Robert Sellers oversees multiple units and initiatives in his role as the vice provost for equity, inclusion & academic affairs at the University of Michigan. Now there’s a website dedicated to showcasing the collaboration and innovation coming from the work within the office.
The website, ovpeiaa.umich.edu, serves as a gateway for information related to the initiatives and units that report to Sellers’ office, and also highlights the ways in which the office provides support to the campus community and beyond.
The focus of OVPEIAA’s initiatives includes programming that provides outreach to K-12 students, engagement programs that support diversity issues related to U-M and higher education, programming that provides services to communities across the state, support for diversity-related services and activities that are housed at U-M schools and colleges, and programming that provides services to U-M students.
The site provides faculty and staff with collaboration resources, while the leadership and staff directory offers direct access to the people who work closely with the initiatives and units of the office.
“This is a large campus with a lot of working parts. Sometimes, even within units that report to the same office, it can be tough to identify opportunities for collaboration and highlight the work those units do to further the institution’s goal of academic excellence,” says Sellers.
“With the launch of this site, the campus community will be able to access important information about all of the work happening across the units and office, how to connect with the people doing the work and how it relates to the communities we serve.”
The site, which launched June 21, highlights the work done by the Center for Educational Outreach, Detroit Center and other units, as well as programs like the Strategic Plan for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Wolverine Pathways and the First Generation initiative.
Mike Morland, who serves as the marketing and communications manager for OVPEIAA, says the website serves as a one-stop shop for information and announcements about all of the initiatives Sellers’ office undertakes.
“It really gives us the opportunity to be more transparent with the university community by providing one location to find out about all the important work that’s happening within the office and the individual units,” he says.
“The site will be used to showcase all of the exciting collaborative work we’re doing to help further the mission of becoming a more diverse, equitable and inclusive campus, and to show how we share resources to accomplish that goal.”
By Jeremy Allen
Public Affairs & Internal Communications