Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

This page highlights the efforts of the Department of History as it works to create a departmental atmosphere that is inclusive and tolerant, reflects the best practices of DEI work, and explores the culpability of our discipline in crafting narratives that exclude and discriminate as well as highlight and celebrate.

The Department of History takes great pride in UIC’s status as one of the most diverse public universities in the nation and as one of the nation’s most successful engines of social and economic mobility.  We fully support the mission of UIC’s Office of Diversity and the Chancellor’s Advancing Racial Equity initiative.  We view these initiatives as benefiting all members of the university committee and as forcing a recognition of our discipline’s culpability in prioritizing certain people’s pasts over others and in crafting historical narratives that are and will always be partially incomplete.

In our efforts to create a departmental atmosphere that welcomes students, staff, and faculty regardless of gender, race, sexuality, culture, or class, and where the talents, skills, insights, and contributions of all community members are seen, valued, and respected, we are working through numerous initiatives, small and large.  This page highlights those efforts and ensures our own accountability.  The faculty as a whole, along with members of the History Graduate Society, meets at least once a semester to craft plans for the following 3-6 months. We are committed to implementing practices of DEI in hiring, departmental atmosphere and climate, pedagogy, and the curriculum.  This is a work in progress. Please look for further updates on this page as our work continues.

2022 Graduate Climate Survey Heading link

In 2022, the Department undertook efforts to understand the climate regarding advancing racial equity and diversity, equity, and inclusion within its graduate program.  As part of these efforts, it sent a survey to each member of its graduate program.  The results formed the basis of a report the Department relied on to make adjustments to its climate concerning diversity and inclusion.

READ THE REPORT.

OMBUDSPERSON Heading link

The Department of History has created the position of ombudsperson so that members of our community (faculty, staff, and students) have an informal place to report and/or discuss instances of discrimination and/or harassment. Our ombudsperson is a mandatory reporter for cases that rise to that level of required reporting.  Beyond that, our ombudsperson is here to discuss more informal complaints and to help manage internal instances within the Department.  Our ombudsperson is:

UIC also has mechanisms to report instances of discrimination and harassment:

Reporting Discrimination and Harrasment

Bias Reporting Tool