About Us
"UT Dallas must recruit individuals who understand and support UTD's commitment to a multicultural understanding of the demands of a global society, and UT Dallas needs to increase the gender and multicultural diversity among the faculty as well as the students."
- Dr. David Daniel, President, UT Dallas
VP, Diversity and Community Engagement
Preparing students for tomorrow's challenges is one of the most important goals for any institution of higher learning. Of the many initiatives the UT Dallas leadership outlined in its Strategic Plan, perhaps none could have a greater impact than the decision to strongly support excellence and inclusion by creating the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement to recognize, enhance, and celebrate diversity.
UT Dallas appointed noted technology innovator Dr. Magaly Spector, one of the most visible Hispanic women in the fields of science and engineering in the United States, vice president for Diversity and Community Engagement in January 2008.
In that capacity, Dr. Spector is responsible for the Galerstein Women's Center and the Multicultural Center. Her office also is charged with the development of new programs to attract, retain, and promote a more diverse population of students, staff and faculty. It also serves in an advisory capacity for the development of activities, including the Living-Learning Communities - an experimental program that will be supported by a planned residence hall scheduled to open at UTD in 2009.
To meet its goals, three new departments were created: Faculty Diversity, Community Engagement, and Institutional Diversity Initiatives. The Community Engagement arm reaches beyond the campus into the community to forge a stronger working relationship with different constituencies, including highly underrepresented minority high schools, community colleges, and corporations across the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The Faculty Diversity arm aims to provide leadership for achieving and sustaining faculty diversity as an indispensable element of academic excellence. The Institutional Diversity Initiatives arm develops grants, communications, and maintains and publishes a diversity scorecard.
VP, Faculty Diversity
The Assistant Vice President for Faculty Diversity is responsible for supporting the recruitment, retention, and promotion of underrepresented minority faculty at UT Dallas; aims to improve climate and networking among university faculty. The department creates programs to help tap the pipeline of qualified minority candidates and works closely with other departments, deans, search committees, and the Provost's Office. It supports the creation of a campus-wide faculty mentoring program in close collaboration with the Women’s Center, the faculty mentoring committee, and the associate provost for faculty development.
VP, Multicultural Affairs
Arthur Gregg is the assistant Vice President for multicultural affairs and director of the Multicultural Center. In his current position, he is responsible for the Multicultural Center as well as programming, development and advising for African American students at UTD. Also, he advises various multicultural organizations and serves on various committees on the UT Dallas campus. He is the immediate past president of the Texas Association of Black Personnel in Higher Education and graduate of Leadership Richardson. Mr. Gregg also serves as a lead facilitator for Leader Shape. He received his bachelor of arts degree from the University of Houston, and master of education in higher education from Dallas Baptist University. He is known for his presentations on topics ranging from leadership, black male empowerment, Greek life and diversity. Visit the Multicultural Center website for more information.
Department of Institutional Diversity Initiatives
Rosie Peterson joined the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement as the director of Institutional Diversity Initiatives in May 2008. Ms. Peterson started at UT Dallas staff in 2004, after nearly 22 years of professional experience in serving individuals with special needs or in medically under-served areas. For the previous three years, she worked as the assistant director of the Sickle Cell Research Center. Over her career, Ms. Peterson has written grant proposals individually and collaboratively to fund over $4 million in project activities related to sickle cell disease and organizational capacity building.
Department of Community Engagement
Raúl Hinojosa Jr. joined the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement in July 2008 to support the university’s efforts toward increasing student diversity. His office reaches out to local school districts in the region and community colleges. He also promotes and creates programs to enhance diversity for graduate students. This office works in close partnership with the Office of Enrollment Services, the Office of Development, the Office of Communications, the Multicultural Center, the Women’s Center, with the individual schools, and community organizations as well as other Institutions of higher education.
The Galerstein Women's Center
Lauren De Cillis is the director of the Galerstein Women's Center and has been responsible for the start-up development and administration of the Center since September 1997. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in education from Caldwell College in 1984, and a master's in social work from Fordham University in 1996. She is a licensed clinical social worker and her professional background has been in the areas of corporate human resources, training, program development in gender, equality and psycho-social issues, employee assistance program administration, community board service, outreach and partnership, and mental health and family services. She advises student organizations and serves on university boards to influence success for women at UT Dallas. The Galerstein Women's Center has a staff of four. For more information, contact Ms. De Cillis at laurend@utdallas.edu or dial 972-883-6557.
Administrative Office
Olga Reyes Alexander joined the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement on July 15, 2008 as the Administrative Assistant III.
The newly renovated Office of Diversity and Community Engagement in the Multipurpose Building opened on Sept. 8, 2008.
Committee for the Support of Diversity and Equity
The Committee for the Support of Diversity and Equity is a University-wide Standing Committee reporting directly to the President of The University of Texas at Dallas.
The committee meets regularly (at least six times each academic year) to review and discuss issues that affect the institutional status, professional effectiveness and personal morale of women, minorities, and members of other underrepresented groups in full and part-time faculty and staff positions. Members are for 2008-09.
Committee for Support of Diversity and Equity
Faculty |
Academic Administration |
Erin Smith Nathan Berg Gail Breen Jorge Cobb Douglas Dow Holly Lutz Margaret Owen Peter Park Orlando Richard Responsible University Official Magaly Spector, Vice President of Diversity & Community Engagement |
Abby Kratz, Chair Sherry Marek Diana Willis Staff Marilyn Bechtol Barbara Gordon Arthur Gregg Jacqueline Long Pat McEachern Alex Nestor Yolande Porter Vivian Rutledge |
Diversity Student Advisory Council
Mission Statement
The purpose of the advisory council is to provide the students’ perspective, input, and advice to the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement. The council will address the elements of student diversity, concerns, activities, and programs to increase awareness and understanding of each other, and to move beyond simple tolerance to embrace and celebrate the rich dimensions of diversity contained within each individual.
The group will be lead by the principle that diversity is essential to reaching higher levels of excellence in the multicultural, multiethnic, and diverse character of the United States in the 21st century.
Updated: May 14, 2009
