The Oct. 31 State of EDI convening featured presentations from the schools of nursing, dentistry, social work, and pharmacy.
Photo: Diane Forbes Berthoud, PhD, MA, chief equity, diversity, and inclusion officer and vice president
On Oct. 31, the University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) held the second in a series of State of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) convenings. Featuring presentations from deans at four of its schools — nursing, dentistry, social work, and pharmacy — the event focused on strategic plans, success, challenges, and ongoing initiatives aimed at cultivating a culture that prioritizes EDI across all faculty, staff, and student communities.
Diane Forbes Berthoud, PhD, MA, chief equity, diversity, and inclusion officer and vice president, opened the gathering by emphasizing that each school’s approach to EDI informs and strengthens the Universitywide effort.
“The purpose of these convenings is to ensure greater accountability and to increase communication across the schools and across the University, as well as to increase knowledge sharing,” she outlined. “What's happening in one school can enhance and or strengthen something that's happening in another unit or school.”
The first State of EDI convening, held on Sept. 9, featured presentations from the University of Maryland School of Graduate Studies and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, and in January 2025, the University of Maryland School of Medicine will share its progress and goals for the coming year. Each event in the series is guided by UMB’s Diversity Strategic Plan, which focuses on four pillars — Recruitment and Retention, Experience and Climate, Professional Development and Career Advancement, and Scholarship, Service, and Education. These pillars form the foundation for the presentations, offering a consistent framework for sharing progress, challenges, and goals across UMB’s schools.