Dear Colleagues,
I hope that you were able to find some time with family and friends to enjoy some fireworks and festivities this long holiday weekend. I am writing to provide some clarifications for you about my decision to dissolve the Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIE) and what this decision does and does not mean for our NKU community. Here are a few clarifications based upon questions we’ve received:
- Our commitment to student access, engagement, belonging and success is unwavering. We will continue to support our students in ways that value their needs and their identities. For example, the valuable work of the Center for Student Inclusiveness (CSI) will continue in the absence of the OIE now as it did before the existence of this office. Organizationally, the CSI is a part of Student Affairs and did not report to or through the OIE, so the closing does not impede the valuable work of our CSI team.
- Recruitment of international students and support of international student groups will continue. Dr. Francois LeRoy, the executive director of our Center for Global Engagement and International Affairs is located within Academic Affairs and works closely with other offices on campus to support our international students. Additionally, student organizations such as Norse of Nepal and Welcoming International Students will continue to be supported. This work did not report to or require funding from the OIE.
- For our faculty searches, we will continue to provide training for search committees. It is worth noting that, prior to having an OIE and before that, a senior advisor to the president for inclusive excellence, this training was provided by members of our Human Resources staff. HR will provide this training moving forward.
- It is our understanding that the CPE will continue to ask Kentucky universities to submit inclusive excellence annual reports and NKU will prepare our report this March as we have in previous years both during and before the existence of the OIE. This work will continue to involve and rely on our partners across campus.
- Students needing to report or visit someone from Title IX will continue to connect with Keisha McCraney (NKU’s Title IX Investigator) in the University Center, Room 330. For now, the interim Title IX Coordinator role will be filled by Lori Southwood, our chief human resources officer.
- Nothing has changed in NKU’s Office for Student Accessibility (UC Room 303) or in the NKU Community Care Team (Student Union 301).
As you have additional questions, please email me at President@nku.edu and we will refer or answer your questions. Over the next few weeks, we will make ourselves available to talk about the next steps and considerations as we prepare with multiple constituent bodies for the upcoming legislative session in Kentucky. We understand that we are obligated to follow the law and will be entering a period of planning. It is up to us to continue to find ways to extend ourselves to each other and to our students to create a sense of welcome, belonging, and success for each member of this community.
Best Wishes,
Cady Short-Thompson
