Updated application details: 

To be considered, please use THIS FORM to provide the personal information and your statement of interest by May 30, 2025. Additionally, your immediate supervisor must complete and submit the Supervisor Support Form, indicating their endorsement of your participation and commitment to supporting your proposed Culture Builders initiative by May 30, 2025.

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Call for Culture Builders

We are excited to invite you to partner with the Division of Institutional Equity in an ongoing, community-wide effort to foster a more loving, inclusive, and just campus: Culture Builders.

Culture building is the intentional practice of developing shared values, beliefs, and behaviors that shape how we live, learn, and lead together. In a time marked by polarization and a loss of shared humanity, creating an inclusive culture requires all of us. Each of us has a role to play.

More than a semesterly speaker series, Culture Builders is a call to action. It’s a space where faculty and staff can deepen their commitment to inclusive excellence by:

• Engaging in critical conversations about identity, community, and belonging

• Centering shared values that draw us closer across lines of difference

• Exploring practices and programs that support inclusive engagement, teaching, service, leadership, and scholarship

• Co-creating a campus culture where everyone feels seen, valued, and supported

We invite you to join the fall '25 Culture Builders Cohort as a thought partner, co-sponsor, and co-facilitator. This fall’s shared text will be Critical Hope by Dr. Kari Grain—a powerful exploration of how we can lead with clarity, complexity, and care in the pursuit of justice. 

Drawing from the book’s key themes—including the importance of grounded action over naïve optimism, leading with imagination, and cultivating hope through reflection and radical relationships—our fall cohort will focus on how these practices can shape UMBC’s culture of inclusive excellence. Explore the fall themes HERE.

What to Expect:

• Small cohort experience: Only 8 Culture Builders will be selected per semester. Culture builders will represent their office/department.

• Shared learning: Culture Builders will participate in three virtual dialogues (July, August, and September) to explore the book and identify themes and values that can inform institutional change. We will provide each participant with a free copy of Critical Hope.

• Campus engagement: Each Culture Builder will host a fall event, program, or learning opportunity connected to cohort themes. We will provide up to $500 in funding per event.

• Community connection: All Culture Builders will promote and attend the fall Culture Builders keynote event in November. We will host and fully fund this event and provide 20 free copies of Critical Hope to audience members.

To explore the ideas behind the book, you can listen to the following podcast interviews with Dr. Kari Grain: Critical Hope for Educators: Equity Analysis, Possibility, and Responsibility. You might also read The Social Justice Turn: Cultivating "Critical Hope" in an Age of Despair by Kari M. Grain and Darren E. Lund.

If you’re already leading equity-centered work or seeking a way to begin, this is your invitation! Become a Culture Builder and help shape the culture we want to see at UMBC.

Dear UMBC Community,   I want to express my thanks to the many of you who have reached out to me in recent days to voice their concerns and ask about the current and future state of the work of the Division of Institutional Equity in light of recent federal orders and actions. Your support is an inspiring demonstration of our shared values, most especially, inclusive excellence.     As you may know, late on Friday evening, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued a Dear Colleague letter that put forth a very broad interpretation of the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, which ended race-conscious admissions. The Dear Colleague letter interprets that ruling to prohibit all race-conscious activities at educational institutions that receive federal funding—“hiring, promotion, compensation, financial aid, scholarships, prizes, administrative support, discipline, housing, graduation ceremonies, and all other aspects of student, academic, and campus life.”   A Dear Colleague letter does not carry the force of law, nor can it change existing law. We have and will continue to abide by existing laws, including through the university’s nondiscrimination policy. Higher education associations responded swiftly to the Dear Colleague letter this week, urging institutions not to overreact or try to comply preemptively with the guidance.    OCR’s Dear Colleague letter followed several recent federal executive orders and other actions targeting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility efforts broadly. Some of these are being challenged in the courts. Additionally, Maryland State Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, together with 15 other state attorneys general, have issued this multistate guidance on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility employment initiatives.    We take seriously the direct targeting of this work, which is so central to our identity and core values. We are monitoring closely the orders and actions related to these issues and assessing as best we can the risk and potential impacts for UMBC. We also are continuing to hold UMBC to the highest standards in adhering to university policies and applicable state and federal laws.  To that end, I want to reiterate that all of the university’s programs and activities are open for full participation by all individuals, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the university's nondiscrimination policy.  Who we are as an institution demands that we continue to:   Create a community culture that values each individual Protect the civil rights of all faculty, staff, and students Come together across differences Uphold free speech and academic freedom   This is not the work of a single office or division, but rather the collective responsibility of our entire campus community. Thank you again for your support, your dedication, and your partnership.   Sincerely,   Tanyka M. Barber Vice President for Institutional Equity and Chief Diversity Officer

Announcing the "Building Equitable Workplaces: An Inclusive Hiring Series"

The Division of Institutional Equity (DOIE) and Human Resources and Strategic Talent Management (HRSTM) at UMBC are proud to present a transformative four-part series designed to empower all faculty and staff in fostering equity, inclusion, and belonging within our community.

Overview

In today's evolving landscape, fostering inclusive hiring practices is more crucial than ever. Embracing diversity, fairness, access, inclusion, and belonging, is not only a moral imperative but also an economic necessity.

Join us to gain the knowledge, tools, and strategies necessary to implement intentional recruitment, hiring, and retention practices. Aligned with UMBC’s core values of inclusive excellence, community, and equitable opportunity, the series offers a comprehensive understanding of the current hiring landscape, strategies to mitigate bias, and actionable frameworks for cultivating diverse and inclusive teams.

Session Details

1. Inclusive Hiring in the Current Context: Understanding the Landscape

   • Date, Time, Location: March 13, 12:00 - 1:30 pm, Commons 329
   • Facilitators: Tanyka Barber, Vice President for Institutional Equity/Chief Diversity Officer & Lynne Adams, Associate Vice President-Chief Human Resources Officer
   • Description: Explore the pressing challenges and opportunities in higher education hiring today. Topics include aligning institutional representation with the student body, navigating the competitive landscape for diverse talent, addressing implicit biases in recruitment, understanding shifting labor market trends, and ensuring equitable access throughout all hiring stages. Participants will gain insights into how intentional hiring practices can help UMBC build a representative and thriving workforce that reflects its values of equity and belonging.
   • RSVP here: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/doie/events/140163

2. Fostering Fairness: Strategies to Recognize and Overcome Bias in Hiring

   • Date, Time, Location:: April 7, 12:00 - 1:30 pm, Commons 329
   • Facilitators: Jasmine A. Lee Associate Vice President for Community & Culture & Walter Parrish, Assistant Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs
   • Description: Uncover unconscious biases that can influence decision-making during recruitment and selection. Through guided exercises and reflection, attendees will learn practical strategies to mitigate bias and ensure fair and equitable hiring practices. The session will also explore how bias manifests differently between staff and faculty searches.
   • RSVP here: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/doie/events/140166

3. The Inclusive Hiring Toolkit: Practical Tools and Resources

   • Date, Time, Location: : April 17, 12:00 - 1:30 pm, Commons 329
   • Facilitators: Jasmine A. Lee Associate Vice President for Community & & Jill Wardell, Director of Talent Learning & Organizational Development 
   • Description: This workshop offers concrete tools and resources to operationalize inclusive hiring. From crafting equity-centered job descriptions to conducting inclusive interviews, it equips attendees with actionable steps to attract, engage, and retain diverse talent. Participants will also gain access to the Institutional Equity Inclusive Hiring E-Toolkit.
   • RSVP here: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/doie/events/140169

4. Action Planning for Inclusive Hiring: Turning Strategies into Practice

   • Date, Time, Location: : May 8, 12:00 - 1:30 pm, Commons 329
   • Facilitators: Jasmine A. Lee Associate Vice President for Community & Kelly Coleman, Director of Talent Acquisition and Total Rewards 
   • Description: Focus on creating personalized action plans for implementing inclusive hiring strategies within your departments and units. Participants are encouraged to bring questions, plans for review, or specific cases to explore. You will leave with a roadmap for fostering equitable opportunity and accountability in your hiring processes.
   • RSVP here: https://my3.my.umbc.edu/groups/doie/events/140170

Key Takeaways

• Enhanced Understanding: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the current hiring landscape and the importance of aligning our hiring practices with our institutional value of inclusive excellence.

• Bias Mitigation: Learn to identify and mitigate unconscious biases that can influence recruitment and selection, ensuring fair and equitable hiring practices.

• Practical Tools: Acquire concrete tools and resources to implement inclusive hiring, from job description development to interview techniques.

• Actionable Strategies: Develop personalized action plans to apply inclusive hiring strategies within your specific departments and units.

By participating in this series, UMBC faculty and staff will be equipped to navigate the complexities of the current hiring environment, ensuring that our recruitment and retention practices reflect our commitment to inclusive excellence.

Registration Information

The series will be conducted in-person and seating is limited. RSVP on the MyUMBC page for each individual event. 

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This event is open for full participation by all individuals regardless of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or any other protected category under applicable federal law, state law, and the University's nondiscrimination policy.