New Web site features U-M's diversity resources

The Educational Value of Diversity is a new Web portal to the University that recognizes and celebrates the broad range of diversity activities taking place across campus.

Developed under the auspices of the Office of the Senior Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, the site
(http://www.diversity.umich.edu) is a unique effort to make the University's diversity resources readily accessible by bringing them together on one comprehensive site.

"Diversity is a central ethic at the University of Michigan, and this new site recognizes that fact," President Mary Sue Coleman says. "The diversity portal will make historical and current resources broadly available, will illustrate the University's commitment to diversity, and will contribute to its advancement."

The site provides information about, and direct links to, the University's current and best practices for promoting diversity. The site puts that information at the fingertips of the U-M community, other institutions of higher education and the general public.

"The University continues to serve as a leading proponent of diversity, and this Web site is an innovative way for us to share our understanding of the value that diversity plays within our community," says Lester Monts, senior vice provost and senior counselor to the president for the arts, diversity and undergraduate affairs.

Visitors to the Web site will be able to see the wide range of projects taking place on campus. In addition to the University's wealth of diversity-related curricular offerings, there also are many programs, centers and associations available to students, faculty and staff. These include professional associations, student clubs and University offices charged with serving specific student and faculty populations.

The University's 19 schools and colleges offer many interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary courses and volunteer opportunities for students, who can use the site to simplify their searches for courses and programs specifically geared for advocacy and support.

For example, one can navigate from the site to the College of Engineering's Women in Science and Engineering Residence Program or the National Society of Black Engineers. The site also highlights such events as the annual MLK Symposium and last winter's Brown v. Board of Education theme semester.

"The new site points to the breadth and depth of the University's diversity-related initiatives and activities," says Patrick Naswell, staff member in the President's Office who coordinated development of the site. "I'm sure the site will continue to grow as people contribute further information about their activities."

The site was supported by the Office of the President, Office of the Vice President for Communications, University Diversity Council and the Program on Intergroup Relations, as well as many other people and programs in the University community. Comments and feedback on the site should be sent to diversityweb@umich.edu.

In a related effort to advance the understanding and practice of diversity, the University will host a national conference, which will bring together experts from the public and private sectors to envision the future of our diverse society and to identify next steps in the movement toward an inclusive, productive democracy. The conference, "Futuring Diversity: Creating a National Agenda," is supported by a grant from the Ford Foundation and will be held on campus May 17-18.

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