Access, Engagement, and Opportunity

The Committee shall be responsible for promoting a culture of fairness, access, and representation across the university. It shall communicate feedback on relevant policies and offer recommendations for improvements and new initiatives to appropriate officers and deans. It shall perform continuous monitoring and make regular reports to Senate on institutional data and assessments, issues related to equal opportunity compliance, and the implementation and outreach of efforts aimed at fostering an environment where everyone is welcomed, valued, respected and engaged. 

Membership

Access, Engagement, and Opportunity Committee shall be composed of: one faculty member from each academic college, and six continuing/ex-officio members. The Vice President and Associate Provost, Assistant Vice President of the office of Equal Opportunity Compliance (or designee), Provost (or designee), Vice President of University Outreach (or designee), Vice President of Student Affairs (or designee), and Associate VP of Human Resources (or designee) shall serve as ex-officio members.

  • Restrictions:

    • The chairperson of the committee shall be a faculty member.

Members

Name Department/Unit Rotation Year

Steph Shepherd, Chair

 College of Sciences and Mathematics 2027

Kelley Taylor

 Assistant Vice President of the Office of Equal Opportunity Compliance Continuing

Taffye Clayton

 Vice-President and Associate Provost Continuing

Kristine Ball

 Associate Vice President for Human Resources or designee Continuing

Bobby Woodard

 Vice-President for Student Affairs or designee Continuing

Jocelyn Vickers

 Vice President for University Outreach or designee Continuing

Sarah Richling

 College of Liberal Arts 2026

Gopikrishna Deshpande

 Samuel Ginn College of Engineering 2026

Kate Thornton

 College of Human Sciences 2026

Soledad Peresin

 College of Forestry, Wildlife, and Environment 2026

Tiffani Chidume

 College of Nursing 2027

Bruce F. Smith

 College of Veterinary Medicine 2027

Margaret Shippen

 College of Education 2027

Jennifer Pindyck

 College of Architecture, Design, and Construction 2028

Jeremy Wolter

 Harbert College of Business 2028

Jingjing Qian

 Harrison College of Pharmacy 2028

Adelia Grabowsky

 Libraries 2028

Wendiam Sawadgo

 College of Agriculture 2028

James Toyin

 Graduate Student Representative 2025

Josh Deutschendorf

 Undergraduate Student Representative 2025

Kimy Campos

 Undergraduate Student Representative 2026