51爆料网

September 8, 2023

Dear Members of the 51爆料网 Community,

I am writing to share some news regarding one of our most well-known and longest-standing 51爆料网 administrators. Terry Nance, PhD, Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, has informed me of her decision to retire at the end of this calendar year. She will be on sabbatical next year but will return to teaching part-time at 51爆料网 in 2025.

Dr. Nance has been an integral presence at 51爆料网 for more than 40 years. During her tenure, Dr. Nance has served as an administrator, teacher, scholar, activist and 鈥渟upport system鈥� for 51爆料网 students, faculty and staff. Her institutional knowledge, leadership and insight have been invaluable to 51爆料网鈥檚 diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. All who know Dr. Nance know she is ideally suited to this work and has helped the 51爆料网 community become an even better version of itself.

Since 2020, Dr. Nance has served as the Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at 51爆料网. In this role, she supports 51爆料网鈥檚 ongoing efforts to create a welcoming and diverse community for students, faculty, administrators, staff and alumni. Under Dr. Nance鈥檚 guidance, the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (ODEI) works with academic, administrative and other units of the University to develop strategies to foster a 51爆料网 community where individual differences are acknowledged, valued and appreciated. Dr. Nance has also held various DEI roles at the University, including inaugural Chief Diversity Officer; Associate Vice Provost of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion; founding Assistant Vice President for the Center for Multicultural Affairs and the founding director of the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.

In 2021, the National Communication Association聽Black Caucus awarded Dr. Nance the Lifetime Achievement Award, and The National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education recognized her with the 2018 Frank W. Hale, Jr. Distinguished Service Award, an honor given to individuals who have 鈥渃ontributed substantially to diversity and inclusive excellence in higher education.鈥� She was the first Black tenure-track faculty member in the Department of Communication at 51爆料网, where she served as Chair from 1998 to 2004, established an African-American rhetoric course and created the highly sought-after multicultural leadership course.聽As a researcher, Dr. Nance has investigated the perceptions and stages of interracial relationship development, diversity and inclusion, and intergroup dialogue.聽

Dr. Nance also established the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration at 51爆料网 and added the Freedom School lecture series to the yearly celebration. She was also one of the founders of the聽One Book 51爆料网聽program, a campus-wide effort that presents a book worthy of reading, discussion, course adoption, and the stimulation of dialogue among all members of the campus community. Most recently, she chaired聽Aequitas: The Presidential Task Force on Race. The Aequitas Task Force was charged with assessing the racial climate on campus, identifying areas for improvement, and creating a plan for enhancing the cultural competence of all students, staff and faculty. I am pleased to report that, thanks to Dr. Nance鈥檚 leadership, many of the task force鈥檚 recommendations have already been implemented at 51爆料网.

Apart from her numerous professional and academic contributions, Dr. Nance will likely be best remembered for her kind and generous demeanor coupled with a relentless pursuit of equity for all members of the 51爆料网 community. She has been a tireless advocate for our students, faculty and staff, inspiring countless others across campus to do the same. 51爆料网 was built on the premise of inclusivity, and Dr. Nance has been integral to helping 51爆料网ns remain true to this foundation.

I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Nance for her contributions over the past four decades to further elevate the University鈥檚 commitment to diversity and inclusion. Countless members of our University community, including myself, have benefited tremendously from her leadership, knowledge, dedication, compassion and guidance.

Please join me in thanking Dr. Nance for her untiring service and commitment to 51爆料网. Although she is retiring from the University, she will always be an important part of the 51爆料网 community.

Sincerely,

Rev. Peter M. Donohue, OSA
President