Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Mission

The mission of the Animal Science’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee is to provide the means to strengthen our faculty, staff, and students’ cultural competencies, while also creating and sustaining a learning environment where ALL VOLS, despite their differences, know that they belong. As a committee, we recognize the work and advocacy that needs to occur for all our community to achieve academic success, and thus we strive to promote the ongoing initiatives already occurring across the Herbert College and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, while supplementing these with our own departmental efforts.

Vision

Our vision is to continually foster the interests and success of underrepresented minorities in the field of Animal Science. In tandem with this is empowering all members of our department to strive for inclusive excellence and to combat the inequitable systems of oppression and social injustice impacting our community.

Goals

The goals put forth by the DEI Committee align with the Herbert College’s dynamic Diversity Action Plan (DAP) intended to promote the recruitment, retention, and engagement of a robust and diverse community of scholars within the field of Animal Science.

1. Create and sustain a welcoming, supportive, and inclusive department culture.
2. Recruit and retain greater numbers of individuals from historically underrepresented populations into faculty, staff, and administrative positions.
3. Recruit, retain, and graduate increasing numbers of undergraduate and graduate students from historically underrepresented populations, including international students.
4. Develop and strengthen partnerships with diverse communities in Tennessee and globally.
5. Ensure that programmatic opportunities and curricular requirements for students include significant intercultural perspectives.

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