History
Diversity & Social Justice Education History
In 1994, the University of Illinois established the diversity and social justice education training program, PIR (Program on Intergroup Relations), in response to climate issues related to race relations on campus. This credit generating program was established by a partnership with the Office of the Dean of Students and the Counseling Center. The PIR model is based on The University of Michigan’s Program on Intergroup Relations, Community, and Conflict. The Illinois model differed from Michigan’s in that Illinois used a co-facilitator model partnering staff, graduate students, and community facilitators with undergraduate students. In addition, the program did rely on scripted course guides but instead emphasized more free flowing facilitated dialogues. Initially the program offered workshops and non-credit courses (First Year Impact) with some courses offered through Unit One (LAS 110) as early as 1997. In spring 1998, the office hired a program coordinator to establish a more academic focus and collaborative partnership with academic departments on campus. The program grew to offer 1-credit hour, second 8-week courses in three departments: Psychology, Educational Psychology and Educational Organization and Leadership-EOL. The program coordinator went on to design a 3-credit hour, full semester course, “Exploring Cultural Diversity,” through the Educational Psychology department.
In the summer of 2008, the Vice Chancellor and Provost charged a committee of faculty, staff, and students to review PIR and make recommendations with regards to its effectiveness in meeting the needs of our students regarding diversity education. The committee resolved that students need more opportunities to interact in structured activities with diverse groups that challenge themselves to examine their values through the incorporation of cognitive, affective and behavioral components. The committee believed that this was needed for students to be inspired and develop a vision on how to transform themselves and society. As a result, PIR’s organizational structure changed and moved from the Counseling Center to the newly created Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations (OIIR). This strategic realignment was implemented to represent a successful initiative that helped bridge the divide between Student Affairs and Academic Affairs. The committee also proposed that PIR be part of a larger diversity education program, fully housed within and developed by Student Affairs and reporting directly to OIIR. This would allow greater opportunity and flexibility for outreach/short-term programs while maintain credit-bearing dialogue course offerings.
In 2009, the Diversity Ed. office was formed with four staff members tasked to design and implement programs that would reach students, while increasing the capacity for staff and faculty to serve our increasingly diverse student body. With this new structure, the office trained Social Justice Educators (graduate and undergraduate) facilitators who developed and facilitated workshops on issues important to an inclusive and supportive campus community. Under this structure, the LENS Diversity Certificate program was established. This year-long program focused on helping students Learn, Enhance, Navigate, and Synthesize (LENS) their experiences of diversity and inclusion on campus. In 2011, Diversity Ed. began to offer five Days for Change (5D4C), an intensive, weeklong training institute specifically designed for university staff and faculty to build cultural competency, equity awareness, and social justice advocacy skill.
In 2013 Diversity Ed. changed its name to Diversity & Social Justice Education (DSJE). That spring was the beginning of the mandatory I-Connect Diversity & Inclusion educational opportunity for first-year students. This first-year program was designed to provide first-year students with an interactive and safe environment to understand diversity, identity, and the practice of inclusion; build cross-cultural communication skills and learn about resources for engaging diversity on campus and in the community. Over the years, DSJE continued to provide social justice learning opportunities for students and staff. Programs and workshops like the Social Justice Leadership Internship, Racial Justice Alliy & Advocates training, I-Journey workshops, Friday Forum x Conversation Café, and the Equity, Inclusion & Leadership certificate program were all designed to create transformative experiences at the University of Illinois.
Office of Civic Life History
In 1988, a special task force consisting of students and staff members at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, community agencies, and the United Way of Champaign County. The group studied methods of channeling university students into community service. The task force surveyed Illinois students regarding their community knowledge, involvement, and service participation. The group also investigated the impression that community organizations, in need of volunteers, had towards college students as prospects. They found that students and service organizations reported not knowing where to go on campus when they wanted to explore community service opportunities. Community agencies reported a lack of desire to work with college students based on their transient and unreliable nature, their need for more training, and students being harder to recruit than others in the community. The Urbana-Champaign campus lacked a program in place or office to act as a clearinghouse between community organizations and Illinois students, and the staff to provide readiness orientation to volunteers.
By August 1989, this dilemma would be solved by the creation of the “Green Dean” position made possible through a partnership with the Volunteer Center at the United Way of Champaign County and the Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at Illinois. Using state and United Way resources, the Green Dean rounded up service projects from nonprofit organizations in Champaign-Urbana and matched student volunteers in service clubs, residence halls, and sororities and fraternities with projects. The Green Dean supervised undergraduate and graduate students who took on responsibilities to engage their peers in volunteer activities. The Green Dean was allocated space in the Illini Union and the Office of Volunteer Programs (OVP) became the official hub and clearinghouse for student volunteerism at Illinois. The OVP expanded into academic courses with service curricula and partnered with cultural houses and OIIR areas on service immersion programs.
For more than three decades, our small office staff has united student groups and scholars around service opportunities in Champaign-Urbana with the help of newsletters, computer databases, volunteer interest inquiries, and strong ties with student service organizations. We have educated students about social issues and nonprofit careers through internships, volunteer fairs, service-learning pedagogy, office led service days and immersion trips, fundraising and donation drives for various causes, and partnerships with countless community agencies to meet community needs. The OVP had the strongest America Reads and Adopt-A-School programs in the nation in its first decade on campus, and we have assisted student groups such as Volunteer Illini Projects, Inc. (VIP), Habitat for Humanity, and Best Buddies to gain local and statewide accolades for their community service efforts. Though we serve with a new generation of students and community organizers, the OVP remains tied to its original work of mobilizing student engagement in volunteerism by centralizing opportunities, partnering with others to assist students in exploring community needs and contributing to causes that mitigate societal issues, and cultivating the skills and social networks that students need to actively participate in developing stronger communities.
This rich history is fascinating and should serve us well as we embark with students on a journey through civic life at Illinois. Together, we will explore social change through democratic engagement, philanthropy, social activism and advocacy, community relationship building and development, practicing socially responsible daily behavior that prioritizes community needs, and much more.