Mission
“The University of St. Francis is committed to building an inclusive community that inspires acceptance, compassion, respect, and wisdom in understanding the multicultural richness of our society. We value the role of pursuing diversity through achieving flexibility of thinking, respect for differences, moral courage, and appreciation for common ground.”
Upcoming Events
You must register in advance to participate in these activities, sponsored by the Office of Institutional Diversity, by emailing Allison Heard, OID director, at aheard@stfrancis.edu.
PAUSE FOR JUSTICE
Every Monday in June at 8:46 a.m. and 8:46 p.m.
(June 8, 15, 22, 29, 2020)
The group will gather via Zoom twice each Monday and pause for justice for George Floyd, who was murdered in May 2020 by having a knee held to his neck for 8 minutes and 46 seconds.
HOT TOPICS DISCUSSION SERIES
Every Wednesday in June (June 10, 17, 24, 2020)
The group will gather via Zoom to discuss a different Hot Topic each week, including…
• Recognizing Institutional Racism and Systems of Oppression (June 10 from 1:30-3 p.m.) This discussion will help people identify systemic forms of racism above and beyond conscious and unconscious bias and microaggressions
• COVID-19 and Racism-20 (June 17 from 1:30-3 p.m.) This discussion will review our global pandemic and how racism, if unchecked and unchanged, travels through society like a disease. The theme of COVID-19 has been to “stop the spread.” Like COVID-19, we encourage participants to identify things they can do to help cure the disease of racism and to stop the spread
• Voting as a Form of Power and Empowerment and Prayer at the Virtual Peace Pole (June 24 from 1:30-3 p.m.) This program discusses the civic action of voting and the important correlation to promoting structural, cultural, and institutional change. This program will highlight voting as an opportunity and action and will focus on what USF is doing to promote voter registration (conversation about specific candidates or the promotion of specific political parties will not be permitted). The Office of Institutional Diversity, Diversity Council, and Social Work Department have also partnered with the League of Women Voters, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. to promote voter registration. Campaigns will take place online during the summer months and both online and in-person when school begins.
More About the Office
The Office of Institutional Diversity incorporates the Franciscan values of respect, compassion, service, and integrity into its work and the programs that are delivered on campus. Our goal is to create a hospitable campus climate espousing the celebration of all students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
Catholic social teaching holds that each person has a unique dignity of every human being as created by God for God. Out of our sincere desire to grow in faith and to love God, all Christians are called to love our neighbors and seek their good.
The Office of Institutional Diversity focuses on the following areas:
- Develop and implement comprehensive educational, social, and service learning programs and opportunities that promote and enhance cross-cultural competence.
- Provide advocacy and support for diverse students, faculty, staff, and administrators.
- Provide assistance in the university’s overall plan to recruit and retain a diverse population of students, faculty, staff, and administrators that is representative of the community and world in which we live.
- Champion internal and external research, collaborations, partnerships, workshops and seminars with community organizations and businesses.
- Develop goals and objectives that are consistent with the university’s overall strategic plan for the University of St. Francis to be a change-agent and leader with respect to inclusion-related values.
- Ally Training and Resources for DREAMer Students
- Anti-Racism Trainings and Workshops
- Diversity and Inclusion Series
- FrankChats
- Graduate School Seminar and Workshops
- Multicultural Speaker Series
- Multicultural Student Graduation Reception
- University Success Scholars Program
- Provide access to and information on opportunities that stimulate the growth and success of all students, faculty, staff, and administrators
Meet the Staff
Allison Heard
Director of Institutional Diversity and
Title IX Coordinator
Motherhouse, C229
815-740-5025 | aheard@stfrancis.edu
Lisa Johnson
Secretary, Office of Institutional Diversity
Motherhouse, C164
815-768-8322 | ljohnson1@stfrancis.edu
Ombudsman
The Office of Institutional Diversity is responsible for fostering an environment where a variety of cultural systems are acknowledged, respected and valued. Anyone who feels they have been subjected to discrimination or who have observed incidences of discrimination may seek assistance from the Office of Institutional Diversity.