Statement on Diversity
The University of Illinois College of Fine and Applied Arts recognizes a broad and inclusive concept of diversity as a springboard toward mutual understanding. Diversity encompasses complex differences and similarities in identities and perspectives among members of our college, as well as among individuals who make up the broader global community.
The college’s concept of diversity retains the capacity to continually evolve, embracing a wide spectrum of viewpoints.
FAA DEIA Committee
Committee Structure
- The committee shall work to advance diversity, inclusion, equity, and access and oppose racism, sexism, homophobia, ableism, and prejudice in all its forms, in all aspects of the college mission.
- The committee includes, but is not limited to, one or two faculty or staff from each academic and administrative unit, appointed by the Dean based on recommendations from the unit executive officers. The Dean may also appoint student representatives to the committee. The committee also includes the Associate Dean for DEI, who will serve as the representative for the Dean’s Office. In addition, the committee will invite input from FAA students during at least one meeting per semester.
- Members will serve staggered terms with possibility of renewal.
- The Dean shall appoint a chair of the committee; typically this shall be the college’s Associate Dean for DEI. The chair will represent the college in campus-level diversity and accessibility efforts and serve to connect college-level goals and work to campus-level initiatives and priorities.
As stated in the FAA Bylaws.
Current Committee Members
Work in the College
The college has launched a number of projects and initiatives to advance diversity, inclusion, equity, and access while recognizing the deep and rich work and visions offered by our artists, designers, performers, scholars, architects, and activists.
“We Got Next” is a five part, webinar series designed to highlight the work and research of faculty of color relevant to race and equality. This effort is led by Endalyn Taylor, then professor in the Department of Dance and Dean’s Fellow. Each week, Taylor will be joined by faculty members and special guests to share their research and a live discussion of the work’s creation, impact, relationship to the perpetual pandemic of racism, and the systematic issues brought to the forefront by George Floyd’s murder and other recent events. Streamed in the summer of 2020.
Based in Black aesthetics and traditions, Professor Lou Turner designed the course to draw from the college’s many disciplines to create a picture of racism and white supremacy in the United States while also profiling the deep and rich counter-visions offered by Black artists, designers, performers, scholars, architects, and activists. He developed the Black Arts Today course for asynchronous online delivery in order to meet the needs of FAA students across a wide variety of course schedule constraints.
