Diversity, Equity, Access, and Inclusion

The College of Public Affairs and Community Service: An Action-Oriented College

In 1973, the University of Nebraska at Omaha created the College of Public Affairs and Community Service (CPACS). Urban Omaha community leaders proposed a college dedicated to solution oriented programs that could respond to the continued civil unrest and social injustices exposed by the Civil Rights Movement. The University of Nebraska at Omaha was pressed to action and created this college. The current vision and mission of CPACS includes using inspirational teaching methods, innovative research, and transformative service; all with the goal of creating an equitable and just society. In this moment in our country's history, the intention and action of CPACS' vision and mission has never been more meaningful and critically needed.

CPACS leadership teams include the dean's office; the department chairs and directors; and the dean's advisory board. We acknowledge the pain and suffering that many of our communities of color are experiencing. We assure you that our commitment to social justice has not wavered from the college's original mission. We acknowledge the worth and dignity of all people, and believe that in our academic programs we teach and model these values to our students and each other. We engage in dialogue on complex societal issues such as poverty; housing and food insecurity; violence; abuse; systemic racism and oppression; diversity; equity; and civil rights. We empower students, faculty, staff and community partners to take action to expose and dismantle these inequities through teaching, research, and service.

We must be open toward solutions, no matter how difficult the conversations are. Arnold Mindell, whose book "Sitting in the Fire-Large Group Transformation Using Conflict and Diversity'' writes that racism refers to the use of mainstream rank against people who do not have enough social power to defend themselves. Racism is always social abuse. Mindell calls for us to "sit in the fire" to experience how those impacted by these insidious acts of racism and oppression are daily realities. It rests on us collectively, and is our responsibility and charge to advocate for positive change that is inclusive and equitable. Without pressure, there is no change.

If the present environment, in addition to historical ones, makes us feel uncomfortable, then it is time to act. Have honest and candid conversations regarding racist acts that lead to heinous and unnecessary violence against people of color. It does little to align with people who think like us. Our mandate in CPACS is to walk the path and take actionable steps toward social justice. The action is to "sit in the fire."

Resources

The College prides itself on making decisions with diversity, equity, access, and inclusion at the forefront. Our faculty and staff study and do research on diversity, equity, access, and inclusion. View an annotated bibliography. Some examples of our work in this area are highlighted below.

	An Updated Examination of the Predictors of Running Away from Foster Care in the United States and Trends Over Ten Years (2010-2019) Authors: Tara Richards, et al. | Published in Child Abuse & Neglect. | 2022 This article presents the pedagogical, observational, and empirical findings from a social equity centered team-taught course that served as an effective learning approach for both students and faculty during a time of great uncertainty and unrest in 2020. The authors conclude by sharing lessons learned, recommendations, and a call to action to scholars and practitioners to use a collaborative pedagogical approach that centers social equity and interdisciplinary expertise when addressing complex and timely issues in public administration.
	Nebraska's Women in STEM Author: Center for Public Affairs Research | 2022 A large and vibrant science, technology, engineering, and math workforce has a range of benefits for the economic and social well-being of communities; yet women continue to be underrepresented in these occupations. Through in-depth, semi-structured interviews with women working in STEM occupations and residing in Nebraska, six key findings emerged as central to the experiences of women working in STEM in Nebraska.
	Racial Attitude and Criminal Justice Policy Authors: Leah C. Butler, et al. | Published in Crime and Justice: A Review of Research | 2021 Empirical research on public policy preferences must attend to white people’s animus toward Black people. For a quarter-century, studies have consistently found that Kinder and Sanders’s four-item measure of “racial resentment” is a robust predictor of almost every social and criminal justice policy opinion. As the United States becomes a majority-minority nation, diverse in-group and out-group racial attitudes are likely to play a central role in policies — including within criminal justice — that the public endorses.

CPACS Student Organizations

Association of Blacks and Browns in Criminal Justice | Contact: Sadaf Hashimi

UNO Athletes & Elders: A Community of Interest | Contact: Lyn Holley

Goodrich Transgressive Feminist Organization | Contact: Goodrich Scholarship Program

National Gay Pilots Association Maverick Chapter | Contact: Michaela Lucas

Organization of Black Aerospace Professionals | Contact: Theodore Johnson

UNO Against the Trafficking of Humans | Contact: UNOATH

Women in Aviation Maverick Chapter | Contact: Melissa Wragge