OFFICE OF INCLUSIVE EXCELLENCE (OIE)
INVESTING IN PEOPLE. BUILDING COMMUNITIES.
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The Office of Inclusive Excellence (OIE) is committed to creating and enhancing an equitable and inclusive environment where all students, staff and faculty are welcomed and have opportunities to succeed in the School of Education and Human Development (SEHD).
OIE’s Strategic Plan is a living document that provides oversight, leadership and support in matters related to climate, recruitment, retention and equity.
Below are key threads that undergird this plan and serve as guideposts for the work we do in and through OIE and SEHD:
Accessibility
Provide equal access to opportunities and resources for people who have historically been excluded or marginalized in organizations.
Communication
Create an environment where people feel comfortable speaking openly and honestly about diversity matters.
Civility
Foster work and learning environment where all stakeholders are respected.
Intersectionality
Acknowledge the intertwined identities and different lived experiences each person brings to SEHD, and realize that there are multiple systems of interlocking oppressions that must be understood and struggled against simultaneously.
OIE's Stated Commitments
- We recognize that historical injustices and continued systemic inequalities adversely impact certain individuals and groups, particularly those who have been excluded and marginalized.
- We acknowledge and value that students, staff, faculty, and external stakeholders come to us from a variety of intersecting demographic backgrounds, and have diverse life experiences, perspectives, identities, interests, skills, and capabilities that can enhance and greatly contribute to the culture of excellence we strive for in the school.
- We seek to facilitate an inclusive campus climate in a public university space that affirms a multitude of social and cultural identities.
- We believe the diversity between and among all our stakeholders is a strength and important asset, and strive to find ways to help leverage these rich assets to support our stakeholders’ success, and thus, the success of the college.
- We are committed to challenging people in all departments and units across our college to continuously and critically examine our structures, policies, processes, and practices in the college—and where appropriate and when necessary—commit to alter or change them to realize the SEHD vision of transforming lives through our collective teaching, research, and service opportunities.
People
Our people are our most important and valuable resources, and at the heart of who we are as a school. SEHD consists of a diverse array of people who bring different interests based on their identities, lived experiences, formal roles and functional units/expertise to the organization. We must work together if we are to achieve our mission as a school. We created the Equity and Social Justice Collective in 2020 to serve as a central support mechanism through which people across the SEHD can magnify and further advance our mission and work related to climate, recruitment, retention, and equity matters.
Equity & Social Justice Collective
The SEHD Equity and Social Justice Collective was created in 2020 with the following long-term aims in mind:
- Provide a robust, supportive infrastructure and space for SEHD faculty, staff, and students who do work related to justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI)
- Create meaningful and sustainable collaborations between and among faculty, staff, and students in SEHD and beyond.
- Produce technical, practical, and emancipatory knowledge that can help inform policy, processes, and practices related to equity and social justice in SEHD and beyond
For more information about or to formally get involved with the Collective please contact Dr. John N. Singer (singerjn@tamu.edu), Associate Dean for Diversity and Inclusion.
Partnerships
Our Partners
OIE will continue to connect with organizations across the Texas A&M campus and beyond. Please see examples below.
INTERNAL
View more programs, initiatives and events
OIE and SEHD have established various programs, initiatives, and events related to Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI).
Projects
View projects our team members contribute to
There are several projects that OIE staff either directly engage in or provide (in)direct support for across SEHD that contribute to the school’s mission and OIE’s strategic mission.
Climate
Promote a diverse, flexible, and inclusive working and learning environment where all our stakeholders–particularly those from historically excluded and underrepresented backgrounds and groups–are recognized, respected, feel safe, and can grow and thrive both personally and professionally.
Recruitment
Achieve a more diverse and culturally representative body of faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students across SEHD.
Retention
Eliminate barriers that hinder student development and success, and that prevent faculty and staff from experiencing job and career satisfaction and personal/professional growth.
Equity
Disrupt structures, policies, processes, and practices that have historically inhibited opportunities for individuals, particularly from historically and currently underrepresented groups, to achieve optimal success.