University of Oregon Creates a Fund to Promote Diversity

The Division of Equity and Inclusion at the University of Oregon has begun a new fundraising drive to build a fund that will support efforts to recruit more students and faculty from underrepresented groups and to create a more welcoming environment on campus.

The fund will help the university recruit and retain outstanding faculty members who bring diverse perspectives and foster a culture of inclusiveness and respect. It will also be used to help underwrite scholarships and support students in many different ways. And it will  fund programs across campus that advance the university’s diversity mission.

Yvette M. Alex-Assensoh, vice president for the Division of Equity and Inclusion, will have the discretion to allocate grants from the proceeds of the fund. She stated that “this fundraising effort in collaboration with University Development will help us build and secure a brighter future for the University of Oregon, allowing us to build a diverse faculty at the vanguard of research and creativity excellence. It will advance our work to ensure the representation of many cultures as well as perspectives on campus, help create a diverse, inclusive student body, and build a stronger academic foundation for the university. And it will help us shape graduates who are intellectually gifted, loving, authentic, empathetic and courageous.”

Dr. Alex-Assensoh is a summa cum laude graduate of Dillard University in New Orleans. She holds a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in political science from Ohio State University and a law degree from Indiana University.