A trio of forums on Sept. 25 will provide an overview of findings in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s universitywide diversity and inclusion study.

The forums will be led by Rona T. Halualani of Halualani and Associates, a national research firm that is working with the university on the study. The research firm already has completed diversity benchmarking and mapping reports for the university. Details about both studies are available here.

Rona Halualani will guide three forums Sept. 25 in the Nebraska Union Auditorium. The hour-long sessions are open to the university community. The final 15 minutes of each forum will allow for questions and answers.

Rona Halualani

The Sept. 25 forums are 10:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

This study is part of the university’s continuous efforts to enhance diversity and inclusion on campus. Administrators and the Chancellor’s Diversity Council are currently leading the diversity and inclusion initiative.

Chancellor Ronnie Green has identified the initiative a priority for the university. Former chancellor Harvey Perlman launched the diversity and inclusion initiative during his 2014 State of the University address.

Based on feedback from the university community and focus groups, the university has opted to pursue a long-term plan for systematic change rather than enact short-term strategies to address diversity issues. That decision led to the Office of Academic Affairs, now known as the Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor, to commission a report about best practices in the academic enterprise for diversity and inclusion. That analysis led to the university contracting with Halualani and Associates for deeper analysis and planning.

Halualani and Associates is a leading research and consulting organization primarily serving higher education institutions in diversity research, analytics and consulting. Founded in 2008 by Rona T. Halualani and her brother, Roger Halualani, the California-based group has mapped 35 colleges and universities, ranging from small to mid- to large-sized, public, private and faith-based institutions. Those institutions include Nebraska’s Big Ten colleagues Michigan, Indiana and Penn State.

Halualani and Associates began Nebraska’s diversity mapping project in the spring. Rona Halualani hosted forums that provided an overview of the diversity mapping process in November 2016.

Learn more about diversity and inclusion at Nebraska here.

Video: Halualani diversity mapping methodology