June 4, 2021

With the summer upon us, the Dean’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) Council wrapped up its first six months and made plans for the year ahead.

The council was created in January with the goal of sharing information across units, increasing faculty and staff awareness around IDEA issues, coordinating with the university on IDEA initiatives, and advising the college leadership on IDEA-related opportunities and emerging issues.

With representatives across each of the departments, the council chairperson and campus diversity liaison is Rachel J.C. Fu, Ph.D., chair and professor in the Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management, and director of the Eric Friedheim Tourism Institute.

The council created a report (.pdf) outlining its accomplishments and plans for the upcoming school year at the end of the year meeting this past May.

Report highlights include:

• The Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology (APK) created a departmental IDEA committee made up of faculty, students and postdoctoral fellows. The committee is launching a three-year plan to promote and enhance future IDEA plans.
• The Department of Health Education and Behavior is working on a health equity framework, updating course offerings around health equity, women’s health and priority populations, and enriching the learning environment. The department is involved in a number of collaborations around immigrant health, a proposal to the NIH to increase workplace diversity and developing a course focused on LGBTQ+ populations.
• The Department of Sport Management developed an Anti-racist Learning Community through a series of sessions with researchers with plans to expand and continue into the fall. They also hosted a series of events around athlete activism, women in athlete development, and coaching around culture, race and influence.
• The Department of Tourism, Hospitality and Event Management hosted a series of events for the community around event planning and leadership. The events tapped a series of inspiring alumni and industry experts with recordings made available to the greater community.

The council is working to expand access for professional development and training for staff and working with graduate feeder programs at historically Black colleges and universities in Florida.

“I want to congratulate the council members for a successful year,” said Michael Reid, dean. “I’m grateful to Dr. Fu for her leadership of the council and to each of the representatives for approaching the work in a way that’s relevant and unique to their disciplines.

“I look forward to following the activities of the council and each department as they unfold.”

Leonardo Ferreira, Ph.D., associate professor in APK, has concluded his service on the council. Linda Nguyen, Ph.D., instructional assistant professor in APK, will serve as the APK representative moving forward.

“We look forward to continuing the great work into the fall,” said Fu. She encouraged those interested in IDEA to reach out to their respective council members for ways to get involved.

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