A new partnership between the Division of Equity and Inclusion and Undergraduate Studies will strengthen the UO’s support of student access, engagement and success through culturally relevant advising and support services.

Launched this fall, the initiative also will boost student achievement and the overall effectiveness of the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence.

The new structure will be co-led by Lesley-Anne Pittard, assistant vice president for campus and community engagement at the Division of Equity and Inclusion, and Kimberly Johnson, assistant vice provost for advising for Undergraduate Studies.

“This collaboration will enable a much more seamless integration of our student success efforts across campus,” Pittard said. “Closer partnerships across Undergraduate Studies and the Division of Equity and Inclusion will ensure that our endeavors as a campus around equity and inclusion will remain firmly at the heart of our work with student success.”

The multicultural academic advisors and student retention specialists for Asian and Pacific Islander, Black/African-American, LatinX and Native American students will be under the direction of Johnson, while retention and pipeline programs and initiatives will be led by Pittard. The new co-directors of the Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence will work together to help drive President Michael Schill’s commitment to academic excellence at the UO.

The center works with students to build and empower an inclusive and diverse community of scholars who exemplify academic excellence and inspire positive change. Its mission is to promote student retention and persistence for historically underrepresented and underserved populations.

Undergraduate Studies promotes academic excellence and engagement, access and success. It supports the coherence, relevance and effectiveness of the educational journeys of UO students.

—By tova stabin, University Communications