19% of all enrolled undergraduates and 12% of all enrolled graduate students have a disability according to the Postsecondary Policy Institute. Ensuring they receive a comprehensive educational experience during their studies is fundamentally important to promoting and preserving higher education in America today. Furthermore, according to federal data, only a third of students with disabilities who enroll in a four-year college or university graduate within eight years. Brice Yates is the ChiefDiversity and Inclusion Officer at the University of Houston, Clear Lake. Yates is responsible for:
Responsible for implementing, developing and overseeing the development and implementation of the University’s overall strategic plan as it relates to diversity and inclusion.
• Collaborate with university departments to develop strategic hiring and retention efforts to attract and retain a highly talented, diverse workforce.
• Collaborate with campus partners to develop, establish and implement assessment strategies to assess, evaluate and leverage progress towards a climate of inclusion and diversity for students, faculty, and staff.
• Create and implement communications strategies and content management for training, web resources, social media and print materials to support diversity inclusion and related initiatives.
• Work with student-serving and student-facing departments to support diversity and inclusion in all aspects of the student experience, enhancing the student’s sense of belonging, promoting increased gender equity and social inclusion, and developing programs for underrepresented students.
• Establish effective modes of communication concerning ongoing diversity and inclusion at UHCL.
He joined me this week to have an in depth discussion on how to improve diversity, equity and inclusion in higher education today.
Email: Yatesb@uhcl.edu
LinkedIn: @BriceYates,
