Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

The College of Media has several initiatives to create and sustain an educational community in which students, faculty, staff, and alumni from different backgrounds feel mutually respected and welcomed. In this environment, we strive to ensure fairness and see that all people have an equal chance to learn, contribute, and succeed. 

Contacts in the College of Media

Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Jason P. Chambers, Professor of Advertising

College of Media Diversity Committee
This is an eight-member group of faculty, staff, and students, including the Associate Dean for DEI. Its members are charged with familiarizing themselves with campuswide diversity and anti-discrimination initiatives and those within other colleges on campus and advising the Dean about which ones might be applied, amplified, and/or adapted for the College of Media. 

They coordinate workshops/trainings designed for the College of Media that encourage equal opportunity for all, support for underrepresented populations, and intellectual diversity. They also actively promote a range of faculty teaching and research and student activities that foreground an open and welcoming environment that includes but is not limited to a diversity of worldviews and intellectual perspectives, histories, and cultural knowledge across various social groups. These groups and identities include but are not limited to first-generation students, race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical and mental abilities, economic class, religion, veterans status, geographic origin, and their intersections.

Ongoing Initiatives

  • The Alumni Mentoring Program connects students with accomplished alumni to share perspectives and advice. The pilot focused on Black students and alumni, and then expanded to Latinx students and alumni. Learn more.
  • The New Voices Internship Program provides opportunities for first-generation students and those from underrepresented groups to work with College of Media faculty and staff on communications projects. Learn more.
  • DEI workshops on diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism that are relevant to Media faculty, students, and staff, are offered throughout the year, such as "Equity-Mindedness in the College of Media," "Rethinking the Student Experience for Inclusion," and "Tools for Creating Accessible Classrooms and Events for Individuals with Disabilities."

Media Underrepresented Scholarship Fund

The College of Media continues to prioritize scholarship support to recruit and retain an excellent and diverse student body. Our Media Underrepresented Scholarship Fund enables the college to establish a yearly scholarship for students from underrepresented groups. By contributing to this fund, you can help us expand our capacity to support students. 

University of Illinois Nondiscrimination Statement

As stated by the University of Illinois Office for Access and Equity:

The commitment of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Illinois) to the most fundamental principles of academic freedom, equality of opportunity, and human dignity requires that decisions involving students and employees be based on merit and be free from invidious discrimination in all its forms. This policy is designed to promote a safe and healthy learning and work environment and to comply with multiple laws that prohibit discrimination, including: Equal Pay Act of 1963, Title VI and VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Age Discrimination Act of 1975, Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972, the Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978, the Uniformed Services Employment and Re-employment Act, the Vietnam-Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act of 1974, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008, and the Illinois Human Rights Act. This policy and the associated procedures are established to provide a means to address complaints of discrimination or harassment based on the protected categories described herein.

It is the policy of the University not to engage in discrimination or harassment against any person because of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, disability, national origin, citizenship status, ancestry, age, order of protection status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, arrest record status, unfavorable discharge from the military, or status as a protected veteran and to comply with all federal and state nondiscrimination, equal opportunity, and affirmative action laws, orders, and regulations.

For more information, please see the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website at https://diversity.illinois.edu.