The Office of the Chancellor released an update to the Vol Vision 2020 Priorities on Monday that communicated where the Chancellor’s team stood on Priority 6—Diversity and Inclusion.

Chancellor Wayne Davis said within the email sent out to students, staff and faculty he and his team recognize the need to communicate where their team stands on Priority 6—Diversity and Inclusion. 

“A great deal of work has been done since the sixth priority was added to the strategic plan in 2016. That work is instructive as we foster an atmosphere that prioritizes diversity and inclusion and create an infrastructure across campus to support our efforts,” Davis said in an email to the UT community. 

The email included the Vol Vision 2020 Diversity and Inclusion Implementation Reportfrom June 2017 which Davis and Provost David Manderscheid have accepted. 

The report, based on feedback from the campus community, overviews the campus’ status and challenges. The feedback includes student and staff survey information, as well as in-depth data review and a comparison to peer universities. 

One of the recommendations of the report included hiring a diversity officer, which was fulfilled this past semester when Tyvi Small was appointed interim vice chancellor of diversity and engagement. 

In addition to the report, the group hosted the Tennessee Business Diversity and Inclusion Roundtable, which engages Tennessee business leaders to better understand UT’s role in developing the next workforce. 

“We appreciate the work of everyone involved in producing these reports. They will be used as the foundation for continued collaborative work to create the infrastructure that supports diversity and engagement in our campus community now and into the future,” Davis said in the email. 

There will be another update this week, according to the press release, on the progress of all metrics of the Vol Vision 2020 strategic plan.