Candice Batton to Serve as Coordinator for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for Faculty

We are pleased to announce that Candice Batton, Ph.D., the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) Assistant Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs, will become the coordinator for diversity, equity, and inclusion for faculty.

As announced last week, the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and UNO campuses expressed aspirations that each campus will pursue its own unique challenges and opportunities in its commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Therefore, we decided to end the search for a combined position of Assistant Vice Chancellor for Inclusion serving UNO/UNMC and build upon the strengths of each campus, our sister campuses and our central administration DEI areas of excellence.

At UNO, we already have great leadership in serving students through Assistant Vice Chancellor Jonathan Benjamin Alvarado and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, and for staff we benefit from the leadership of Assistant Vice Chancellor Cecil Hicks and the Office of Human Resources. As many of you have conveyed, our most urgent needs center on the recruitment and support of faculty.

Fortunately, in the months since the search for the AVC for Inclusion began, the Office of Academic Affairs went through a reorganization to align with the campus goals you’ve articulated, and we created the important position of Assistant Vice Chancellor for Faculty Affairs. Dr. Candice Batton, a respected and widely known member of this team and campus community, has assumed this new role since September. Under her leadership, the campus is already taking important steps in support of faculty.

With the creation of this role of AVC for Faculty Affairs, and the great work already begun by AVC Batton, it is my pleasure to recommend her appointment as our coordinator for diversity, equity, and inclusion for faculty. AVC Batton will be supported in this work by a faculty committee, consisting of individuals recommended by the deans. This group will advise Dr. Batton and Dr. Kopp on:

• Strategies and experiences with respect to faculty recruiting
• Support of faculty in their transition to Omaha and UNO
• Better understanding of the lived experiences of faculty of all identities across departments and schools
• Equity in retention, advancement and recognition
• Support for faculty in working with the diverse student body of UNO
• Coordination with the leaders of related programs at the other NU campuses
• Representation of UNO with our central administration DEI leadership

We are grateful in advance to this group of faculty for their leadership, their candor, and their commitment to inclusive excellence at UNO.

Our plan is for AVC Batton, along with AVC Hicks, AVC Alvarado to advance our campus’s mission to foster inclusive excellence. Please join us in thanking Dr. Batton for serving this important role for our faculty and strengthening our focus in these areas.