JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The University of North Florida is creating a new position as a part of the many new initiatives the UNF says they are taking to support diversity and inclusion on campus.
The new position, Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion, will be held by UNF alum Whitney Meyer. Meyer is a Jacksonville native and resident and has worked at the university in key programs directed at promoting diversity like the Community Alliance for Student Success and the Fearless Woman initiative.
“This elevated position has been created to affirm UNF’s unreserved commitment to student success within a diverse and supportive campus culture,” said UNF President David Szymanski. “I am confident that Whitney will serve as an integral member of our leadership team with valuable input to help uphold the University’s core values of mutual respect and civility.”
Meyer will be responsible for advising University leadership on diversity, inclusion and racial equality pertaining to strategies and policies, learning and research, community relations and the recruitment, retention and admission of faculty, staff and students of color. She will also oversee the Commission on Diversity and Inclusion, Department of Diversity Initiatives, the LGBT Resource Center, and OneJax.
“I am so excited to begin in this new role that will help our University to grow as an institution that strongly values the input of diverse ideas,” said Meyer. “I hope to uplift underrepresented voices in our community and act as an agent of positive, united change.”
Szymanski announced last night that UNF will start requiring incoming freshmen to take an anti-racism class.
“We’ll also make it an integral part of the first day experience for all new faculty and all new staff so people understand who we are and what we stand for as an institution and in our society,” Szymanski said.