University leads effort to establish Virginia chapter for Diversity Officers in Higher Education
Virginia Tech, a charter member of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education (NADOHE), was instrumental in gaining approval for a provisional affiliate association chapter, the Virginia Diversity Officers in Higher Education (VDOHE).
The VDOHE will provide Virginia-based chief diversity officers an avenue on which to exchange ideas to increase the scope of inclusive excellence in higher education.
“I am thrilled that the chief diversity officers in Virginia will formally convene to strategize on how we can minimize barriers to the implementation of inclusive excellence at colleges and universities in the commonwealth. Our designation as a provisional affiliate association of NADOHE is definitely a step in the right direction for the diversity and inclusion agenda in Virginia,” said Karen Eley Sanders, interim vice president for diversity and inclusion and VDOHE affiliate.
The Virginia chapter currently has six institutional members: James Madison University, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, George Mason University, George Washington University, and Virginia Tech.
As the preeminent voice for state diversity officers, VDOHE will support the efforts of the national organization and lead institutions toward attaining the following goals:
- Produce and disseminate empirical evidence through research to inform diversity initiatives;
- Identify and circulate exemplary practices;
- Provide professional development for current and aspiring diversity officers in Virginia;
- Inform and influence state and local policies; and
- Create and foster networking opportunities.
The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education was established in response to the growing need among chief and senior diversity officers at institutions of higher education to have a national organization to lead higher education toward inclusive excellence through institutional transformation.
Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.
