact your supervisor or Debbie Sharp if you're interested in participating.

Quarterly Activity Updates (past 12 months)

April–June 2023

January–March 2023

  • Invited Sandee Bybee, HR Engagement and Communications Manager, to provide an update on the UO Employee Engagement Guide, which includes tools for managers and individual employees. 
  • Worked intensively in groups on new Diversity Action Plan (DAP) recommendations: 
    • implicit bias training requirements for search committee members 
    • first-year check-ins with new employees 
    • 360 evaluations for supervisors 
    • stay interviews 
  • Added new spotlights for employees from CPFM Utilities and Energy, Institutional Research, and Information Services. 

October–December 2022

  • Met in person with Senior VPFA Jamie Moffitt to review accomplishments of Everyday Inclusion 2022 and plan for implementation of the updated portfolio Diversity Action Plan.
  • Supported the announcement of the updated VPFA Diversity Action Plan (DAP). 
  • Formed four working groups to consider to new initiatives within the DAP (implicit bias training requirements for search committee members; first-year check ins with new employees; 360 evaluations for supervisors; stay interviews)
  • Participated in a learning session on self care 
  • Completed spotlights on employees from Business Affairs (Treasury), Information Services (Enterprise Systems), and Human Resources (Talent Acquisition). 

July–September 2022

  • Designed and implemented a range of in-person, remote, individual, team-based, and inter-departmental activities for Everyday Inclusion 2022. This year’s initiative included recipes and reflections of Foods that Connect Us.
  • Spent time discussing the impact of Everyday Inclusion 2022 across the Finance and Administration portfolio and generated ideas to improve the initiative in 2023. 
  • Highlighted three employees from across the portfolio: Information Services, the Vivian Olum Child Development Center, and the CPFM Facilities Custodial crew.

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