PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 19, 2021
Oakland University Receives CUPA-HR’s Inclusion Cultivates Excellence Award
Oakland University’s Diversity Advocate Program has received the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR) 2021 Inclusion Cultivates Excellence Award.
This award recognizes and celebrates institutional initiatives and programs that have made a significant impact with respect to inclusive and equitable workplace practices, particularly those that have brought about cultural change throughout the organization. Thanks to the generous support of EyeMed, CUPA-HR is pleased to offer a $5,000 contribution to Oakland University’s endowment fund or a scholarship selected by the recipients.
The Diversity Advocate Program trains designated members of faculty hiring committees to serve as diversity advocates throughout the hiring process. As part of the advocate training, participants are introduced to topics including best practices for recruiting a diverse applicant pool, mitigating bias in evaluating candidates, and creating an inclusive environment for newly hired faculty, and given opportunities to discuss and apply these concepts. The advocates are then able to facilitate thoughtful conversations within their search committee and attempt to mitigate forms of bias that might emerge throughout the hiring process. At this time, all faculty searches include a designated diversity advocate.
The Diversity Advocate Program aligns with Oakland University’s goal to “advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in an environment of mutual trust and respect at all levels of the institution and facilitate opportunities and success for all community members,” and the program has led to similar models across campus.
About CUPA-HR
CUPA-HR is higher ed HR. We serve higher education by providing the knowledge, resources, advocacy and connections to achieve organizational and workforce excellence. Headquartered in Knoxville, Tennessee, and serving more than 33,000 HR professionals and other campus leaders at nearly 2,000 member institutions and organizations around the country and abroad, the association offers learning and professional development programs, higher education salary and benefits data, extensive online resources and just-in-time regulatory and legislative information.
Contact Information
Missy Kline
Project Manager
[email protected]