In 2020, the Equity and Diversity Committee (EDC) advocated for the creation of an office focused on diversity, equity and inclusion to provide “continually committed” leadership in this area throughout CALS. In a series of formal communications to CALS leadership, the EDC laid out several other priorities, including adopting a DEI professional development requirement as well as an anti-racism statement on all job postings. In early 2022, CALS hired its first Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and a formal office was established shortly thereafter.
The CALS Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) endeavors to honor the advocacy that led to its establishment by ensuring the college aligns with its values and is positioned to realize its greatest potential.
Support our programs with a charitable gift directed to the CALS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fund at the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association.
Our Pillars of Practice
COMMUNITY
Leverage the power of engagement and collaboration to promote a shared sense of responsibility to positive culture.
LEARNING
Activate and sustain a culture capable of innovating across functional areas.
IMPACT
Establish a culture that centers outcomes and seeks to effectively utilize data to align with co-defined organizational values.
Meet the ODEI Staff
UW Madison Land Acknowledgement Statement
The University of Wisconsin–Madison occupies ancestral Ho-Chunk land, a place their nation has called Teejop (day-JOPE) since time immemorial. In an 1832 treaty, the Ho-Chunk were forced to cede this territory. Decades of ethnic cleansing followed when both the federal and state government repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, sought to forcibly remove the Ho-Chunk from Wisconsin. This history of colonization informs our shared future of collaboration and innovation. Today, UW–Madison respects the inherent sovereignty of the Ho-Chunk Nation, along with the eleven other First Nations of Wisconsin.
Help Grow CALS DEI Initiatives
Support our programs with a charitable gift directed to the CALS Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Fund (112040135)
at the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association.