The University of Texas at Arlington announced changes to come into compliance with the state’s new law targeting Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs at public universities in Texas.
In response, UTA’s Office of Talent, Culture and Inclusion is now the Office of Talent, Culture and Engagement. The renaming reflects “our employee-centered mission and focus on positive employee engagement,” UTA President Jennifer Cowley said in an email to staff Friday.
Cowley also outlined plans to create an Intercultural Student Engagement Center, establish a Belonging and Engagement Council, and expand Employee Resource Groups – voluntary groups and not subject to SB17.
UTA is among the first schools in North Texas to formally announce how it plans to comply with the law.
University of North Texas President Neal Smatresk said last month the school is dissolving its Division of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access after the office’s vice president Joanne Woodard retires in October.
Smatresk said he and other administrators are “doing our best” to reassign staff to other areas of the university.
Likewise, UT Dallas President Richard Benson is assuring staff that “nobody is going to lose a job” when SB17 goes into effect in January. UTD has an Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, but Benson has not released more details about how the school intends to comply with the law.
Asked whether any staff in the Office of Talent, Belonging and Engagement might lose their job because of SB 17, a spokesperson for UT Arlington told KERA the university is "still working through the details on implementation."
In her email, UTA President Jennifer Cowley said she's heard from the campus community about the shift and its "potential for impact.
“I believe wholeheartedly in UTA," she said. "I know that we, as one campus community, will continue to thrive and embrace who we are, comply with the law, and continue to advance on our mission.”
