Global Nebraska Coalition on Diversity and Inclusion

Our Commitment to Change Global Nebraska Coalition on Diversity & Inclusion

International students marching with their flags at Homecoming Parade
Global Nebraska Coalition on Diversity and Inclusion logo

Mission Statement

The Global Nebraska Coalition on Diversity and Inclusion (GNCDI) represents the University of Nebraska Lincoln’s global support staff and units who are committed to the advancement of diversity and inclusion at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, within the greater Lincoln community, in the U.S. and globally. It is open to all staff and faculty in Global Affairs.

We seek to elevate the voices and bring increased attention to the concerns of historically underserved and underrepresented groups. We accomplish this through our strong partnerships across campus, liaising closely with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and creating a safe space for dialogue and discussion to be brought to colleagues and campus leadership. Finally, we work to implement engaging events, professional development and training opportunities on diversity and inclusion for the Global Affairs staff and the entire campus community.

Diversity & Inclusion Statement

The work done across Global Nebraska as a part of international education intersects with the diversity and inclusion efforts of the University as a whole. We seek to be intentional about this work, in collaboration with our colleagues in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, always keeping in mind that access without support is not opportunity, equity, or inclusion. Each global unit provides unique services and fulfils missions critical to the university, our campus community, and our students, faculty, and staff, and therefore, their pathways to creating access and support are also varied. We each have a commitment to diversity and inclusion in our daily work as a member of Global Affairs.

While Global Affairs is a committed team, each unit has taken time to commit to diversity and inclusion goals for the next two-year period, which will be revisited biannually.

Global Experiences Office

The Global Experiences Office (GEO, formerly Education Abroad) fosters students’ global awareness and personal, academic, and professional growth by offering a variety of study, internship, research, and service learning opportunities outside the U.S. The EAO values collaboration, academic integrity, diversity and inclusion, safety, and fiscal and administrative accountability. More specifically, we are committed to:

  1. Including diverse voices within our events and marketing materials.
  2. Continually evaluating and rebuilding the resources we have available to students on our website and within the office focused on diversity and inclusion.
  3. Attending professional development opportunities to build our own understanding of diversity and inclusion specific to global experiences.
  4. Listening to our students and addressing their questions, concerns or requests for additional support.
  5. Advocating for and including conversations about diversity and inclusion in advising appointments and orientation sessions with students.

International Student & Scholar Office

It is our mission at the International Student and Scholar Office (ISSO) to provide services to international students, visiting scholars, faculty, and departments across campus. We provide a welcoming and supportive environment to our international populations to help them adjust to U.S. culture and answer questions related to their student or scholar immigration status. The ISSO staff is dedicated to providing expert advice, services, events, programs, timely information and support to ensure all international students and scholars are successful during their time here.

At ISSO, we believe differences drive creativity. We value our culturally and ethnically diverse staff and support the ideas and perspectives they provide from their lived experiences. We continuously engage in anti-racism work as a team. We strive to always provide a safe space, whether physical or intangible, for all international students and scholars to feel welcome, respected, and included. Our goal is to educate campus and community stakeholders on how international students and scholars enrich the experiences of everyone with whom they interact.

Office of Global Partnerships & Initiatives

The Office of Global Partnerships & Initiatives is committed to creating partnership and fostering relationships between our local and global community. We are also tasked with the safety and security of our students, faculty, and staff traveling internationally, as well as our on-campus international students. As a unit dedicated to relationship building, outreach, education, and safety we:

  • Strive to educate and advocate on behalf of our international Huskers and partners to our campus and local community, particularly those from under-represented socio-economic and regional backgrounds on our campus whose customs, values, and the challenges they face may not be as widely understood in Lincoln, Nebraska
  • Tell stories of our campus, local, and international community in an inclusive manner, highlighting voices that are often overlooked and providing a platform for international students and domestic students of international backgrounds to share their unique history
  • Collaborate with units across campus to ensure the safety and security of our traveling faculty, staff, and students, as well as our international students on campus—actively working to create a campus environment where our international students feel safe, respected, and at home

Programs in English as a Second Language

In Programs in English as a Second Language, we are dedicating our diversity and inclusion efforts to the areas of: awareness, inclusion, and recruitment.

AWARENESS: Enhance faculty, staff, and student understanding of diversity and inclusion issues. This goal will be met by:

  • Attending diversity and inclusion events offered on campus (Office of Diversity and Inclusion, OASIS)
  • Inviting expert speakers to address faculty and staff in professional development sessions
  • Inviting expert speakers to address students in our classrooms
  • Developing relevant curriculum for our classes 
  • Rewarding faculty and staff who participate in these events through their performance evaluations

INCLUSION: Actively create a productive work and classroom environment that is safe, tolerant, and free from all forms of harassment and discrimination. This goal will be met by:

  • Implementing a series of team building activities for all that result in improved teamwork, communication, and inclusion. 
  • Assessing whether current staff, faculty and student policies, practices, and procedures are inclusive and sensitive to the various cultures in our programs
  • Providing and discussing clear reporting lines and consequences for violations of these policies

RECRUITMENT: Develop effective strategies to recruit and attract a more diverse applicant pool for position vacancies. This goal will be met by:

  • Increasing outreach to underrepresented groups by targeting special interest groups within TESOL and the teaching field in general.

GNCDI Events

2022

The GNCDI is currently undergoing leadership transitions.

Event details will be added later.

2021

November 19, 2:00-3:00 PM

Monthly Meeting

November 17, 9:00-10:15 AM

Guest Lectures: Diversity and Inclusion Around the World

Featuring Jackeline Gallegos, afrodecentent activist in Ecuador, "Reaction in Ecuador to the murder of George Floyd and the BLM movement" and Ana María Morales, "Additional national movements or inclusion efforts for marginalized groups / indigenous populations in Ecuador"

*Open to university

October 29, 2:00-3:00 PM

Monthly Meeting

October 28, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM

State of Diversity 2021

September 22, 12:30-1:30 PM

Monthly Meeting

May 19, 12:30-1:30 PM

Monthly Meeting & Presentation on Chancellor's Commissions

April 28, 3:00-4:15 PM

Campus Presentation by Paul Gorski, Founder of the Equity Literacy Institute and EdChange. Hosted in partnership with UPC Nebraska

*Open to all of campus, including students

April 23, 11:00 AM-12:00 PM

Presentation on “Social Justice Movements in south Africa,” by Carla Lever, Research Fellow at Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance and faculty at IES Abroad

April 21, 12:00-1:00 PM

Community Action Panel, in partnership with UNL Young Professional Network (YPN)

April 16, 2:00-3:00 PM

Presentation on “Indigenous Rights in the Patagonia Region,” Professor Mercedes Pico, IES Abroad

March 26, 12:00-1:00 PM

Article Club & Discussion

March 10, 12:30-1:30 PM

Monthly Meeting & Presentation from ACLU of Nebraska

February 10, 12:30-1:30 PM

Monthly Meeting & Presentation from Dr. Chris Eskridge, UNL School of Criminology and Criminal Justice

January 29, 12:00-1:00 PM

Book Club Discussion, The New Jim Crow

January 22, 12:00-1:00 PM

Book Club Discussion, The New Jim Crow

January 15, 12:00-1:00 PM

Book Club Discussion, The New Jim Crow

January 13, 12:30-1:30 PM

Monthly Meeting

January 8, 12:00-1:00 PM

Book Club Discussion, The New Jim Crow

2020

December 16, 12:30-1:30 PM

Monthly Meeting

November 11, 12:30-1:30 PM

Monthly Meeting

October 14, 12:30-1:30 PM

Monthly Meeting & GNCDI Updates

September 30, 12:00-1:00 PM

Informal Lunch & Conversation

September 9, 1:00-2:00 PM

Inaugural Meeting & Presentation by Josh Davis, Associate Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs

Members

Sylvana Airan

IANR Global

Rebecca Baskerville

Global Experiences Office, Honors Program

Natalie Baskin

Programs in English as a Second Language

Crystal Bock-Thiessen

Programs in English as a Second Language

Karen Cagley

International Student & Scholar Office

Chris Heselton

Office of Global Partnerships & Initiatives

Timothy Janda

Programs in English as a Second Language

Elizabeth Khalil

Office of Global Partnerships & Initiatives

Katelyn Kunzman

Global Experiences Office

Angela Luedke

Global Experiences Office

Tim Meadows

Programs in English as a Second Language

Natalia Meyer

International Student & Scholar Office

Connor Moore

Global Experiences Office

Mariko Nagai

Office of Global Partnerships & Initiatives

Dawn Rammaha

Programs in English as a Second Language

Jarvis Redwine

International Student & Scholar Office

Maegan Stevens-Liska

Interim Assistant Vice Chancellor for Global Affairs

Brianne Wolf

IANR Global

Resources

While words are powerful, we must also act. Below is a list of resources and actions to explore today as we make meaningful change to move forward together and create a more equitable and inclusive university.