It has never been more important than now to commit ourselves to supporting diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that allow us to build a better School of Communications. The following page outlines the school’s diversity assessment report, diversity committee, topical programming, Unity in Communications program and #BlackLivesMatter statement. Additionally, the page lists university resources such as the Office of Inclusive Excellence Education & Development (OIEED), Inclusive Excellence website, bias response website and Boldly Elon strategic plan.

Diversity Committee

The Diversity Committee is charged with continuing the implementation of the School of Communications diversity plan, investigating ways to enhance the international and domestic initiatives of the plan.

Chair

Unity in Communications

The School of Communications’ on-campus initiative supports students interested in enhancing diversity and inclusion in the communications and sport management industries. Some of the initiative’s events during the school year include discussions about topics that need to be voiced in the community, dinners to connect students with top communication professionals, and presentations about scholarship, fellowship and internship opportunities in the communications field for students of color. For more information, visit the Unity in Communications webpage.

Diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and efforts

To prepare students for their respective communications industries, the School of Communications hosts panel discussions and events addressing diversity and inclusion initiatives, career advancement, company culture, salaries, industry trends and personal experiences.

Additionally, the school hosted hosted a Diversity and Inclusion in News Coverage luncheon (photos) in November 2019 as part of the programming for the 2019 National High School Journalism Conference in Washington, D.C. The event was hosted in collaboration with Pitney Bowes on the top floor of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Diversity Assessment and Diversity and Inclusion Report

The School of Communications created its diversity plan in 2004 and most recently revised it in August 2016. Take a moment to review our most recent report:

#BlackLivesMatter Statement

Dear Elon Community,

The deans of the schools and colleges at Elon University stand unequivocally united against racism and police brutality. We believe Black Lives Matter. We are working to ensure our faculty and staff colleagues are better equipped to teach and lean into conversations that will help our nation and world change for the better. Hold us accountable to promote diversity and inclusion. Hold us accountable for recruiting and retaining diverse students, faculty and staff. Hold us accountable for meeting our diversity and inclusion goals. We are here to support our students, our faculty and our staff colleagues. We will work in our personal and professional spheres to make a difference.

Sincerely,

Luke Bierman, Ph.D., JD, dean, School of Law
Ann Bullock, Ph.D., dean, Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education
Rochelle L. Ford, Ph.D., APR, dean, School of Communications
Rebecca Neiduski, Ph.D., OTR/L, CHT, dean, School of Health Sciences
Gabie Smith, Ph.D., dean, Elon College of Arts and Sciences
Raghu Tadepalli, Ph.D., dean, Love School of Business

—Originally published on June 1, 2020

Additional School Resources

  • WEEE website: The Women of the Elon Entertainment Empire – more widely known by the acronym WEEE – is a networking group for Elon alumnae working in the entertainment industry in Los Angeles and Elon undergraduate students interested in entertainment careers.
  • WINS website: In conjunction with the Sport Management Society, Women Influencers in Sport (WINS) offers regular programming to encourage the development and education of female students studying sport management.

University Resources

  • Inclusive Excellence website: It is the shared responsibility of Elon University members to act
    deliberately toward equitable outcomes.
  • Office of Inclusive Excellence Education & Development (OIEED) website: The Office of Inclusive Excellence Education and Development serves as an institutional hub for the creation and support of inclusive practice and equity development for all members of the Elon community. It also oversees efforts and policy development for preventing and responding to bias and harassment campus-wide.
  • Bias response website: The OIEED provides comprehensive response to issues of violence, bias, harassment and hate.
  • Boldly Elon website: The university’s strategic plan for 2030 promotes a more diverse, equitable and inclusive community where all experience belonging and well-being.